How to cask ale. Part 1.

[Devonhomebrew]

First off youre gonna need some ale that is green and finished fermenting

Then you are gonna need a cask you can buy these at http://breweryplastics.biz/ you can buy 9 gallon firkins or 4.5 gallon pins this is the pin

You will also need a shive and a keystone

shive

keystone

them together

Also a mallet for hitting them in rubber or wooden i have a rubber one

Sterilize the keystone and shive

then sterilize the cask

Next is to hit the keystone in

Finings are the most important part of casking because no co2 will be produced to force the sediment down so you need to add them to cling to the yeast and make them fall down.

Now syphon the beer into the cask.

Next is to hit the shive in.

Now with casking i have a 4.5 gallon pin and i brew 5 gallons so i lose some to trub but the rest goes into bottles and primed slightly.

And there you have it folks 1 ale in a cask let it sit for 3 weeks to mature.

Ill make a part 2 when its time to drink the ale.

 

[tazuk]

sweet dude nice to see ya back :thumb:

 

[abeyptfc]

nice one geronimo, a how to on tapping and serving would be good aswell.

 

[graysalchemy]

I hoipe there is going to be a youtube vid of you venting a lively one :lol: :lol:

Joking aside well done mate. :thumb:

 

[Devonhomebrew]

mate i havent got a lively one i dont prime them at all or cask to early either sorry

 

[theboytony]

Good job on the how to but one question if you let the beer ferment out and then don't prime it, when you come to get a pint is it not flat? or is that the idea. The reason I ask is because I've been to a couple of beer festivals where practically all the beer has been as flat as a fart but when I goto a pub that is serving cask ale I never get a flat pint. So just a bit confused really :wha:

 

[graysalchemy]

I think the clue is in his name. :whistle:

He is a southerner they like flat beer :lol: :lol:

Not like us northerners who like a head on our beer, keep whipets and wear flat caps and are born with clogs on our feet :whistle: :whistle:

 

[adomant]

Good guide, very similar to my setup, I add 50g of sugar dissolved in boiling water and cooled to give some condition, the co2 generated helps with keeping the beer healthy, it can be mixed and added with the finings. When it is ready I use a soft spile to vent out the excess gas.

 

[evanvine]

Good job on the how to but one question if you let the beer ferment out and then don't prime it, when you come to get a pint is it not flat? or is that the idea. The reason I ask is because I've been to a couple of beer festivals where practically all the beer has been as flat as a fart but when I goto a pub that is serving cask ale I never get a flat pint. So just a bit confused really :wha:

Normally at a festival the beer is served direct from the keg (flat).
At the pub it is pumped through a sparkler, gives a head and an aerated taste (not flat).

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

I think the clue is in his name. :whistle:

He is a southerner they like flat beer :lol:

Not like us northerners who like a head on our beer, keep whipets and wear flat caps and are born with clogs on our feet :whistle:

That is correct mate. :thumb: :thumb:

 

[theboytony]

Good job on the how to but one question if you let the beer ferment out and then don't prime it, when you come to get a pint is it not flat? or is that the idea. The reason I ask is because I've been to a couple of beer festivals where practically all the beer has been as flat as a fart but when I goto a pub that is serving cask ale I never get a flat pint. So just a bit confused really :wha:

Normally at a festival the beer is served direct from the keg (flat).
At the pub it is pumped through a sparkler, gives a head and an aerated taste (not flat).

Ok thats fair enough, but to me flat beer just doesn't taste good at all :? or am i in the minority here?. Take jaipur for instance, at the beer fest they had it on, I've had it before from a pub and loved but when its flat it just doesn't taste good... Not meaning to hijack you're thread Dev but it got me thinking

 

[theboytony]

I think the clue is in his name. :whistle:

He is a southerner they like flat beer :lol:

Not like us northerners who like a head on our beer, keep whipets and wear flat caps and are born with clogs on our feet :whistle:

That is correct mate.

Ohh bugger now I'm more confused both beer festivals have been in good old yorkshire :wha: and the cider was flat as well but I don't want to get ev started on that again :rofl:

 

[dennisking]

Not like us northerners who like a head on our beer, keep whipets and wear flat caps and are born with clogs on our feet :whistle: :whistle:

You forgot the woodbines and cobbled streets.

 

[evanvine]

and the cider was flat as well but I don't want to get ev started on that again :rofl:

No problem, you stick to your "strongbow"! :whistle:

 

[graysalchemy]

I think the clue is in his name.

He is a southerner they like flat beer :lol:

Not like us northerners who like a head on our beer, keep whipets and wear flat caps and are born with clogs on our feet :whistle:

That is correct mate.

Ohh bugger now I'm more confused both beer festivals have been in good old yorkshire :wha: and the cider was flat as well but I don't want to get ev started on that again :rofl:

Yorkshire has obviously become 'cosmopolitan' :whistle:

Mind you I think so has the Northen Quater in Manchester, I had a pint of stout in one of the Marble Breweries Bars and it was as flat as witches t*t.

 

[metbandit1]

Good write up devon :thumb:, cant wait to see your venting and taping update.
Do you ever experiment with finings in the beer/ leaving it in different positions (laying down /stood up) and even moving it, to experiment with clarity etc?
:

 

[graysalchemy]

Not like us northerners who like a head on our beer, keep whipets and wear flat caps and are born with clogs on our feet :whistle: :whistle:

You forgot the woodbines and cobbled streets.

Manchester is now a smoke free zone and all the cobbles were dug up in the 80's and sold to the southerners :lol: :lol:

 

[Pearlfisher]

Not like us northerners who like a head on our beer, keep whipets and wear flat caps and are born with clogs on our feet :whistle: :whistle:

You forgot the woodbines and cobbled streets.

And real budder. Sorry Dvorjak.

 

[Devonhomebrew]

Good write up devon :thumb:, cant wait to see your venting and taping update.
Do you ever experiment with finings in the beer/ leaving it in different positions (laying down /stood up) and even moving it, to experiment with clarity etc?
:

nope stand up and then lay down when serving

 

[Frogfurlong]

This is a lovely "how to" :thumb:

Do you know if these plasicasks can be used for wines too? I know wine matures better in bulk so this would be ideal for big batch winemaking.

And I'm getting tempted by the dark side....