what happens to cask beer if it blows the keystone out during second fermentation?
There are ways and means of replacing keystones in the horizontal position, however if it blows out and you have managed to up-end it without losing too much beer. You can replace the keystone if you have a spare or use the existing one if it isn't damaged. Roll the container to disperse the finings and re-stillage as normal and let the container clear down, then fingers crossed you will have saved your ale.
im new to cask ales and would like to no should i keep the peg in the barrell during dispense if so which peg and how long a life should i be expecting to get on a barrell Thankyou
Three days after you start to use it, is about the norm for a 3.8% ale, higher alcohol content will give you a little longer. When on sale, loosen or remove the peg and cover the hole with a hop strainer or similar. To extend the life you should hard peg when not in use.
When serving which spile should be used if any?
None, a hop strainer can be placed over the hole to prevent any debris getting into the ale.
HOW LONG GENERALLY DOES THE SECOND FERMENTATION PROCESS TAKE ON A 4% BEER?
How long is a piece of string? Seriously all traditional beers vary so much it is difficult to give a precise answer. Your particular cellar conditions, the brew itself, even the age of the beer are factors that will determine how long a cask beer will take to go through the secondary fermentation process.Short answer would be anything from 24 to 48 hours.
after pulling a pint the real ale runs on for a while... this is not pump assisted and has a check valve fitted
If the beer engine runs on, this usually due to a faulty check valve. However there is no need for a check VV if it isn't pump assisted, unless the cask is higher than the beer engine itself. You should put this on the forum for further discussion.
I am in the U.S. I have thus far only homebrewed and bottled my beer. I am getting ready to start kegging and/or casking. My question is, do you think its reasonable to consider putting in a cask ale system in my home? We are remodeling our kitchen and are putting in a regular keg tap, but would love the option to have real ale as well.
Hi to you and welcome to Inndoctor. I think it perfectly feasable to serve cask beer in your kitchen. Cask beer needs to be stored at a constant temperature, 52 - 54 fahrenheit. You will find depending on the gravity of the beer you are brewing that the length of time an opened cask will last will vary, realistically speaking you should use a cask within 3 days. If you kept your cask in a cool cupboard or piped it up from your basement I don't think you would have a problem. Using a beer engine I feel would give you the best results in terms of presentation and taste. This might sound like sacrillige to some real ale purists but I have even served cask beer through a beer cooler set at minimum setting just to give it a slight chill and had great success. I think a real ale beer engine in your kitchen would look pretty good. To sum up
1. Find somewhere cool with a constant 52-54 fahrenheit temperature.
2. Only connect a cask if you intend drinking it within at least 3 days.
3. Don't be afraid to use a beer cooler.
4. Cask ale in the kitchen, you realise you may be starting a new trend...sweet.
Bits in bottom of real ale that seem to increase in number the longer you leave the pint in the glass
There are a couple of possible answers to this problem. Firstly do you have a hop filter fitted at the cask tap. Without one of these, protein particles from the cask will be drawn into the dispense line. If so then the problem might be a line cleaning issue. The bits you refer to could be loose yeast being disturbed during dispense. Check your lines for yeast build up. Join the forum to discuss this issue.
how long does real ale take to drop bright
Depends on the brew some take longer, some quicker, but as a rule of thumb 48 hrs.
in a 9 gallon barrel is the amount of beer exactly 9 gallon or do they allow 10% ullage
There should be more than 9 gallons in a 9 gallon cask. There will be approx 4 pints or so of finings, bottoms etc left in the container when 9 gallon of good ale has been removed.
after tapping and spiling a barrel how long will it last if not used?
The cask should be sealed with a hard peg to keep the beer fresh, checked daily in case an excess pressure has built up. Then depending on the brew could be up to a week before connecting up to sell.
why would you get flat/sour cask ale?
Simple, the beer is over age,and has become infected with bacteria. You should sell a cask in 3 days.
should there always be a soft or hard spyle in the cask ales at all times?
Soft peg whilst ale is fretting[working], hard peg once beer has dropped bright and has finished fretting. During service remove hard peg and replace after service, until cask is sold. If you are using a cask aspirator fit aspirator once ale is ready for service.
my ale kegs delivered frozen / will this effect the ale
Firstly you need to contact tech services and report the keg is frozen. Next have a look at this page on Inndoctor. http://www.inndoctor.co.uk/equipment/frozen-kegs/
My manager is telling us we lose 1 in four pints from cask ale served during the slow winter months. Is this about right, it seems a lot to lose?
