How did they do it in the Olden Days? - Barrel Kegs

[woodwormm]

I picked up a few kegs today, and a couple are the old barrels (70ish litres I think)

looking at them how the hell did they work in pub use? there's a threaded hole in the end (assuming for a spear) but half way down the side is a rubber bung that seriously just looks like fancy sink plug, how would this hold pressure?

 

[Black Devil Dog]

Pictures please?

 

[Edak]

Also, how much pressure do you think these things were supposed to handle? Weren't they used with hand pumps, etc?

 

[hoppy2B]

I'm sure they would have had a special device to close off the hole which is located half way down the side.

I have an old West End keg matching the description above which I have converted into a mash tun. It has recessed ends. Most people don't know what recessed ends are. :lol: It was a real job to cut one end off and straighten it out etc. in order to fashion it into a false bottom.

P.S. : I just plugged the hole in the side with a 2 inch cork.

 

[hellbent]

I was under the belief that when the kegs were filled they were laid on their side then filled through that bung hole and that was it's purpose.
cheers
edit = spelling

 

[hoppy2B]

Its a 2 inch hole so may have made it easier to clean the keg as well.

 

[NewtownClown]

Filling, hopping (notice the hop plugs are sized to drop into these kegs through that bung hole) and cleaning. Those kegs are layed on their side in the cellar, tilted slightly forward and allowed to settle.
When tapped, a "spire" is hammered into the bung to "breathe" the keg and a tap is driven into the hole at the front bottom...

 

[woodwormm]

Filling, hopping (notice the hop plugs are sized to drop into these kegs through that bung hole) and cleaning. Those kegs are layed on their side in the cellar, tilted slightly forward and allowed to settle.
When tapped, a "spire" is hammered into the bung to "breathe" the keg and a tap is driven into the hole at the front bottom...

aah makes sense.

i'm assuming they 'breathed' the kegs with co2 in one hole and beer out the other.. modern kegs do it all through the 'same-ish' hole and stand nice and upright etc..

 

[sp0rk]

Long ago, no they didn't breath them with CO2
Just got through them very quickly

 

[Edak]

Filling, hopping (notice the hop plugs are sized to drop into these kegs through that bung hole) and cleaning. Those kegs are layed on their side in the cellar, tilted slightly forward and allowed to settle.
When tapped, a "spire" is hammered into the bung to "breathe" the keg and a tap is driven into the hole at the front bottom...

Haha you said front bottom...

Just sayin'...

 

[billygoat]

Filling, hopping (notice the hop plugs are sized to drop into these kegs through that bung hole) and cleaning. Those kegs are layed on their side in the cellar, tilted slightly forward and allowed to settle.
When tapped, a "spire" is hammered into the bung to "breathe" the keg and a tap is driven into the hole at the front bottom...

Did you mean "spire" or "spile"?

 

[wombil]

The hole was usually plugged with a wooden plug and a spike driven into it to let air in when it was used.No gas was used.
The beer came out of the tap screwed into the hole in the front.
Breakfast Creek Pub in Brisbane used them not long ago but don't know about now.
Everyone loved the wooden kegs.

 

[wombil]

Read Here,

http://www.breakfastcreekhotel.com/beer_glorious_beer.html

 

[punkin]

There's still a few pubs in Qld using them. I was at Roll Out The Barrel picking up a barrel one day and they were cleaning up about twenty of them ready to use. Guy there said they do it every week and there was still a few pubs using them.

 

[NewtownClown]

Spile... not spire. Thanks goat
Not old fashioned either...
Many a real ale are served from these style of kegs. Many pubs use a co2 "re-breather" that leaves a blanket of co2 over the beer whilst not carbing nor pushing it.
I spent three years in Oxford, UK and received a crash course in cellermanship at Morrells Brewery. Seems like a hundred years ago, now. I wish I had the same appreciation for beer then, that I do now.

