King Keg 4" - Cap Stuck

[steveTu]

Good afternoon all,
I've just finished my first 'brew' (Young's Brew Buddy) and I wish I had the patience to have left it longer as the final few pints were markedly better than the first.

To get round my impatience I've grabbed another KK - but I think I will need three to keep a steady flow ( I'll be working on a rough 3 month brew cycle).

I have 1 main problem and a couple of questions.

The main issue, is now my first brew is dead, I can't get the cap off the KK (I don't recall over tightening it, and I vaselined the seal and thread)! I haven't got a spanner and have tried a 'belt' around the cap. Any other 'tips' - apart from '...buy a spanner...' (which I aim to do) - but I'd like to clean the barrel asap.


I have a small place, and I'm finding it difficult with a 'brew-belt' to keep a level temperature in the FV. Was I unwise and should I have opted for thermostatic 'immersion' heater?

Then - without going to building things - how do you brew during the summer (heating is simpler to me than cooling)? To then condition the barrel - what is classed as a 'cool place'? Can I condition the beer in a 'normal' room (and what effect is there of high temperature on the secondary) - ie with a temperature fluctuating between day and night and winter and summer? What can I use to cool the secondary vessel in the summer - I read that simply standing the vessel in water with a cloth in the water and over the vessel will use natural evaporation. Is that good enough?

Am I simply trying to 'home' brew beer in the completely wrong environment?

 

[pjbiker]

You're gonna need some kind of tool, it's worth investing because its bound to happen again.
As a biker, I have tools for adjusting suspension preload in the bike's toolkits which does the job. An alternative would be a chain or belt tool for removing oil filters (I got a belt one from a pound shop)
Heating in winter, you can use a thermostatically controlled fan heater in a cupboard and adjust with a digital thermometer in the FV. No experience of using a brewbelt or immersion heater myself but I know a microbrewer who occasionally needs to use an immersion to get things going.
Cooling in Summer, you can try the method you suggest. Without investing in big cooling equipment or immersion coils theres not much you can do. I'd considered digging a 'beer cellar' in the garden but sounds a bit too much work :lol: I just accept that my brew will be 'different' in the summer.

 

[steveTu]

PJ,
Thanks for that - sod's law I just had an idea and tried running the cap under hottish water for a few minutes to get the plastic to expand a bit - seems to have done the job though. I'll get a spanner ready for the next brew!

I'd considered digging a 'beer cellar' in the garden but sounds a bit too much work :lol: I just accept that my brew will be 'different' in the summer.

I'm happy if the flavour changes (slightly) or even if the beer is cloudy - I'd just be a bit pee' off if it was completely ruined! Can I condition the beer at say 25 degrees (or even higher)without ruining it (ie what is the effect of conditioning at higher temperature)?

PS when cleaning the barrel and cap do you take the cap rubber band seal back out (and how?) to give that a clean, or is it ok to leave that in?

 

[pjbiker]

I'm happy if the flavour changes (slightly) or even if the beer is cloudy - I'd just be a bit pee' off if it was completely ruined! Can I condition the beer at say 25 degrees (or even higher)without ruining it (ie what is the effect of conditioning at higher temperature)

Fermenting at a higher temp will have the most effect. Can produce 'higher' alcohols that can make it taste 'fruity'. It will not clear as well at a higher temp. It was only when it was really hot last year (low 30s)that my brews got to up to nearly 25 degrees. It shouldn't 'completely ruin' them in my opinion. A large volume has quite a 'thermal inertia' effect so will take some time to warm up and cool down so if kept in an insulated area the average temperature will stay lower then the peak daytime temperature. The warmer beer will not retain as much dissolved carbon dioxide so it will be less 'conditioned' and taste relatively 'flat'. It's never stopped me drinking it, though I've made myself a 'kegerator' for this year.

PS when cleaning the barrel and cap do you take the cap rubber band seal back out (and how?) to give that a clean, or is it ok to leave that in?

Personally I don't, just sanitise and rinse, rinse and rinse again (if your using chlorine based sanitiser). There will probably as many people who say yes. In my experience you don't need to.

PS you'll find the lids are harder to remove when under pressure.

 

[steveTu]

PJ,
Brilliant - thanks for your input.

I looked back at your brewing set up - very impressive.