Wedding Beer in a firkin

[Joeyriles]

Well, it's been a long while since I posted properly on here so here goes.
I am levelling up my game to cask conditioning having already used a corny and co2 with some confidence.
An acquaintance has loaned me a plastic firkin from his brewery in order to practise my brewing for my best friend's wedding and I'm rather excited!

I've watched about ten hours of YouTube to get a few do's and don'ts but wondered if anyone else had experience of brewing specifically for a firkin/pin? I've got a ten litre plastic bag pin which I've hooked up to the beer engine with success but recognise this will be a whole new ball game!

The plan would be to do two brews in as many days (identical) and 'blend' them when siphoning to the firkin. I'd add isinglass for clarifying and some sugar to continue the fermentation process. The brewery are letting me keep the firkin in their cellar for a few weeks ahead of the wedding so it's conditioned well.

So, why am I posting?

I have no idea how to keep a plastic firkin cool; ice jackets seem less likely to work on plastic than aluminium/steel.

The beer has to travel from Surrey to Cornwall and will likely have only 24 hours to rest.

I'm likely to set it on stillage in a cellar at the venue but I don't want to have ten/twenty metres of beer hose as the beer will go warm in the line. Putting it on the back bar is preferable but then there's the temperature conundrum again!

Before anyone asks: I've made sure the venue is ok with bringing your own booze.

Any advice would be great!

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[johnnyboy1965]

Its about moving the brew. Even with a clearing agent it needs at least 3 days to settle and 3 days is a minimum. If you can brew it to the "crystal stage" and the force carb, it will still take 2 days to clear.

 

[Joeyriles]

Its about moving the brew. Even with a clearing agent it needs at least 3 days to settle and 3 days is a minimum. If you can brew it to the "crystal stage" and the force carb, it will still take 2 days to clear.

Think this is a non-starter?

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[Joeyriles]

Its about moving the brew. Even with a clearing agent it needs at least 3 days to settle and 3 days is a minimum. If you can brew it to the "crystal stage" and the force carb, it will still take 2 days to clear.

Think this is a non-starter?

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[Joeyriles]

For some reason that posted twice (I blame Tapatalk.)

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[Leon103]

Why did you need yo watch YouTube, just ask the brewery that have it to you.

 

[Joeyriles]

Because they have many processes that don't translate to a home-brewer/I find that I pick up more from multiple sources.

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[Sadfield]

I think you just need to borrow another firkin before the wedding and re-rack the beer 'bright' on the morning of travel, to the second firkin. This will reduce the life of the beer to a couple of days, long enough to get supped at the wedding. We once bought a firkin of bright beer for a friends stag do from a local brewery and it was fine on the night having been transported early the same day. Ran out on the second night though.

Bright Beer or re-racked beer; has had the sediment/yeast removed at the brewery. *Bright Beer requires no settling time and can be drunk immediately - handy if you need to transport beer to a party/venue.*

http://www.allendalebrewery.com/about/faqs#What is bright beer

Some more info on shelflife and serving.

https://www.stroudbrewery.co.uk/bright-beer-faq/

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[simon12]

What sadfield says is ideal but I have opened casks with only around 24 hours to settle and though there not perfectly clear there not that bad. As for temp it takes alot of time for a whole firkin to cool or warm so if you can chill it right down a few days before it should come to the correct serving temp on the day.

 

[Joeyriles]

Thanks guys. Just for information purposes the beer I'm brewing is in the style of Proper Job (scaled down on ABV for a session.)

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[Dutto]

I've often transported beer in a Top Tap King Keg.

In a trailer it took a couple of days to clear but inside a car it stayed relatively clear for the whole journey. However, because I have only emptied it at up to 3 litres a day, it may have been well stirred up at the bottom of the keg at the time I started pulling pints.

I reckon the only way would be to force carb it after clearing it with something like gelatine.

With regard to cooling the beer itself, I try to never drink cold beer on the basis that they serve it cold in pubs so that the customers can't taste how crappy it is. Be brave. Serve it at "cellar" temperature. :thumb:

 

[steveshep8676]

Joey, I have firkins and pins and recently made a firkin of ale for a friends wedding. What I did is ran it through my plate filter and basically made it a bright beer which stripped out the yeast and sediment that was left over. When it was transported it was perfectly clear and went down a storm. View attachment IMG_8885.jpg

 

[Joeyriles]

Joey, I have firkins and pins and recently made a firkin of ale for a friends wedding. What I did is ran it through my plate filter and basically made it a bright beer which stripped out the yeast and sediment that was left over. When it was transported it was perfectly clear and went down a storm. View attachment 11171

This sounds good. What/where is a plate filter?

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[Dutto]

Here's a very simple example.

http://www.art-of-brewing.co.uk/acatalog/HARRIS-VINBRITE-FILTER-UNIT-MK3-818.html#SID=22

They come on all kinds of shapes and sizes and can filter out yeasts and bacteria.

Enjoy. :thumb:

 

[Joeyriles]

Looks good. Think it'd affect the priming of the beer? I only have the one firkin which would mean siphoning the beer through the filter to the firkin but then presumably it would be flat?
An update: the groom is heading down three before the wedding so I could put the firkin in with him and get him to put it on stillage ahead of my arriving. Would that be sufficient for clearing?

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[Dutto]

As I understand it, filtering the beer would mean that it would have to be force carbed afterwards; but I may be wrong.

Clear in three days? With very careful handling it may be possible but when all's said and done a bit of cloudiness isn't a problem.

 

[Joeyriles]

I hadn't planned on force carbing because I wanted it to be properly cask conditioned.
If it's on stillage three days before it should be ok, right?

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[Dutto]

We don't have an emoji for "fingers crossed"; unfortunately! :whistle:

Plus, how many home brewers will be there? If one or more then they will appreciate the problem and not dob you in it when you tell everyone else that the cloudiness is part of the "chosen style" and that they should be grateful to be allowed to drink such an exotic brew! :thumb:

 

[simon12]

I went to the radius arm yesterday (micro pub will all cask gravity dispensed) and asked the guy who runs it, he recons most of the time 2 days is fine, but if a beer is very lively it may need much longer. He said once he put a beer on after 4 hours (by mistake) and even that was OK.

 

[Joeyriles]

Thankfully no other home brewers! That's good news, thank you.

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