 

[woodwormm]

i'm going to have to get some pics up, the ones i'm talking about are stainless 'barrels' not timber coopered ones.

hopefully a .bmp will show on here... the big one has had the 'plug' welded up and now only has one threaded inlet/outlet in the centre of one end, the little one has a plastic bung in the side hole and 2 threaded outlets, one in the centre of an end and one at the bottom on the side (as it's standing)

View attachment kegs.bmp

 

[NewtownClown]

Also talking about the steel kegs... even in the olden days of 1992-1995

 

[MastersBrewery]

i'm going to have to get some pics up, the ones i'm talking about are stainless 'barrels' not timber coopered ones.

hopefully a .bmp will show on here... the big one has had the 'plug' welded up and now only has one threaded inlet/outlet in the centre of one end, the little one has a plastic bung in the side hole and 2 threaded outlets, one in the centre of an end and one at the bottom on the side (as it's standing)

they look to be in better nick than mine did, they come up nice when polished

almost finished

 

[woodwormm]

they look to be in better nick than mine did, they come up nice when polished

20130713_153402.jpg
almost finished

Masters, do you know what volume it is?

I'm guessing around 70L? but am unsure, it's tempting to use the big one as a kettle but i'm just about to start BIABing (from full extract) so i'm unsure about trying to get a bag in and out of this shaped kettle.

 

[MastersBrewery]

I use it for boiling doubles so 60l of wort in, with enough head space, only boil over I've had was when I first used the burner, I was boiling a little hard
Measuring it's exact volume is on the list
Ed: I believe mine is about the size of your small one somewhere about 70

 

[TidalPete]

"Spike". That's what we called them anyway.
Just think overgrown centre-punch with a handle on the side. The bung was timber.
Keg is up-ended & the tap screwed in. Keg is laid on its side, spiked with a mallet & wriggled around to let air in to adjust the pour.
The XXXX wooden ones were 5 gallons & 10 gallons. Might have been bigger buggers? I forget. 18 gallon. English gallons not Yankee.
I used to have one of the old steel ones. 80 litres (18 gallon). Used it for stewing seaweed for the garden.

 

[dent]

Breakfast Creek Pub in Brisbane used them not long ago but don't know about now.
Everyone loved the wooden kegs.

Still doing it at least a year ago when I was there last, though they just have it sitting on the bar and gravity feed it - when it gets low they have to tip up the keg to get the last flat dregs with bits floating in it :lol: It is actually excellent XXXX out of that thing for some reason.

 

[MastersBrewery]

Masters, do you know what volume it is?

I'm guessing around 70L? but am unsure, it's tempting to use the big one as a kettle but i'm just about to start BIABing (from full extract) so i'm unsure about trying to get a bag in and out of this shaped kettle.

for biab straight sides are better, though it would seem you have plent of vessels to go the whole hog, I will be keeping an eye out for another one of these kegs myself. The jump to all grain and a full blown brew rig may seem daunting now, you will in years to come kick yourself for not starting straight out of high school

 

[billygoat]

"Spike". That's what we called them anyway.
Just think overgrown centre-punch with a handle on the side. The bung was timber.
Keg is up-ended & the tap screwed in. Keg is laid on its side, spiked with a mallet & wriggled around to let air in to adjust the pour.
The XXXX wooden ones were 5 gallons & 10 gallons. Might have been bigger buggers? I forget.
I used to have one of the old steel ones. 80 litres TTBOMM. Used it for stewing seaweed for the garden.

They are called "spiles" in the UK where they are used in casks.

 

[woodwormm]

for biab straight sides are better, though it would seem you have plent of vessels to go the whole hog, I will be keeping an eye out for another one of these kegs myself. The jump to all grain and a full blown brew rig may seem daunting now, you will in years to come kick yourself for not starting straight out of high school

hehe, yeah I will not all be surprised if I end up 3vessel herms or something, but I feel I need to do my time with BIAB, as I love the gadgetry,projects and build processes almost as much as the beer

 

[punkin]

aaahhh the olden days of 'spearing' a keg. I thought you were talking about the wooden ones, not the nines and 18's of a few years back. I have a cut 9 in my backyard that some bozo started to make a bbq out of.