Cask in bottle

[marshman]

So, I'm livin' and learnin' here, and now find myself wonderin' if I can simply bottle my ales without priming sugar and get a cask-type effect. I picked up a pair of Grolsch-style bottles a week or so ago that have big, honkin' seams runnin' down the sides that I'm a bit suspicious of in terms of pressure, so I though that they might well serve in this capacity.

Speaking of those bottles, is there a simpler way to test their pressure capacity than putting in some boiled, cooled sugar water and a pinch of yeast and letting nature run it's course, or is the pressure unlikely to get to the same levels we see in normal beer conditions?

 

[sonvolt]

You have to remember that even cask conditioned ale is "primed." In the pure style, the secondary fermentation takes place in the cask. This results in a certain amount of carbonation in the finished beveraged. The little that is there is "knocked out" of solution by the serving method - beer engine with sparkler.

If you are thinking "real ale," RDWHAHB - your homebrews are bottle conditioned and thus - considered real ale.

Back to the question - can you get a cask conditioned ale in the bottle - no! This is like asking, can I get the feel of riding a motorcycle in my car. Cask conditioned ale is all about the cask and and how the bartender gets the ale out of the cask.

IMO.

That being said, we homebrewers make real ale in the bottle. If you want less carbonation to mimic a cask conditioned ale, prime with about half of the sugar/DME you usually use. Then, you will have a low carbonated ale.

I would not bottle without any priming because you want CO2 to fill the space at the top of the bottle and prevent what little oxidation could occur.

 

[uglygoat]

if you know what your og is, and what the target for your final gravity is, you can bottle without priming, relying on the residual sugars left in the beer to carbonate/condition your ale in the bottle... this depends soley on putting the beer in the bottle with enough sugars left for the yeast to convert it to co2

this is sorta hit or miss though, and the advice of just cutting your priming solution in half is better than bottling.

 

[marshman]

Well, I'm definitely a fan of the cask-style ales I get at the local pubs. I'm not interested in pure-science brewing or anything like that, I just wondered if using less/no sugar/dme at bottling would give me a cask-esque experience. I actually tried it a week or two ago, but the beers aren't ready to drink yet so I don't know if it's likely to work or not.

I just find every aspect of this little hobby so damned interesting in terms of variables...just contemplating hop character makes my head wanna explode, and now I hear guys talkin about different yeasts, too? Y'all are killin' me!

In a reeeaaal good way.

 

[sonvolt]

If you want a cask ale experience on the cheap and at home, read my thread about the beer engine I made. Let me know if you are thinking about a build, I can help you out.

Here is the link: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=10529

 

[david_42]

First question: Yes, but not as good as a larger volume of ale would give you.

Second question: No, glass is too weird a material. You can take a bottle & drop it on concrete, then pick it up, put some beer in it and the bottom will fall off!

 

[marshman]

Well, Sonvolt, I did read your thread about the cask and got terribly jealous. I'm pretty new to this schtuff, and figger my kegging days are up the road a piece yet, as I'm still working on basics. I had just wondered if using less bottle-priming sugar would be likely to result in lower carbonation providing a more cask-like experience.

Mind you, I tried it before I asked, so I'll let y'all know how it works out in about 10 days.

 

[sonvolt]

Don't be so patient in terms of the keg. To get started on my homeade cask system, all you need is a corny keg, a few connects, and some beer.

I picked up all my cornies for free. The connects are about 5 bucks each and beer line is about 50 cents a foot. Add a 20 dollar handpump and an old cooler, and you have real ale from the cask for way under 50 bucks (provided you have a free corny).

But yes