Westy's Guide to Cask Ale Management

[VFR_KID]

I Know its nothing like this. but reading stuff like this makes me want to try boiling my own hops and such to make my own home brew. only ever tried the wart stuff.

Managed to forget about the residual yeast and drank it. wont do that again LOL

 

[Crizzy]

The usual time is around 3 days from first serve. However, you can make it last a bit longer by re-sealing the cask at night by closing the tap and knocking in a hard spile.

Basically, the difference between "ale" and "real ale" is that the yeast is still present in the cask when it comes to "real ale". Something called Finings is added, which helps to draw the yeast down to the bottom of the cask, leaving clear ale which can be served.

That's a very basic description, if you're after more, check here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cask_ale

Cheers

 

[Cookie-Monster]

when removing the hard spile and popping in the soft one, (and when putting in the hard one initially)

cover it with a tea towel or you'll quite often get wet

 

[WillyNelson]

Almost exactly how I used to do it, but I only ever used a soft spile. What's the reasoning behind using hard then soft?

Can't see any reason why an auto-tilt would move too quickly unless you knocked it. Our cellar used to be pretty small so we had a double rack of auto-tilts, 4 over 4. The upper ones were about 4' above the floor of the cellar. Loading them without a winch was always a bit of a mission, especially if you're a scrawny bugger like me.

Line cleaning is very simple. Cask end of the pipe goes into a bucket of cleaner solution & you draw the lot through. Gives your shoulders a good workout! Follow that with a couple of buckets of clean fresh water & test that there's no cleaner residue left in. If there is the water will feel soapy when rubbed between your fingers, plus it'll taste like bleach. Reconnect your ale & you're sorted. Or get an auto system intsalled which does it all for you (apart from connecting the pipes).

 

[Magic_x_uk]

Almost exactly how I used to do it, but I only ever used a soft spile. What's the reasoning behind using hard then soft?
.

EG: At night when you have stopped serving. Stops air getting in or out and making the ale go off quicker.

You cannot pull the pump when a hard peg is in as of course no air is getting inside the cask.

 

[The Dread Pirate]

So... can you send me a cask?

 

[VFR_KID]

Yes can we all get a taster Cask? Just tell the brewers you are on a dead cert you can start selling it but want a few for test purposes LOL.

How much on average is a cask of ALE to buy from the brewers? I appreciate its a market that depends on quantity and types. Just a roundabout figure thats all.

 

[Andy]

Ahh brings back memories. I used to remove the spile, never used hard/soft.

Truth be told i was never tought how to do any of it.