Psuedo-Real Ale- worth the effort or not?

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ISUBrew79

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I recently brewed an English Special Bitter. It has been in the primary for about three weeks and is now ready to keg. I pondered priming it in the keg with sugar, and adding some gelatin finings. I would also add some dry hops in a stainless mesh tea ball, and serve it from my kegerator at a low CO2 pressure, say 6-8 psi. It takes 2-3 months to consume a keg of beer at my house, so letting air into the keg in real draught ale fashion isn't really an option. Alternatively, I can just force carbonate the beer to the same 6-8 psi and serve as usual.

So, will priming the keg and serving it a low pressure of C02 be a close enough facsimile of real ale to make it worth the trouble? I'm curious to know if anyone has tried this technique.
 
Here is the recipe, in case you were curious.

West Yorkshire Bitter
8-B Special/Best/Premium Bitter
Author: ISUBrew79
Date: 12/18/10

Size: 5.5 gal
Efficiency: 80.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%

Original Gravity: 1.048 (1.040 - 1.048)
Terminal Gravity: 1.012 (1.008 - 1.012)
Color: 12.57 (5.0 - 16.0)
Alcohol: 4.01% (3.8% - 4.6%)
Bitterness: 33.5 (25.0 - 40.0)

Ingredients:
8.75 lb Maris Otter
8 oz Caramel Malt 120L
48 g Willamette (4.7%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
28 g East Kent Goldings (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 20.0 min
2.2 g Wyeast Nutrient - added during boil, boiled 15.0 min
1.0 ea Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) - added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
28 g East Kent Goldings (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 0.0 min
1.0 ea WYeast 1469 West Yorkshire Ale
7 g East Kent Goldings (5.0%) - added dry to secondary fermenter


Mashed at 150 F for 60 minutes. Fly sparged until pre-boil volume was achieved. 75 minute boil. Fermented at 68 F.
 
you won't be able to call it "real ale",but who cares. It will get you the effect you desire of a lowcarbed beer. I wouldn't clear it though with gelatin or anything. Just don't try and have any beer snobs over to see your new "cask" or "firkin".
 

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