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hubbard.jf

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Hi all

I've only every bottled my beer but recently got engaged and sort to work out whether I can keg it.

What do I need to do this?!

A few years ago I had a barrel of Camden pale ale at my brothers wedding and rather than having a gas set up, it just a pump that clipped on and you pumped the beer out by hand through a tap.

Does anyone know if this is something that can be done with homebrew or does it have to have gas etc rigged up?

Any and all help much appreciated!

Thanks
 
hubbard.jf said:
Hi all

I've only every bottled my beer but recently got engaged and sort to work out whether I can keg it.

What do I need to do this?!

A few years ago I had a barrel of Camden pale ale at my brothers wedding and rather than having a gas set up, it just a pump that clipped on and you pumped the beer out by hand through a tap.

Does anyone know if this is something that can be done with homebrew or does it have to have gas etc rigged up?

Any and all help much appreciated!

Thanks
Click to expand...

Cornelius kegs are probably your best bet. I'm not sure if you can get hand pumps for them, but I'd advise against that. Once they have been tapped and had air pumped through them by a hand pump you've got about a week before the beer is passed its best.

You can use the cheaper plastic ones like King kegs and the like, but I could never get on with them. They are essentially the same as a cask, but you can fill the headspace with C02 to aid the dispense and protect your beer from oxygen.
 
Ok great thanks for that. Yer I have used the pressure barrels before but want to make sure the beer has some fiz.
What do you need for the full Cornelius keg set up? Any idea how much it would cost to get a full set up?
Thanks again
 
You need a dispensing tap, picnic taps are cheap, CO2, regulator and some corny kegs, you could prime the keg and then use CO2 bulbs set up to charge the keg to dispense the beer
 
It's for a party, well wedding. Just realised my initial post didn't make sense. It meant to say I've just got engaged and whether I can keg some beer for the wedding!!
 
hubbard.jf said:
It's for a party, well wedding. Just realised my initial post didn't make sense. It meant to say I've just got engaged and whether I can keg some beer for the wedding!!
Click to expand...

Why don't you put in a barrel it will all go in a night so no need to worry about keeping it fresh
 
When I've put it in a pressure barrel I've not had any fizz on it. I'd look to do an APA or similar so would be good to have to cold and fizzy.
I think the only way of getting that is through kegging or bottling, am I correct ?
 
hubbard.jf said:
When I've put it in a pressure barrel I've not had any fizz on it. I'd look to do an APA or similar so would be good to have to cold and fizzy.
I think the only way of getting that is through kegging or bottling, am I correct ?
Click to expand...

Something wrong with the seals then.
 
I know some people don't get on well with pressure barrels, but if it's for a one off party that's the route I'd go.

You can get one from Wilko for £30 and a box of CO2 charges for about a fiver. That's a much cheaper and simpler set up than a Corny. (Although if it's something you'll use regularly at home too it might be worth the investment in a corny setup.)

To make sure you get the right amount of carbonation make sure you grease the kegs seals with vasoline and use a priming calculator like this one. https://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/

You should be able to get plenty of fizz from a PB. And congratulations on your engagement. :thumb:
 
Hi Budgie
Thanks for this, I will give the PB another go and pick one up from Wilko.
Once you've transferred from the fermenter and primed, how long do you leave it to condition in the barrel for? Also, when do you add the CO2 charges and how do you know how much to do?
Thanks so much for your help and thank you for the congratulations! Luckily the wedding isn't until next summer so I've got plenty of time to test out a few batches!!
Thanks again
 
Sorry forgot to reply. Make sure you use Vaseline on the seals and don't over tighten.

Conditioning is usually same as bottle. I would add co2 after pourin a few pints, so the internal co2 as dropped you can then reapply more.
 
As Leon said, I just treat it the same as bottles. 2 weeks warm, 2 weeks cold. After you've pulled a few pints you'll notice it becomes slower to pour as the pressure drops. Once this happens screw in a CO2 charge and the pressure will increase again. Just repeat that step as necessary.
 

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