Cask and Hand-pump

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Robbo2234 said:
Bulk buy!
If shipping was $100 or less per unit I'd buy one, maybe even two. I could almost certainly find someone else who wants one.
 
Some quick figures (units, GBP, AUD)
  1. 226 ~$365
  2. 326 ~$526 (~$273 each)
  3. 514 ~$830 (~$276 each)
  4. 614 ~$992 (~$248 each)
  5. 714 ~$1153 (~$230 each)
  6. 902 ~$1457 (~$243 each)
  7. 1002 ~$1619 (~$231 each)
  8. 1102 ~$1780 (~$223 each)

5 seems like the sweet spot. Another 3 or so folks interested in BNE?
 
welly2 said:
Probably a good time to buy at the moment while the pommy quid is worth next to **** all.
Thanks for the link and info welly2.

Does anyone know what one of these weighs? Some quick googling hasn't helped me.

I'm travelling to the UK in March/April, hoping I might be able to fit one in my luggage on the return journey.
 
My folks sent me over my hand pump from the UK last year, it cost then about £40 and it arrived in less than two weeks. If anyone is interested, I'll dig out the shipping agent. I think it was Parcels2Go off the top of my head if someone wants to google it. Weight is roughly 3kg give or take, based on my hand pump.
 
S.E said:
Just noticed you have reduced the tube over the bag tap down to gas line and a tap above the fv lid. What’s the idea behind that are you going to pressure transfer to a cube?
Used the old grey matter on the second fermenter, found a grommet for 4mm tube fits snugly up the spout of the water carrier, a bit of 'Wet Stuff' smeared on the 6mm tube and a nice tight fit, no more taped joints.
 
A beer engine is your easiest and most expensive option, shipping from the UK will set you back between $80-$150 depending on the seller
Ebay has some every now and then, but the price has seemed to be climbing as of late
Otherwise if you know someone who's in the UK or visting there, you can get them to send/bring one back for you
The cheapest and slightly more involved way is making an engine using a toggle pump from a caravan/RV
Like this http://byo.com/porter/item/346-build-a-beer-engine-projects
the Valterra RP800 pump in that project plus a spare piston/seal kit will set you back around $50 shipped from the US on amazon
A lot of guys on here are using collapsible water containers such as http://www.bcf.com.au/online-store/...ner-20L.aspx?pid=114174&menuFrom=571633#Cross
The benefit of the collapsible container is there is little to no oxygen contact, so you don't need to drink the ale quickly like you would have to in a proper cask (unless you're using a respirator, and then it's not real ale afaik)

*edit*
I forgot to mention, the cheapest I've seen one for in Australia is about $200 used but in decent condition

well i have decided to go down the budget path and just pulled the trigger on a Valterra RP800 pump.

assembled_2.jpg


there is a local RV supplier on ebay selling them for 60 bucks (75 with postage).
when it comes i will give a run down on it, just need to work out how to attach a sparkler head to it,

something like this,
sparkler-on-pump.jpg
 
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Got sick of trying to find my way through an obstacle course via the vegie beds to my bar as far from the house as possible, reorganised my cool room (fermenting shed) set up one of my pumps and have an Abbotts Ale clone conditioning to go on to the pump. Re thought my CO2 capturing method, (no more duct tape and reducing silicone tube) tapped out the nozzle on the collapsible water container 1/4 BSP, attached hose barb, bringing back from retirement my fermenter lids, (getting rid of the clingfilm), attached hose barb with nut and rubber "O" ring.
The captured gas to be attached to the cask connected to the hand pump, the vacuum created in the cask will draw in the captured CO2 keeping the oxygen away from the beer. Sorry CAMRA.

001.JPG 002.JPG 003.JPG
 
I'm with you on that Sean but I would imagine they would prefer the air to get to the beer for the flavour produced before it goes off. I have 15 litres to get through, I could do it within a few days, but my wife wouldn't approve.
 
Air entering the cask and oxidising the beer is part of the style but its generally considered at its best consumed before any noticeable oxidising.

Air is part co2 anyway so we are introducing extraneous co2 as soon as we let air enter the cask.:(
 
So the serving cube is a secondary? It looks very clean. When or how do you use the collapsible so as not to turn it in to a blow off tube? Or to you fillit with co2 from a gas bottle?
 
There are a new style of casks being used in the uk with a bladder in them that colapses as the beer is pumped. When i were there last year there was a lot of discussions if camba condones them.
 
A bit like the wine casks here, the collapsable water container I am using to catch the CO2 can also be used to accommodate the beer and as you pump out the beer, that slowly collapses as you say above. The cube I am using as a cask is easier to clean and I have never had any taste problems with them, nor as someone once suggested been in any danger of losing my life to an exploding cube.:)
 
CAMRA object to extraneous carbon dioxide. I wonder if they would actually object to CO2 from the fermenter being stored externally then used with the beer that produced it? Cant see why

I'm sure they would, given that that's standard routine for large breweries* and they're all about not doing what large breweries do.


* It's not cost effective much below 100Ml PA.
 
So the serving cube is a secondary? It looks very clean. When or how do you use the collapsible so as not to turn it in to a blow off tube? Or to you fillit with co2 from a gas bottle?
Only the stout's seem to get near the top of the fermenter, there is enough headspace so just the gas gets pushed through, I can fill it with the bottle also but the idea is I just keep my bottle gas for transfers, so I will have to get a couple more collapsibles for serving the beers. I still have to set up my Valterra which I have just bought a check valve for off Aliexpress.
 
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