What is my best, low cost option to dispense bitter?

[daveyclayton]

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!

 

[Honk]

I've not done it but have read good things about using polypins with a beer engine, also have you considered using 5 litre easy kegs and dispensing under gravity through the tap? It's a low cost option and works well for low carbonated beers, provided you can get through the keg before it spoils. I start a keg one weekend and it's still good for me the following weekend . Seems to me that venting the beer though the top acts the same as using a soft spile in a real ale cask, just wish there was a way to fix a beer engine line to those taps.

 

[MyQul]

First off I dont know much about beer engine's and polypins as I dont have space to put a beer engine anywhere ad can't afford all the kit anyway so cant answer that bit of your question
What you could try is out to see if you like it;

I discovered by accident a way that I feel mimics a hand pull using bottles quite well . Firstly carb your bitter to 5g/L. This is will actually be overcarbing by some way. Then pour the beer in to a 2L jug from a little height so that the beer ends up with a huge head on it in the jug. Then wait for the head to die down till the beer has almost no head in the jug. Then pour the beer into your glass as normal. This will create an normal size head on the beer, lacing that lasts, and the right level of carbonation for bitter.
I think it works because it aeretes the beer similar to a sparkler but knocks excess C02 that you dont want out at the same time

You could try mini kegging your beer and use a party star tap. I'm unsure wether this would get you what you want though as I've never used a party star tap. I have used mini kegs without a PST, they work well for what your after but you need to drink the beer in a about three days. The PST allows you to make the beer last weeks but I'm not sure if it might cause the beer to be more carbonated than you want. I'm fairly sure, from the pictures of PST poured beers that it will give you the creamy head your after. I'm pretty sure forumite @Leon103 has/had a PST and may be able to tell you whether the PST will fill your needs list

 

[The Baron]

at a push while you are solving the problem do not add sugar to your bottles it will keep the carb level well down as long as the beer has fermented right out

 

[MyQul]

I've not done it but have read good things about using polypins with a beer engine, also have you considered using 5 litre easy kegs and dispensing under gravity through the tap? It's a low cost option and works well for low carbonated beers, provided you can get through the keg before it spoils. I start a keg one weekend and it's still good for me the following weekend . Seems to me that venting the beer though the top acts the same as using a soft spile in a real ale cask, just wish there was a way to fix a beer engine line to those taps.

I've tried venting MK's similar to using a soft spile and it works well. There is a way to attach a beer engine to a mini keg, as I've seen piccies of it. I just have no idea how you would do it.

 

[Leon103]

Try a mini keg. Can be used with a hand pull or just get a party star tap

 

[The Baron]

the only trouble with hand pump beer is it does not keep long as it is vented and oxygen will get in unless you I believe some kind of venting valve but I am sure somebody will answer that has more experience also go on youtube some vids there that may give you ideas

 

[MyQul]

the only trouble with hand pump beer is it does not keep long as it is vented and oxygen will get in unless you I believe some kind of venting valve but I am sure somebody will answer that has more experience also go on youtube some vids there that may give you ideas

I believe this is called a cask breather or aspirator?

 

[The Baron]

I believe this is called a cask breather or aspirator?

Yeah thats it MyQul couldn't remember the name

 

[The Baron]

another option is to dispense on mixed Co2/Nitro as this will make it like a pint of guinness and reduce the Co2 in the beer probably similar to knocking the gas out like MyQul does by pouring from a height

 

[MyQul]

Yeah thats it MyQul couldn't remember the name

There was something about them over at jims a little while back. Quite a few of their forumites seem quite keen on polypins and hand pull pumps.

Come to think of it @Dads_Ale has hand pump(s) and may be able to answer some of the OP's questions

 

[MickDundee]

Try a mini keg. Can be used with a hand pull or just get a party star tap

This. 10-12g of sugar per keg should give the carb levels the OP is looking for.

 

[MyQul]

This. 10-12g of sugar per keg should give the carb levels the OP is looking for.

I think this would get the OP most of what he's after but he also asks for a creamy head using a sparkler which a mini keg at those carb levels wouldn't give him. But I think if he were to mini keg at your suggested levels and then use a syringe to put the head on the beer it may give him everything he's after

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/how-to-put-a-head-on-a-flat-beer.50906/#post-466880

 

[MickDundee]

I think this would get the OP most of what he's after but he also asks for a creamy head using a sparkler which a mini keg at those carb levels wouldn't give him. But I think if he were to mini keg at your suggested levels and then use a syringe to put the head on the beer it may give him everything he's after

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/how-to-put-a-head-on-a-flat-beer.50906/#post-466880

The Party Star Tap would put a decent head on the pint at those carb levels. My Klarstein dispenser does on my stout anyway.

He’ll be cheaper with the syringe method though

 

[MyQul]

The Party Star Tap would put a decent head on the pint at those carb levels. My Klarstein dispenser does on my stout anyway.

He’ll be cheaper with the syringe method though

In that case from what you say (I was wondering further up the thread if you could use the PST with lower carb levels) mini kegs and a party star tap would get the OP everything he needs as he wants to be able to keep the beer for a month, which you wouldnt be able to do with the gravity tap and a syringe

 

[Clint]

I always have an ale of some description in my cartridge powered 23l plastic keg. It dispenses well,doesn't leak and the beer keeps until it's empty. It needs a gas injection sometimes as it gets low and this time of year isn't easy to chill although a glass in the freezer seems to work. Setting it up right is key.

 

[Gunge]

Try a mini keg. Can be used with a hand pull or just get a party star tap

These mini kegs.... do you have to buy them or can those from the supermarket ( which have the added bonus of containing beer!) be reused? I've never bought either so haven't examined how the supermarket ones actually work!

 

[MyQul]

These mini kegs.... do you have to buy them or can those from the supermarket ( which have the added bonus of containing beer!) be reused? I've never bought either so haven't examined how the supermarket ones actually work!

In general, yes, you can re-use supermarket mini kegs. A lot ot the supermarket ones are exactly the same as the ones you buy, just with their own branding printed on them. Although there are some you cant re-use. I think we may have even had a list of the ones you can re-use( cant quite remember). If you've got you're eye on any, come back to the forum with which one it is and Im sure the forumites will tell you whether its re-useable

 

[peebee]

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!

I looked into this a while back. You probably do want to try polypins as they are cheap, I believe a common trick is to put a heavy book on them to retain some condition, but polypins only keep beer for a about a month too (they are permeable to oxygen).

Forget "breathers", they are tools for pubs. And forget the long standing misconception that "Real Ale" is flat and must be served with no CO2 at all - great if you are a pub (cask lasts three days), hopeless if a home-brewer (cask last several weeks) - that misconception held me back for years.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwzEv5tRM-5EQUhZbDNPdmV1bWc/view

A polypin will work with gravity alone - you can't get lower serving pressure than that.

 

[daveyclayton]

Thanks all. I think I'll have a go with a polypin first for the sake of simplicity, or maybe do half in a polypin and half minikeg, to compare.