when to rack to cask

[beesley121]

hi guys,

i made 9 gallons of timothy taylor landlord clone last night. i intend to rack this to a aluminum cask i have but i dont know what to do.

how long should i lve it in primary? do i then rack to secoundary or do i skip this and rack straight to the cask??

i would be really grateful if someone who uses casks could explain to me what the full procedure is from making the beer to then dispensing it

please help

[Parva]

Unfortunately I don't use casks. However, there are advantages and disadvantages on sticking with primary or going to secondary. I personally leave my beer in the primary FV for anything upto 3 weeks then rack straight to the cornie keg and find that my beer is lovely and clear from the 2nd to 3rd pint. Others prefer to use a secondary FV and you'll probably get clear beer almost from the first pint but at the risk of introducing air (oxidation) and possibly infection if your sanitising is not upto scratch.

Many people do secondary very successfully and I'm not knocking that technique, I just feel that it's extra work (and hassle) that I don't need to do. You do have to be patient however and leave the beer in the primary FV for at least 10 days ideally whereas you could probably shorten the time needed to clear the beer if you went to secondary. There's also the finings issue and whatnot. Me personally, 10-14 days in primary then keg it.

[rick_huggins]

At the minute I've just moved to all grain and am concentrating on the new kit, ingredients and processes; but...

I've always let FV1 ferment out then rack to FV2 for 2 weeks before either priming and kegging or cornie'n it then force carb it with 25psi for 2 wks..

Saying all that.... I'm now drinking my 1st AG, leaving a matured wherry & nelsons...

Ciao the now

Rick

[beesley121]

so should i let pimary finish then rack straight to the cask with finings??

does anyone have any idea how much isinglass i should use to help with clarification???

[derekp]

try this link for casking http://www.cask-ale.co.uk/realale3.html
I cask mine but only into pins which are 4.5 gallons
Another link http://www.craft brewing.org.uk/technical/cask.html
Hope that helps

[beesley121]

ive read one of the articles mentioned and it says to rack from primary to cask when it is 2 points from its final gravity.

as ive used nottingham, i expect it to reach a final gravity of 1012. does that mean i should rack it to cask at 1014 or 1032??

if i rack to cask at 1014 and and isinglass will it be ok to shake it about as this is what the article says to do do distribute the finings. im scared i will just oxidise the ale and make it turn into vinegar

[Garth]

so should I let primary finish then rack straight to the cask with finings??

yes, then you shouldn't need to prime.

does anyone have any idea how much isinglass i should use to help with clarification???

If it's 9 gallons I would use just over 1 pint of Isinglass, if you have some, you could add some auxiliary finings first in the fv, an hour or so before you intend to rack, pour it in carefully and very gently give it a stir to mix it in, then add your isinglass directly to your cask as you rack the beer in. Fill the cask to the brim, so when it's sealed there is hardly any air space.

Is it a proper cask or a ally keg?

[beesley121]

its a aluminium cask mate not a keg

[Garth]

nice one,

I take it you have a good supply of shives and keystones

I think I will aquire a pin for those summer bbqs

[beesley121]

not at the min mate but i do have a couple of samples which paul from barley bottom sent me free of charge that will fit.

i will order more when the need arises