Cask with Breather

[Grindcrusher]

Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum, first post. Only been brewing for 8 months, so this is still kind of a new hobby. I moved from England to Sweden over a year ago, and the lack of English pubs and Real Ale in Sweden is scarce, if not non-existant (depending on where you live). This is the sole reason why I started brewing.

I've just come back from a short stay with the family in England, and with me now back in Sweden is a pin cask, a beer engine, a cask breather and a box full of spiles shives keystones and whatnot. The plan is to make a cask setup. I have very limited space in my kitchen, but I'm hoping to be able to take the cask with me and setup for bigger parties occasionally.

I've read the CAMRA book on cellarmanship, and I think I've got to grips with the most of it, but I'm still trying to figure out how to utilize my cask breather under the conditions I'm planning to use my cask.

Here is my plan;
Brew the beer, keep track of the SG during the fermentation, rack into cask when it's 1,5-2 gravity points from estimated FG. Cool to 13C and leave for a couple of weeks (fridge with external thermostat).

After a couple of weeks, tap and vent with softspile to condition the beer. Hardspile it when the condition seems stable.

Next time a friend has a big party - bring the cask in the morning, let it sit. Try keep it cool during the day using evaporative cooling.
Insert the cask spile and the cask breather with low pressure co2. Dispense during the day.
After the party is over - remove cask spile and insert hard spile, take cask back to fridge at home.


I'm guessing there might be a couple of problems with this plan.
1. Does the beer keep it's condition with a hard spile in?
2. What happens if the temperature goes up during the day, when I have the cask spile and breather setup?

Any other thoughts on this? I'm not planning on using any fining agents. I'm vegetarian and would rather not use gelatin or isinglass. Could be an issue when it comes to transporting the cask.

[alix101]

If your wanting some shelf life finings will reduce the life of your beer so I wouldn't bother either. Moving the cask around will obviously disturb the the sediment and once you have cracked the cask open despite the breather your only going to gain a couple of days on the beer...let's hope it gets polished off at the party.

[Grindcrusher]

I've read several reports from people using cask breathers, claiming to finish their casks before them ever going old. I.E. weeks, not days.

[Jim]

Well, with a cask breather the beer will last several weeks without oxidising, that's true.

My experience is that beer in a cask for that length of time doesn't taste fresh, though. And yet I've had cornie kegs where beer that old (and older) tastes fine....don't know the reason. Having said that, my experience of casks is very limited so far....

[OvenHiker]

Next time a friend has a big party - bring the cask in the morning, let it sit. Try keep it cool during the day using evaporative cooling.
Insert the cask spile and the cask breather with low pressure co2. Dispense during the day.
After the party is over - remove cask spile and insert hard spile, take cask back to fridge at home.

I'm guessing there might be a couple of problems with this plan.
1. Does the beer keep it's condition with a hard spile in?
2. What happens if the temperature goes up during the day, when I have the cask spile and breather setup?

Why not do what some breweries do and re-rack bright beer into another vessel to take to a party. That would save all the faff of moving the cask and all the equipment. Mini-casks are great for this. Keep them cool until the party starts and simply crack the seal and serve. Keep it somewhere cool perhaps with a wet bar towel if a hot day. Condition isn't lost that quickly

[Grindcrusher]

[quote="OvenHiker"]
Why not do what some breweries do and re-rack bright beer into another vessel to take to a party. That would save all the faff of moving the cask and all the equipment. [url=http://www.malzmuehle.eu/tanks--type--N ... -plug.html]Mini-casks are great for this[/url]. Keep them cool until the party starts and simply crack the seal and serve. Keep it somewhere cool perhaps with a wet bar towel if a hot day. Condition isn't lost that quickly[/quote]

Cheers for a valid point. I will consider this, but I'm still curious to weather the hard spile will be a good enough seal in between sessions. Even if I only use this setup at home, with cask breather, I think I'd like to turn the system off between sessions.

Another question: Does the cask spile (that goes with the breather) vent both ways or only into the keg? IE will any excess gas buildup be vented out?

It's a shame these things don't come with a manual. Even for such a simple design, I have several questions.

[OvenHiker]

Why not do what some breweries do and re-rack bright beer into another vessel to take to a party. That would save all the faff of moving the cask and all the equipment. Mini-casks are great for this. Keep them cool until the party starts and simply crack the seal and serve. Keep it somewhere cool perhaps with a wet bar towel if a hot day. Condition isn't lost that quickly

Cheers for a valid point. I will consider this, but I'm still curious to weather the hard spile will be a good enough seal in between sessions. Even if I only use this setup at home, with cask breather, I think I'd like to turn the system off between sessions.

As you probably know from reading the CAMRA Cellarmanship book, the hard spile is designed to seal the cask to preserve as much condition as possible between service.

Another question: Does the cask spile (that goes with the breather) vent both ways or only into the keg? IE will any excess gas buildup be vented out?

Depends what sort you have. I have ones with one-way values and ones without. Obviously you need the ones without for excess to be vented through the breather.

It's a shame these things don't come with a manual. Even for such a simple design, I have several questions.

Have a look at MentalDental's setup in the pub casks thread.

[Grindcrusher]

Thanks for sharing that thread! Good read - author claims to have good beer for a couple of months.

Also looks like he's got the same spile as me. I guess what I should do is use a JG tap connection to turn the cask on/off. A lot easier and more hygienic than a hard spile.

[steambrew]

We use the same set up as mentaldental this works well with our angram but not so well with the holmark we get a good 3-4 weeks shelf from our brews best of luck