Hand Pump

[Ash in Perth]

Can we as home brewers get hand pumps?

I know that the beer would be oxidized within a day or 2 but for half of a batch, rack into a mini fermenter when bottling the rest. add some dry hops and serve from a hand pump for a party.

Could you serve it straight from the fermenter if you did this?

 

[ant]

Do you mean as in beer engines? If so, then you sure can (plenty of posts and pics on here). To avoid the oxidation, the general concensus was use a cask aspirator, to replace the beer with CO2 (there was a bulk buy Doc organised). I would think you might want a bit of pressure for at least some low carbonation, so not sure about direct from fermenter?...

Edit to include link

 

[bigfridge]

Can we as home brewers get hand pumps?

Ash,

NNL Beer Supplies imports new hand pumps from the UK. You can see some information here.

Please contact us if you would like further details.

David

 

[Ash in Perth]

So it looks like its something you do once you are already set up and experienced with kegging, not as a cheap alternative for your english ales like i hoped

 

[Kai]

For a cheap alternative I'd try putting the beer into a 10-20L plastic cube, throw in a tiny bit of priming sugar and go from there. Or, try a wine bladder.

I've been meaning to try the former on an ordinary bitter or a mild. I might do it come summer.

 

[GMK]

for a real chap alternative Ash...

Someone from craftbrewer.org posted an article about using a 35.00 Caravan water hand pump for dispensing beer from a cask with.

It will be cheap...
but i would do as Kai suggests - handfull of hops and some priming sugar first for a week - capped then dispense thru the pump.

Hope this helps

 

[Kai]

My suggestion was just run it out the tap, not through a hand pump.

 

[mike_hillyer]

Ash,

Check these out, shows you what Dave Line used when he talks about polypins. Not a cheap option but thought you may want a peek since you have an interest.

http://www.thebitterend.biz/beer.htm

 

[danbeer]

Ash,

Check these out, shows you what Dave Line used when he talks about polypins. Not a cheap option but thought you may want a peek since you have an interest.

http://www.thebitterend.biz/beer.htm

Aaah... used to have to go past that place on the way home from work for a while....

Far too easy to spend the hard-earned in there. Was great that you could take along bottles to be filled from the beer of the week. .... Mmmm.... beer....