How High To Prime A Polypin?

[Proetus]

Ever think of doing a cheap beer engine?

This is mine.

Details, details!

 

[Schlenkerla]

Here are the details:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/beer-engine-jockey-box-like-beer-engine-161736/

 

[BioBeing]

OK - so you said they would be swollen by Friday...


...and they are!

Although there is still room for more.

 

[Bassman]

Nice! I just brewed my mild tonight.

 

[Schlenkerla]

I have that book. I'll have to check it tonight.

What advice did it give on priming polypins? Anything we don't already know?

LGI - Your junk is ugly!

But very....cool :rockin:

OK - so you said they would be swollen by Friday...


...and they are!

Although there is still room for more.

I can't wait until mine get filled

 

[BioBeing]

What advice did it give on priming polypins? Anything we don't already know?

Not really. He says to prime with 1 oz of table sugar per 5 gallons. Which is roughly 1.2 vols I think. He says to check daily, and relieve excess pressure by drawing a pint of beer (I'll leave it to you to figure out what to do with that beer). Check the pressure daily, and prevent air from getting in by pushing down on it as you pull a pint.

btw - he also mentions that a 5 gallon polypin can be used as a secondary fermenter if you stick an airlock where the tap should be. He also says add a teaspoon of sugar to the secondary. Add gelatin too. Transfer to a fresh polypin for serving.

 

[nutty_gnome]

^
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That is pretty much whats in the book. You forgot to mention that he suggests you keep the polypin next to your favorite TV-viewing chair for easy access! - N_G

 

[Schlenkerla]

BioBeing - Are you drinking your beer yet?

I finally used my engine on a growler. Last night I drank half a growler, then I left it open on the dry ice pack for 12 hours. Tonight it was perfect temp and carbonation. Got 6 ice packs so I can change them daily if needed.

Wondering how your polypins are doing. I'm guessing you got them chilled now.

 

[BioBeing]

They have had a week and a half now. They swelled to a max by Sunday (8 days). I bled a pint from one, just to make sure But no, they are not in the fridge yet. Figured I'd give 'em a couple more days, then maybe chill them on the weekend.

 

[BioBeing]

After I posted the above, I realised that it almost was the weekend, and I had better get these in the fridge if I wanted to drink them! So, they are now in the fridge!

 

[Schlenkerla]

I can't believe how damned good beer is served on an engine. The beer has a nice foamy head but is low carbed. Been drinking some Scottish /70 for a few days!!!! :rockin:

 

[BioBeing]

So update on mine... One polypin is now empty, and I started in on #2.

They were pretty swollen and hard when I put them in the fridge, and of course the cold made them shrivel up. Or at least, they were no longer turgid, as some of the CO2 dissolved into the beer.

The beer comes out with a head made of big bubbles that very quickly dissipates. There is no obvious carbonation in the beer - no little bubbles forming on the side of the glass etc. Flat. Seems lower than the 1.5 vols I was going for. Tastes damn good though!

Will open one of the bottles this weekend and do a side by side.

 

[Schlenkerla]

BioBeing - I have one that is now swelled out full. I popped that one in the fridge and the rest will be left to carb more. I will be tasting this on on Monday, on the engine.

The other 4 are showing signs of carbing. I bled out all of the air right after priming, so right now I can see CO2 covering the tops of the pins. The remaining 4 are not swelled out as much as the first. Hopefully they do...

 

[Schlenkerla]

The first one carbed nice as did the 2nd at 1.3 volumes.

I think they can take a good bit more though. Like 1.5 w/o issue.

Serving them on the engine rocks!!! :rockin:

 

[Schlenkerla]

Doing this again with an English Mild. Carbonating to 1.8 volumes of CO2.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Ok, I believe 1.8 was too high. The pins were quite swollen or rather firm when decided to put them in the fridge. It took about three days before I got risk adverse or chickened out had to chill them to stop the yeast. After about a week the beer was rather quaffable.

The engine does a mighty fine job of dispensing. Lots of thick foam and millions of tiny bubbles.

 

[DubbelDach]

Schlenkerla and BioBeing... I am bumping this because I just received a few 1-gallon cubitainers last night...

Looks like it's been about 6 months since either of you posted. Any updates? Tips, advice?

My basement is about 58F... I would probably want to prime and keep it there until it's ready to drink, and just throw an ice blanket on it for an hour or so before drinking it.

 

[Schlenkerla]

I would prime to about 1.2-1.4 volumes. Then let sit until it balloons out. Yes, you could lay an ice blanket on it to chill. I do that on mine in the engine cabinet.

The best thing to have is a beer engine to pull a pint. I also prime with a heading powder & sugar for more of visual look. You could get more of the thick head if you use a sparkler. Like a Diffuser. I buy the heading powder separate from the sugar so you can maximize the head and still be able to adjust the vol or CO2 with the sugar.