No, this is an unacceptably high level of waste. If cask beer is managed properly there should be little waste know matter what time of year. We can give you a far more detailed answer to this interesting problem if you post this question on the forum, that way others can learn and join in the discussion.
How long should Tetley cask bitter take to drop bright.
Normally approx 48hrs
I have two hand pulls working off the same gas lift pump but the pump is pushing beer through to the hand pull even when not in use - I have adjusted the pressure down but it still happens after a while - am i doing something totally wrong? - If I take the gas lift pump out then the beer will not pull through properly and it seems to be pulling air in from somewhere
Well it is quite a normal procedure to have 2 cask beer engines running off 1 gas pump. It sounds as if you may have a problem with the back check valve on the one line. The fact you say air is being pulled in suggests it could be the seal or the hop strainer on the connection to the cask tap. They may need replacing. Give tech services a call.
do you put the hard peg in first for 48 hrs before serving and then the soft peg wheh you want to serve
Normally you soft peg untill beer has finished working and then hard peg. Check out Inndoctor page on tapping and venting.
do you have to peg your kegs if you are using the vertical stilling method?
Not always, it depends if the particular brew is volatile and needs to be controlled. Once you have installed the down tube and set the cask up where it is to remain place a small piece of pipe on the vent tap. At the end of this pipe install a soft peg. It is a good idea to put some kind of container underneath this tube for as the cask frets it might push out some froth.If your vertical stillage does not have a suitable outlet tail for a piece of pipe you may have to source one.
i work for a company that has all the equiptment to filter back beer, and encourage there licencees to do so , if customs and excise or weights and measures came in, would my employer or me get into trouble
Inndoctor does not encourage filtering back. See FAQ on this subject. However the question you ask is a legal one and is not within our scope to answer. Better to ask your employer for guidance if you are concerned.
Is it okay to turn off cooling at night for cask ale
The idea of cellar cooling is to provide a consistent controlled ambient temperature in which to store keg and cask beer. Switching the cellar cooler off will affect keg and cask products, causing less consistent beers in terms of shelf life, dispense performance and quality. Better to leave switched on at all times.
Is it ok to keep food in a beer cellar?
It is not a good idea to store food within a cellar. If you are selling cask beers then food odours from onions, spicy cooked foods etc can be transmiited via air into the cask beer and create off flavours. Keg beers are less likely to be affected but generally it is not good practice to use the cellar as a food store.
Why does my beer in the cellar turn to vinegar quickly?
It sounds as if the beer is becoming infected. Our technicians suggest starting at the begining by ensuring all equipment that comes in contact with beer is thoroughly sanitised. Also check cellar temperature, time beer is on sale and condition of beer lines. Check through this site for correct cellar management practices and more information.
How do I find out about filtering cask ale back
Filtering back was a traditional part of cask beer management for many years. These days most brewers big and small do not encourage the practice,and for obvious reasons. Beer once exposed to the open air through pulling off is exposed to all kinds of bacteria and yeasts. Re-introducing this back into a cask can and does run the risk of contaminating the whole cask. Before the purists come on and say they have been filtering back for years without any problem I will say that filtering back can be done, but given the risks to beer quality is it worth it. In the past unscrupulous landlords used to filter back cask bottoms and general slops, not very nice really and totally unacceptable these days.
Cask ale looked after properly should not create the need to pull off great quantities of beer. Our own engineers do not recommend filtering back.
What is a beer engine?
A "beer engine" sometimes referred to as a "hand-pull" is the hand-pump that sits on the bar, and is used to draw cask ale from the cellar to the bar in the traditional way.
How long would you hold a broached cask beer for?
Cask beer needs to be sold within 3 days of broaching. As soon as a cask is put on sale it starts to deteriorate, so fast through put is essential.After this period it is likely to taste stale and develop off flavours. Our technicians recommend that if you cannot sell a 9 gallon cask in 3 days you might have to reconsider whether it is profitable to carry on selling cask beer.
What is tapping and spiling a barrel
For a detailed explanation check out Spiling (Pegging, Venting) Real Ales
For all your urgent questions. Inndoctor will give you an answer within 24 hours or less.
