Fellow homebrewers, meet my new beer engine . . .

What I like the most about the British ale experience is the "nitrogen served"/"hand pumped" head and mouth feel, along with the warmer serving temps, malty taste, etc.

The Altera pump is one solution, but mine never really did shake the plastic taste. Plus, as mentioned above, it is not designed to draw 1/4 or 1/2 pint at time. This not only takes more time to pump, it takes more time to settle the cascade. The newest pump does not leak like the first one (beer squirted out the side of handle with each pump!), but it's still a little messy.

My latest trick is to use a regular corny keg. It can either be naturally or forced to a low CO2 rate. After it's carbonated (if forced), I disconnect the CO2. For serving, I turn the regulator up to about 25, and reconnect the CO2, preventing more CO2 from dissolving, but forcing the beer out at a higher rate. I then put a bottle filler on the spout of a picnic tap as a restrictor (it fits right in the hole), and serve. With care, you can fill a 1/2 pint, wait for the cascade, and then complete the fill. Viola! Nitro-system/handpump on the cheap.

Hmm, interesting BrewingRob. I assume the bottle filler tip is on/off? The couple times I've done the "British ale experience" is either by gravity out of a collapsible carboy or using a syringe in a pint to "inject" air and/or force CO2 out. Always got a weird look doing that.

I've done both. You have to do it gently if the tip is on, making sure to only press down on the tap handle when it is touching the bottom of the glass (i.e. when it's open so that you don't blow the tip off). The other thing I've tried is making a modified "sparkler" by melting divots into the side of the black nipple. The results are similar either way.

Has anyone had any sort of off flavor when they serve with this pump.?

I'm trying to narrow down what might be causing this with my setup.

I'm using the 1 gallon collaspable kegs.. they are food grade. My only thought might be the tube I used may not be food grade.

Any thoughts?

This might be a cool thing for me, I usually shut down my garage keezer for the winter since it's kinda pain to keep it going without freezing all the time, can be done but most times in bad temps the shanks/faucets freeze. Anyhow, are most people using a fridge or without? My basement most winter is 65ish... so thinking it might be cold enough that I don't need a fridge?

Old thread I know, but a helpful one nonetheless. I brewed up a lovely clone of Left Hand's Milk Stout and I knew I wanted to try it as a cask beer. I bought one of the rocket pumps that people have been using.

Ugh. While the foamer I made worked decently, the tastes I got from the thing were terrible. Plasticy, bitter... I had rinsed and passed water through it too. I turned right around and confirmed it wasn't the beer by using my picnic tap. Yummy. The volume of liquid that stays in this pump is quite high too, so I'd be afraid of it becoming an incubator. Draining it after every pour would be a PITA and totally impractical.

Looks like I either need to bite the bullet and go nitro or get a real beer engine.

The rocket pump had a drain position.

You should try to flush it out with baking soda and water. Often the plastic taste comes from not food grade tubing.

I built a beer engine like the one shown in BYO magazine, with the rocket pump, and I have been through several kegs of ale without any issues? No plastic taste, etc.

If I am going to let it sit for a long period of time, I just run some hot water and then star san through it first.

I need to fire my beer engine up....

This looks great! Has anyone tried using a sanke keg? I got a cheap jockey box thing (no copper coil just plastic hoses) that came with both a hand pump and a foot pump. Any thoughts on how this would function in comparison to these beer engines? I'm thinking of hooking up a paintball tank to create a blanket of co2 but I would naturally carbonate. Thoughts? Anyone check this thread anymore?

gophergoat said:

This looks great! Has anyone tried using a sanke keg? I got a cheap jockey box thing (no copper coil just plastic hoses) that came with both a hand pump and a foot pump. Any thoughts on how this would function in comparison to these beer engines? I'm thinking of hooking up a paintball tank to create a blanket of co2 but I would naturally carbonate. Thoughts? Anyone check this thread anymore?

Click to expand...

You can use a low pressure propane valve as a cask breather. It would only deliver 2.2 pounds of CO2 if you put it between the gas regulator and the keg.

That would be enough to blanket the beer with co2 without much back pressure to carb. You would only need this after you're done serving.

Thanks! Just have to get a keg!

Just got referred to this thread. Need to read thru as I need to make some sort of corny keg beer engine.