Real Ales (Cask Conditioned)

I searched and searched, and there's just not much on this topic.

In the next month or so, I'm going to brew a 15g batch and half is going into a firkin. This'll be a first for me.

So, for you folks that have brewed them, tell us about it!

How did you pick a recipe?

Did you do anything differently from a more standard (modern) ale?

How did you ferment and cask?

How did you serve?

And most importantly, how was it?

How did you pick a recipe?
I would pick a style that is/ was normally casked. English Pale Ale/ ESB, bitters, mild, porter

Did you do anything differently from a more standard (modern) ale?
Brew it like normal

How did you ferment and cask?
Primary like normal. Rack to cask w/ your priming sugar to get around 1.5 volumes

How did you serve?
Through bung. Air into the top through spile hole, so drink fast!

Check this out:
Brewing TV - Episodes - Brewing TV - Episode 38: None More Cask

Wife got me a pin cask for Christmas and I filled it with a Scottish ale I had already fermented. it was delicious. Much better to me than the normal kegged version.

I have used my pin cask for everything from brown ales, to IPAs, Oktoberfests and they have all turned out great thus far.

I brew like normal, ferment for 2 weeks (for ales) and then rack into the pin and add corn sugar and let it sit for at least 3 weeks.

I have been looking and looking for a beer engine to use but currently I have been using gravity to dispense.

I really love cask ales, but they are not for everyone. Not everyone like that they are warmer and usual and that they have lower levels of carbonation.

Chromados

Awesome solution for real ale in a corny (without having to worry about air getting in):

- Replace out tube with short in tube
- Rack beer into keg on priming sugar for really low carbonation
- Lay keg on it's side on a table, poppits at 12 o'clock and six o'clock where it can stay til it's kicked (constant temp is best)
- You can build a simple stand with 4 pieces of 2x4
- Let carb a bit, at least a week
- Attach disconnect with some kind of serving attachment (very short hose with cobra, adapted faucet, etc)
- Enjoy the awesomeness

Reno_eNVy said:

- Let carb a bit, at least a week

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How long does it take to carb a keg w/ sugar? A week doesn't seem like long enough.

TacoGuthrie said:

How long does it take to carb a keg w/ sugar? A week doesn't seem like long enough.

Click to expand...

For as low of carbonation as real ale requires, a week is fine.

Reno_eNVy said:

Awesome solution for real ale in a corny (without having to worry about air getting in):

- Replace out tube with short in tube
- Rack beer into keg on priming sugar for really low carbonation
- Lay keg on it's side on a table, poppits at 12 o'clock and six o'clock where it can stay til it's kicked (constant temp is best)
- You can build a simple stand with 4 pieces of 2x4
- Let carb a bit, at least a week
- Attach disconnect with some kind of serving attachment (very short hose with cobra, adapted faucet, etc)
- Enjoy the awesomeness

Click to expand...

Is the air coming back up through the beer as you dispense?

How long have you let the beer sit from tapping to kicking?

One thing I wonder about and that will affect how I carb my beer:

Traditionally, these were kegged a few points short of FG, then allowed to carb in the firkin. They would be monitored and some of the CO2 vented off as needed, as the beer cellared.

The beer I'm hoping to do will need some time to age. Do I try this method, randomly venting CO2, or do I just let it age in the fermenter, then prime with corn sugar before putting it in the firkin?

Homestly, I'd kind of like to go the traditional route, but it seems pretty vague as to knowing when and how much to vent.

There is some great info here: Boathouse Brewery | est. 1996

ClarnoBrewer said:

In the next month or so, I'm going to brew a 15g batch and half is going into a firkin. This'll be a first for me.

Click to expand...

I've noticed that the amount of headspace in the cask seems to have an impact on carbonation... I've had the best results when I limited the head space. I would consider trying to get more than half of a 15g batch in a firkin.


P.S. I totally cheated the last time I used my pin... I kegged as normal then transferred to the pin prior to serving

Thanks for the link, that site looks pretty thorough!

I'll make sure to limit the headspace. Whatever I need will go in the firkin. Everything that's left over just goes into carboys, so no big deal there.

Thanks!

Jaysus said:

There is some great info here: Boathouse Brewery | est. 1996



I've noticed that the amount of headspace in the cask seems to have an impact on carbonation... I've had the best results when I limited the head space. I would consider trying to get more than half of a 15g batch in a firkin.


P.S. I totally cheated the last time I used my pin... I kegged as normal then transferred to the pin prior to serving

Click to expand...

ReverseApacheMaster said:

Is the air coming back up through the beer as you dispense?

How long have you let the beer sit from tapping to kicking?

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No air isn't coming back up the beer.... I don't think that's physically possible if the beer is properly carbonated.

I've had the keg on for as long as it takes to kick a normal keg of session beer, something like 2-3 weeks

Try using a Spunding Valve, it lets you naturally carbonate with no added sugar.

TheBreweryUnderground said:

Try using a Spunding Valve, it lets you naturally carbonate with no added sugar.

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While there's a 50% that you made up that word, I'll give it a look. Where do the Brits come up with these terms?

Reading about real ales has broadened my vocabulary considerably. Not that I'm going to get to use many of these wacky words in conversation.

check this out: [url=http://www.brewingtv.com/episodes/2011/6/1/brewing-tv-episode-38-none-more-cask.html said:

brewing tv - episodes - brewing tv - episode 38: None more*cask[/url]

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+1

As a way of tip-toeing into cask beers (while I save up my ducats for a firkin), I was thinking of using a cubitainer.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23286&catid=816

They come in 2.5 gallon and 5 gallon sizes (and smaller).

Does anyone have experience carbing in one of these?

ClarnoBrewer said:

While there's a 50% that you made up that word, I'll give it a look. Where do the Brits come up with these terms?

Reading about real ales has broadened my vocabulary considerably. Not that I'm going to get to use many of these wacky words in conversation.

Click to expand...

Use them in scrabble! I am an admitted Scrabble nerd, and I use archaic brewing terminology all the time

To be clear, a firkin is close to 11g, which is why someone pointed out that half of a 15g batch would leave a ton of headspace.

Here's how an English brewery would typically do it:

-Ferment beer (3 days)
-Let the yeast clean up (two days)
-chill to 10-12degC for a week (transfer the beer away from the yeast after two days of chilling, or drop the yeast out the bottom of the tank)
-add auxiliary finings the day before racking
-rack into cask with isinglass (no priming sugar)
-store at 10-12degC for a week (not always that long)
-stillage cask, vent 48-72 hours before serving
-serve through beer engine (12degC ideally)

Application to homebrew scale will be different (lower fermentation temp will extend fermentation time, probably have less residual CO2 due to less hydrostatic pressure, etc, etc)

Oh and definitely no head space, literally get as much in as you can fit.

Question: how much priming sugar for say, a 5 gallon cask (or keg in most of our cases)? Do the bottling priming sugar calculators work okay, or is there a different rule of thumb for bulk priming?

ClarnoBrewer said:

While there's a 50% that you made up that word, I'll give it a look. Where do the Brits come up with these terms?

Reading about real ales has broadened my vocabulary considerably. Not that I'm going to get to use many of these wacky words in conversation.

Click to expand...

Term :to Spund, or better "Spunden" = German for filling a Cask with beer ;-)