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BarnsleyDM

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Hi all,

Just put my first brew in and have not made homebrew for over 15 years. Last time I did I bottled the brew. This time I want to barrel it.

I see the corny barrel is very popular but before I invest in one I want to try a plastic barrel with gas injection.

Could anyone advice on the favoured brand of barrel and would a top tap be better than a bottom tap.

Many thanks for your guidance and advice

Darron
 
I've tried the king keg (bottom tap type) but i don't like it, when full, adding the small gas bulbs blows quite a bit back out the safety valve all to easy, result is you get about 2-3 pints out per bulb. Perhaps using the hambleton bard type cylinders with it might give you better results, where you give it a tiny controlled injection but i have not tried them.

There is also the fact the tap can let air back in thru the bottom tap type which can spoil your beer. I use the keg for racking to for batch priming before bottling. Imo it would be ideal for a party/barby for easy transport where your beer is self carbed and you can just take the top of to let air in to empty the keg. I made up my mind to go down the corny route, you can buy two of the 2nd hand cornies for about the same price as a new king keg, the added expense will come from adding a regulator, beer/gas line, a few fittings and co2, be sure to source a regular co2 supply first if you go down the cornie road.
 
I have a couple of king keg top taps, had problems getting the lids to seal so swapped to the lids from ballihoo - the ballihoo lids are superb, they have a square faced seal plus a schreader valve so you can measure the pressure so you know the thing is sealed and carbing up properly (guess work if you don't have a measuring pressure valve fitted).

When I get another keg I will buy the one from Ballihoo as it includes their excellent lid:

Here with some CO2 bulbs and bulb holder:
http://www.balliihoo.co.uk/balliiho...sure-indicator-co2-bulbs-bulb-holder-p-5.html

Here, same pressure barrel but without the CO2 bulbs and holder:
http://www.balliihoo.co.uk/balliiho...2-injection-valve-pressure-indicator-p-4.html

With my toptap king kegs I can get half the beer out before needing to inject any CO2, then one or maybe 2 more bulbs to get the rest of the keg drunk.
 
I've been pretty happy with my young's pressure barrels that came with the starter kits.

Read the advice on here and they appear to be fine.
Summary
- vaseline seals
- don't over tighten
- check brass nut on co2 inlets
 
King keg bottom taps for me. I have four and once you get them sealed, ie Vaseline tap and cap, and don't over tighten , they have been absolutely trouble free for over 40 brews, except one which split on a seam due to very excessive secondary fermentation and hence big pressure in the keg. I am not particularly obsessive about dismantling the cap for cleaning either, it never comes into contact with my beer !
I use the Hambleton Bard cylinders but only required toward the end third of the barrel, such is the efficiency of the seals.
Apparently the top tap system has issues but I can't comment on that as I have no experience of them.
 
Heard a bang this morning and couldn't work out what it was. Then I noticed that the fermentation barrels lid was up at one part. So I closed it. 20 minutes later I heard another loud bang and realised that it was the lid again. .. I have left it slightly undone. I checked the SG and it was reading halfway between initial start up and add sugar or bottle. .. that's after 2 and a half days. ... 7 days are up on Saturday morning so I will transfer to barrel then....

How many days once in the barrel before I move to the shed?.

Many thanks

Darron
 
The kit instructions are always optomistic, ie. drinkable beer in 10-14 days or whatever !

Most on here go by 2 + 2 + 2, which is 2 weeks in primary fermentation, then bottle/keg, then 2 weeks warm conditioning once kegged/bottled, then move somewhere cooler to condition for 2 weeks before trying your beer.

You can rush things a bit but you will get a clearer, better beer if you are a little more patient. Good luck with it.
 
My average temp where the fermentations is taking place is around 20.5 degrees. it does go up slightly to around 21.3 and down to 19.6.

It has been in since 30th Aug. I am going to put into a keg on saturday via the bottom tap on the barrel. Will the same temp be ok for the next 2 weeks before it place in the shed for a further 2 weeks?

Many thanks

Oh also what do i need to use on the screw cap SEAL on the barrel when i seal it.

Many thanks

Daz
 
Same temp for the first 2 weeks in the keg will be fine. Any reason you are filling via the bottom tap? As for what should you do with the seal, plenty of peeps on here recommend a smear of vaseline, and before that soaking the seal in hot water for a while so it softens up a bit/regains its former shape.
 
I was going to drain from the tap into a sterilised pipe which will go to the bottom of the keg so no air can mix. I hope this is correct.

Many thanks
 
I was going to drain from the tap into a sterilised pipe which will go to the bottom of the keg so no air can mix. I hope this is correct.

Many thanks
oh I see what you mean! When you said you were going to fill your keg from the bottom tap I thought you meant the bottom tap on your pressure barrel! The way you describe it will be fine, try and keep your syphon tube under your priming syrup, that way you minimse as much as possible air getting mixed in. Sorry for the confusion, and good luck!
 
DO i need to put any more sugar in the keg when i transfer from the bucket for stage 2 fermentation as reading about, some say you can and some say you dont need to. Would it be better to transfer to another bucket for stage 2 before putting into barrel after the next 2 weeks.
Im going to town this morning to get a new barrel screw cap for gas injection so i could pick up another bucket while im there.

Advis is always welcome.

Ta
 
DO i need to put any more sugar in the keg when i transfer from the bucket for stage 2 fermentation as reading about, some say you can and some say you dont need to. Would it be better to transfer to another bucket for stage 2 before putting into barrel after the next 2 weeks.
Im going to town this morning to get a new barrel screw cap for gas injection so i could pick up another bucket while im there.

Advis is always welcome.

Ta

I would be inclined to keep things simple for this brew and leave in primary FV for 2-3 weeks. Check the gravity using a hydrometer at the 2 week point, then check again a couple of days later. If its got quite low (1.010-1.014) and doesn't go any lower between the 2 hydrometer readings then its finished fermenting and is ready for kegging, however leaving in the FV for the full 3 weeks will result in clearer, better beer.

Alternatively a more complex process, for slightly faster clearing beer still, you can split this 3 weeks fermentation into:
2 weeks in primary FV. Take a gravity reading with the hydro
Transfer the beer into a second FV for its 3rd week of fermenting. Take a 2nd hydro reading at 2.5 - 3 weeks to again check the reading hasn't gone any lower since the reading at the 2 week point.

Taking gravity readings 2-3 days apart with a hydrometer is the only way to know its stopped fermenting.

Whichever of the above approaches you take you only 'prime' with sugar at the kegging stage.

Pop your priming sugar in the keg and transfer your beer into the keg onto the sugar.

Hope this helps and good luck with it.
 
Just checked the SG and its just at 1.012 after 2 full weeks in stage 1 FV. Smells nice......

Do you recommend another week then straight into plastic barrel? or should i put straight into barrel.

Many thanks

Daz
 
Just checked the SG and its just at 1.012 after 2 full weeks in stage 1 FV. Smells nice......

Do you recommend another week then straight into plastic barrel? or should i put straight into barrel.

Many thanks

Daz
Check the gravity again tomorrow. If it's the same, make up a syrup with your priming sugar, pour it straight into the keg, siphon your beer into it and away you go!
 
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