Beer Pump Aspirator. Purchasing.

[Back Yard Brewer]

I am currently in the process of buying an Aspirator from the UK. Not a f***ing cheap item but it is something I want. If anyone wants to piggy back on my order let know. Cost quoted to Australia is around $75-$80 each. Unless of course someone knows of somewhere cheaper. Have spoken personally with the seller, seams to be a great helpful Pom.

BYB

Want to place order late next week.

 

[billygoat]

Hello BYB,
do you know what amount of pressure the aspirator will keep on a keg?
Cheers
billygoat

 

[Back Yard Brewer]

Hello BYB,
do you know what amount of pressure the aspirator will keep on a keg?
Cheers
billygoat

From what I am led to believe (someone may/will correct me) the aspirator is not designed in such a way as to apply pressure to the keg. In me case I will be using a beer pump and as beer is "drawn" from the keg the aspirator is designed to trickle gas in to create an inert gas cover so the beer will not oxidise. Maybe someone else can explain this better than I


BYB

 

[Guest Lurker]

Hello BYB,
do you know what amount of pressure the aspirator will keep on a keg?
Cheers
billygoat

The answer is atmospheric pressure. So for people who are used to looking at a regulator pressure gauge, the answer is zero, because the gauge subtracts off atmospheric, but the true answer is 101.3 kPa

 

[gap]

I am currently in the process of buying an Aspirator from the UK. Not a f***ing cheap item but it is something I want. If anyone wants to piggy back on my order let know. Cost quoted to Australia is around $75-$80 each. Unless of course someone knows of somewhere cheaper. Have spoken personally with the seller, seams to be a great helpful Pom.

BYB

Want to place order late next week.

Have you tried Alistair at http://www.beerengines.com/ This is where I purchased my aspirator.

Regards

Graeme

 

[MHB]

I got a couple (for personal use not for sale) from bigfridge (on AHB) you could PM him and see if he has any. Actually I find a check valve much more useful.

The Cask Aspirator is like a SCUBA demand valve, nothing flows unless you suck, as beer is drawn from the cask, a potential vacuum is formed, the Aspirator allows CO₂ in keeping air (O₂) from entering it DOSN'T supply/allow any over pressure.

The Check Valve is similar except it goes between the keg (not cask) you have a small overpressure on the keg (1-2 kPa) the Check Valve doesn't allow any beer through until you start to pump again forming a potential vacuum beer flows in to fill the pump.

I'm sure Aspirators work well in English pubs where the cellar is nice and cool and the beer is ticking over, here in Australia you really do want to keep the beer cool (6-10^oC), I find that the beer serves just fine from an unmodified Corny when you have just enough pressure to lift the beer to the pump.

MHB

Like This
http://www.a1barstuff.co.uk/detail.asp?ProdID=585

 

[Bribie G]

From what I am led to believe (someone may/will correct me) the aspirator is not designed in such a way as to apply pressure to the keg. In me case I will be using a beer pump and as beer is "drawn" from the keg the aspirator is designed to trickle gas in to create an inert gas cover so the beer will not oxidise. Maybe someone else can explain this better than I


BYB

In the UK it's also known as a 'cask breather' and is designed to allow lower volume pubs that don't serve their casks of real ale in just a few days to keep the beer longer without it going off. CAMRA is agin' it as they reckon it gives unwanted fizzyness to the beer, as CO2 is more soluble than air. I would differ, from experience. Back in the olden days in most of the North of England and the midlands, major selling beers would be delivered in tankers to bright beer tanks in the cellar and kept under atmospheric pressure CO2 blanket, then served to the bar fonts via electric pump. The beer was unpasturised and not at all fizzy and was a smooth drinking quaffable beer that was a halfway house between real ale and the nasty fizzy pasteurised keg beer.

As the OP is inserting this item into a keg plus handpump system then spot on. But if serving on top pressure, no need for this device, as MHB says as the cask breather is not meant to apply a pressure.

 

[brendo]

I recently went through the process of setting up some beer engines at home and went some check valves over the breather. I felt it was a more flexible set up as it meant I could leave pressure on my cornies and serve the keg over longer periods. The problem with the aspirator is you still need to dispense the keg in a relatively short period of time as the beer will eventually flatten as it equalizes in the keg due to increasing head space.

At the end of the day it depends over what period of time you plan to dispense.

Incidentally, I got my gear online at www.barleybottom.co.uk. I sorted out my order via email and phone and was very happy with the service and advice recieved.

Brendo

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Got my stuff from http://www.barleybottom.com too

Details + pics of my set up here http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=566566

Cheers

 

[cdbrown]

I got myself 2 aspirators and 2 check valves from the place gap linked to (I've got 2 beer engines). Alistair is a helpful guy. Also got some sparklers and plastic drip trays.

They are both handy bits of equipment, for me the aspirator was needed as I didn't want to carbonate the beer but also didn't want to have to fight against the reducing pressure in the keg from each pour. It's a simple bit of gear, just hook it up to the gas supply, connect to the keg and it will keep a nice blanket of CO2 on the keg all the time. Hard part is getting all the fittings and lines to hook it up as they are bigger than the normal lines (1/2" I think). I did a hack job last time which resulted in a lslow eak so will be looking at a far more secure setup next time.

 

[kieran]

cool, this is great info. I picked up a beer engine in the uk 12 months ago, and have never used either a check valve or aspirator.

i like the look of the check valves. Probably beats air going in (I had the gas-in just as an open hose with a 0.22 micron filter attached to it to stop any yeast/bacteria getting in).

The sparkler did all the head work, and it was a low carbonation beer anyway.

cheers,
Kieran

 

[white.grant]

I did a hack job last time which resulted in a lslow eak so will be looking at a far more secure setup next time.

Cortez's setup which he linked to above (which I use on my engine), takes care of the line steps very neatly.

cheers

grant