My Beer Engine Setup

[andybiochem]

HI,

I've made the jump from bottles to a polypin and beer engine. It's blummin ace!

Photos first, then a description...






It's a 2005 Worthside pump with choice of 3 sparklers (green/black/white). It has a water-jacket cooler, which I've not hooked up yet - and might not bother with anyway. I've opened up the cylinder and it's completely clean and sparkling! Even though, I've ran copious volumes of warm water through it, and then starsan.

I've connected a 3/8" beer line to the cylinder, running to a dedicated beer-fridge held at 11°C by an STC-1000.

The line runs through a demand-valve, then to a 3-way valve. One side of the valve runs to the 20L polypin, the other side to a bit of pipe I've been using to pull water through to clean the beer out.

I've got further plans for it yet: I want to add an additional 3-way valve for a second polypin, I want the valves to be accessible with the fridge door closed, I want to connect up the mains water to the line also so I can flush the beer without having to fill a jug of water.

Cheers!

[golden brewer]

Nice job.
I bought a polypin to try with my beer engine but haven't got around to it. After seeing yours I might have to give it a go.
Clever set up with the three way valve.

[Brighteyebeer]

Nice setup, Andy. Polypin seems to keep the beer in good condition all the way down. Do you secondary ferment in them? You've managed to drill the side of the fridge without breaching the coolant circulation pipes! Was that luck or judgement?
Cheers, Chris

[leedsbrew]

That looks the business that fella!

[andybiochem]

Polypin seems to keep the beer in good condition all the way down. Do you secondary ferment in them?

The polypin is great! Can't believe I've overlooked them so far. I've gotten really bored with bottling all my brews. The majority of the bottles are drunk by myself within 1-2 months, with a few going towards family gatherings etc. It seems like a lot of effort to bottle just for myself - the pin makes it so much easier.

I won't secondary in them, I've only just started with this setup so my plan will be:
- Primary ferment in brew bucket, dry hop if needed
- Crash to 4 deg c
- Secondary ferment in another brew bucket, clear with gelatine
- Transfer to polypin at day 14

You've managed to drill the side of the fridge without breaching the coolant circulation pipes! Was that luck or judgement?
Cheers, Chris

Ha! that was a bit of both. I tried all the tricks to make sure there wasn't a line where I drilled (drill just through the surface plastic and use a nail to 'probe' for the line below, turn fridge on full belt with door open - look for where condensation forms that's where the lines are). I couldn't find schematics for a Beko fridge on the net, but it looks like all the lines are on the back wall. I intend to put more holes in soon, so we'll see!

[leedsbrew]

so are you priming in the poly or not?

[Dennis King]

Glad someone else thinks this is a great way to drink beer at home.

[Welsh_brewer]

so are you priming in the poly or not?

No hes doing his carbing in a second bucket with clearings and transferring it bright ready to go into the poly. Looks like a good idea think im going to give it a go. Cheers

[Brighteyebeer]

I won't secondary in them, I've only just started with this setup so my plan will be:
- Primary ferment in brew bucket, dry hop if needed
- Crash to 4 deg c
- Secondary ferment in another brew bucket, clear with gelatine
- Transfer to polypin at day 14

Beer seems to keep plenty of condition from being racked bright to the PPs, so that's a winner Good result drilling the fridge too - sounds more like judgement than luck!
Cheers, Chris

[Doingatun]

The line runs through a demand-valve.......What does this do? nothing to do with Cask Breather and co2?

[andybiochem]

so are you priming in the poly or not?

No, Welsh_brewer is right, the beer goes into the pin with whatever carbonation it has after the secondary. In fact I wouldn't prime the beer even if I was bottling it; I gave up priming a long time ago. My experience with priming was that however much sugar I'd use, it always seemed to be too much and the beer would always end up like shop-bought bottled ales - WAY over carbonated. Eventually I stopped priming altogether. The natural carbonation that forms in the bottle without priming sugars is perfect after about 2 weeks, and has the added benefit of no yeast trub in the bottles.

By crash cooling the beer at the end of the primary ferment, a lot of CO2 is held in the beer (more CO2 dissolves in cold beer). This is held all the way through the secondary to the pin.

Glad someone else thinks this is a great way to drink beer at home.

I must have read though all your (and Jim's) engine-related posts at least twice before deciding on my own setup. There were several things I hadn't even though of (e.g. the demand valve). Cheers!

The line runs through a demand-valve.......What does this do? nothing to do with Cask Breather and co2?

The demand valve only allows beer to flow through it when the beer pump handle is pulled (i.e. the valve opens when there is negative pressure on the outlet). This is useful because without it, beer is free to dribble out of the swan-neck with gravity, or with whatever pressure there is in the pin. It also seems to act as a check valve, and only allows beer to flow from pin to pump.

[Doingatun]

The line runs through a demand-valve.......What does this do? nothing to do with Cask Breather and co2?

The demand valve only allows beer to flow through it when the beer pump handle is pulled (i.e. the valve opens when there is negative pressure on the outlet). This is useful because without it, beer is free to dribble out of the swan-neck with gravity, or with whatever pressure there is in the pin. It also seems to act as a check valve, and only allows beer to flow from pin to pump.

Thinking of a similar set up....Thanks for explaining the use of a demand valve, how do you deal with natural co2 build up in a pin if unattended for a few days or if going away leaving a near full pin?

[leedsbrew]

cheers for clearing that up fella. Im picking up a EWL beer engine on wednesday. Cant wait to get some cask conditioned ale on at home!

[andybiochem]

how do you deal with natural co2 build up in a pin if unattended for a few days or if going away leaving a near full pin?

I don't know yet!! This is the first pin I've had attached to the pump, and it was half empty when I connected it up.

I'm hoping that with the next beer that not a lot of extra co2 will be produced, what with not priming after the secondary. Also, I brew in 15L lengths, and this is a 20L pin. After 'burping' all the excess ullage from the pin, there will be room for 5L of gas. I'm hoping I can finish drinking the brew before it expands too much.

If I have any trouble with expansion, I'll look at getting some sort of pressure relief valve in there somewhere.


On a side note, it is also possible to pull bottles of shop-bought beer through the pump via the extra bit of hose I attached for pulling water through. The beer has to be de-gassed before pulling through, or it is all foam otherwise. What is it with breweries over-carbonating their bottled ales? Is it a necessary part of bottling - like a preservative measure? When I buy a bottle of, say, Adnams Broadside, I would expect what comes out of the bottle to be much like the cask beer. Instead, it's like lemonade, and I have to decant it and whisk it up (probably oxidising it too) to get it back to 'normal'. /rant

[Doingatun]

Cheers.....yeah some sort of blow off/pressure release valve should be easily sorted? I have 4 20L pins I bought for wine storage/dispense unused, decided that oxidisation would be an issue with not drinking quickly. Now on the hunt for a decent engine, demand valve, three way valve and tubing etc.