Pressure Barrel - first time use.

Hi,
I am at university and thought it would be a good idea to start homebrewing, i put my first batch in the fermentation barrel today and am waiting for it to cool before adding yeast.
My problem is that once its done i have a pressure barrel to put it into, from what i have found from googeling you add about 80g of sugar to my 5 gallons of beer and leave it in there to pressurize, With the barrel i was given a CO2 valve and a CO2 cylinder and was wondering how the use of these affect what i would do with the pressure barrel and how i use these in the first place.

the equipment i have is:

pressure barrel:
http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/Home-Brewing/Youngs-Brew-Pressure-Barrel-5-Gallon/invt/0022554

valve: - without the red thing
http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/Home-B...cDPfxIrYzUvEu76RzzM6wutKTeo9AOCB tDs76aYYKg==

and a cylinder.

Thanks everyone for your help.

I've never seen this setup before, but it looks like you need the red handle to control the CO2 injection.

The priming sugar will carbonate the beer and provide enough pressure to dispense the batch, but the injector is necessary to keep the beer carbonated.

Welcome to HBT! Congratulations on your first beer.

I have not used a pressure barrel but my understanding is that you ferment and use the pressure barrel to let it carbonate.

After carbonation is complete you use the CO2 to push the beer out and re-pressurize. Every time you pour a pint the CO2 needs to be refilled in the tank to keep your beer carbonated.

Hopefully one of our overseas friends will jump in soon to clarify your question better.

Great thanks =) i think that makes sense as my CO2 bottle has a warning label on saying not to keep the valve open for more than a second.
Thanks for all your help.

Another question has just occurred to me, i was wondering how i check for bubbles to spot the start / finish of fermentation as my fermentor is just a great big sealed bucket. Do i remove the lid or should i just attempt to look through the plastic.
Thanks again.

Use a hydrometer. After 4 weeks drain a little off and take a reading. Repeat this twice a week until you have 2-3 consistent readings. With the barrel under pressure the bubbles will be dissolved and invisible until the pressure is released. A hydrometer is the only true way to determine if all fermentables are consumed.

If your fermenter is just a sealed bucket, you could be in for an exciting time. During fermentation, CO2 is released. Some will get dissolved in the beer, but the pressure will build up. Eventually, your bucket will not be able to handle the pressure, and something will give. If you have an airlock, then that will allow the pressure to escape. If not, I would leave the lid just resting on the top of the bucket.

-a.

Hi,
thanks for your reply My instructions say that i should move it out of the bucket into my pressure barrel after about 5 days and add a little more sugar, not sure how reliable they are tho, would this help solve the problem?

Again I'm not speaking from experience with that set up but I would never put primed beer in a sealed container until it has fermented for at least 3 weeks. To do so at 5 days could cause an explosive situation.

It won't solve the problem if it's exploded before you move it.
I certainly wouldn't move it before 2 weeks, and (like Nurmey said) 3 weeks would be better.

-a.

vorgon4 said:

Hi,
I am at university and thought it would be a good idea to start homebrewing

Click to expand...

Congratulations... you have graduated... no need to attend any more classes.

Ok, i will heed that warning =) try not to blow my block up =).
Thanks - as you can tell this might have gone wrong on my own