daveyclayton
New Member
Hello! I'm about to brew an ESB, which will be my first "proper" beer. I come from Yorkshire, and I believe very strongly that bitter should not be at all effervescent, but should be served aerated (and probably through a sparkler), settling down to a clear pint with a smooth, creamy and long-lasting head.
On the above basis, bottling is my least preferred option. So far all my beers have been bottled, I have no kegging equipment. I assume the *best* method is going to be hand pulled from a cask through a beer engine, and given that it will need to stay drinkable for a month, using some regulator to supply CO2 at ambient pressure. This is going to be prohibitively expensive for me and I would sooner just use gravity, but what are my options in the middle ground?
I could buy a beer engine off eBay buy it's a bit of a punt, alternatively I've read about "RV" (I think this is American for camper van) water hand pumps being used as a low cost alternative. Does anyone have experience with these?
I've read about bag-in-a-box but not sure it will keep my beer drinkable for a month. Do BiB and polypins work the same way with a pump attached (i.e. crush inwards rather than require venting) and would a polypin work with the (presumably lower) pressure created by a hand water pump Vs a beer engine?
Grateful for anyone's experience!
On the above basis, bottling is my least preferred option. So far all my beers have been bottled, I have no kegging equipment. I assume the *best* method is going to be hand pulled from a cask through a beer engine, and given that it will need to stay drinkable for a month, using some regulator to supply CO2 at ambient pressure. This is going to be prohibitively expensive for me and I would sooner just use gravity, but what are my options in the middle ground?
I could buy a beer engine off eBay buy it's a bit of a punt, alternatively I've read about "RV" (I think this is American for camper van) water hand pumps being used as a low cost alternative. Does anyone have experience with these?
I've read about bag-in-a-box but not sure it will keep my beer drinkable for a month. Do BiB and polypins work the same way with a pump attached (i.e. crush inwards rather than require venting) and would a polypin work with the (presumably lower) pressure created by a hand water pump Vs a beer engine?
Grateful for anyone's experience!