I would also recommend letting it sit for a few days after the pin balloons up. If you don't you can get a good gassy taste. You can tell right away if its not ready. If you are overly concerned about the hard puffed out pins (popping) lay a ice blanket on them.

 

[DubbelDach]

Great info.... Yeah, I figure that while they are puffing out, I'll place them in storage bins so they're contained if they leak/blow...

Definitely thinking of getting the RV pump to do it up right...

Thank you!

 

[DubbelDach]

...and I just ordered it!

Sent from my DROIDX using Home Brew Talk

 

[DubbelDach]

OK, fellas. I racked a gallon of freshly fermented Irish Red to a polypin. I added 0.3 ounces of boiled DME to the pin (desired 1.4 volumes, 1 gallon of beer, 58F temp). Sealed her up and let it do it's work.

Wasn't puffing up a lot in the cellar at 58F so I took it upstairs. In a few days it was puffed out at 70F. Nice, I thought, so the night before I was to serve it, I took it back to the basement and got it situated in my PCSS and went to bed. A day later (serving day) I got home from work, laid an ice blanket on it, closed up the cooler, and left it for 2 hours before serving time.

Beer felt about the right temp to serve, but was ultimately flat. First 2-3 cups looked promising, but then flat beer with large bubbles.

Suggestions for help? What might I have done incorrectly?

 

[BioBeing]

I haven't used an engine, and I have been less than happy with the poly pins myself. The bitter I had in them earlier in this thread never carbed properly. They did swell, but the beer was always flat. I then tried an Amber. It started to carb, and I got scared, so I let some gas out... but I think I let too much out, as it never re-inflated. I've since gotten into kegging, so I haven't gotten around to trying the pins again. So sorry, not much help here.

 

[DubbelDach]

Interesting... While it was conditioning, I kept it in a plastic storage bin to prevent leakage. Well, every time I opened it, it smelled glorious. So beer smell was getting out. Do you think the plastic is too porous to hold carbonation?

I conditioned it with the spigot on... It did not leak from there at all.

I'm thinking I might go for 2.0 volumes next time and if it bursts, it bursts. If it holds enough to get to the desired carbonation, then cool.

 

[rockfish42]

I'm guessing you didn't give enough time for CO2 to enter suspension, maybe try 2 weeks at 70F followed by chilling. When I keg condition in a corny it takes only slightly less time than with bottles.

 

[EoinMag]

Guys, if you're using them to reproduce proper cask ales, then you're talking about a pretty flat brew anyway. Also putting a cask ale in the fridge below about 12c is a bad move it'll dissolve too much of the Co2 into solution and lose it's apparent carbonation.
I put 6l of a stout into a 10l polypin the other day and pushed the air out, I let it sit 4 days and already it was pullng beers with a nice creamy head, let sit at room temps. It's a very close thing to a real ale cask beer.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Yeah, letting it warm up helps a good deal. Temp control seems to be a big factor. Too cold, its appears flat. If its too warm for long it can go flat. The best is a fresh pin at 50 -55 degrees. I think having this faucet setup in a kegerator would be the best situation.

 

[HDIr0n]

Has anyone tried to make a dip tube for the poly pins? I am seriously looking into these along with a few hand pumps. Could someone take a picture of the back of the spigot?

Thanks,
-G

 

[Schlenkerla]

Has anyone tried to make a dip tube for the poly pins? I am seriously looking into these along with a few hand pumps. Could someone take a picture of the back of the spigot?

Thanks,
-G

No dip tube is required. Prime with the spigot on top and let the yeast do its thing. The beer engine will pull a vacuum and collapse the polypin as you dispense. This way it won't get oxidized. Trick is keeping it cold so the beer stays carbonated.

 

[HDIr0n]

No dip tube is required. Prime with the spigot on top and let the yeast do its thing. The beer engine will pull a vacuum and collapse the polypin as you dispense. This way it won't get oxidized. Trick is keeping it cold so the beer stays carbonated.

Thanks, I have a Session Oatmeal Stout that I am going to keg up 5 gallons and put 2 gallons into polypins and try to carb them up to serve up on my engine. I plan on carbing at about 1.3 volumes at room temp and then chill down to about 45. Question for y'all so I measure out the priming sugar for my serving temp not what it will be carbonating at right?

Thanks,
-G

 

[FlyDoctor]

Redirecting this old thread. I have an Americanized bitter with Amarillo hops in a polypin now - it's been 9 days at 62-63F with 1.4oz table sugar. I purged the air out before closing it, and it has inflated, but it's not full or tight. How long should I wait before putting this at 10-15C?