Show Us Your Beer Engines

[DennisKing]

one from the uk

 

[Mayor of Mildura]

one from the uk

Hi Dennis

Nice setup. a few questions if you don't mind. Do serve directly from the polypins? i.e is there some sort of fitting from the handpump to the tap? and what about carbination? do you prime the polypins or do you use a sparkler whats the go?. Sorry for the noob questions. one of the guys had one of these at a brew day and it got me interested. and this looks like a likely addition to my brew shed at some stage.

Cheer mate

 

[DennisKing]

Yes I serve direct via a plastic tube from tap to pump, you can just see part of it going into bottom of pump. Yhe only carbimation is I prime with 80gms of sugar, move the pin somewhere slightly warmer untill it starts to expand. Then back to the garage to settle for a few days. Result is the nearest I`ve found to a pub style real ale. I do have a sparklet but as true southener prefer my beers without.

 

[Bribie G]

:icon_offtopic: Old yorkshire saying: drinking a pint without a head is like a woman kissing a man without a moustache.

 

[Mayor of Mildura]

Yes I serve direct via a plastic tube from tap to pump, you can just see part of it going into bottom of pump. Yhe only carbimation is I prime with 80gms of sugar, move the pin somewhere slightly warmer untill it starts to expand. Then back to the garage to settle for a few days. Result is the nearest I`ve found to a pub style real ale. I do have a sparklet but as true southener prefer my beers without.

Sweet. Thanks mate.

 

[JonnyAnchovy]

Any tips on where to pick up the pins?

 

[Bribie G]

I don't think they exist in Australia, but maybe available from NZ at least. Anyone who is really serious could maybe email micros such as Townshend or Twisted Hop, they are a friendly mob and would probably point you in the right direction.

 

[np1962]

Any tips on where to pick up the pins?

I have a 20litre collapsible water container that looks almost identical to those bags even down to the tap.
I picked it up in the camping section of BigW IIRC.
Nige

 

[JonnyAnchovy]

Cheers Nige.

Proud new owner of a pump, and need to work out precisely how I'm going to serve.

 

[Mayor of Mildura]

I have a 20litre collapsible water container that looks almost identical to those bags even down to the tap.
I picked it up in the camping section of BigW IIRC.
Nige

i saw some at bunnings that looked very similar as well.

 

[Shed101]

most camping shops sell them.

 

[Bribie G]

A bit off topic because this is not to do with the pump itself but: by logical (sort of) extension then, with a collapsible water container you'd be getting something like a :



Which are doing great business in the UK. Now a couple of years ago the cry would be "flat beer flat beer" but with an increasing real ale appreciation "faction" in Australia nowadays this isn't such a concern. And as Dennis King posted they can seemingly take a bit of priming anyway so if served on gravity they should still have a nice mouthfeel.

Or coupled with the mighty pocket sparkler for a creamy Cardiff head....



Might give one a burl, have the perfect fridge to store a pin in, and they sound like a similar size to a cornie.

 

[Kodos]

I've tried the camping store versions of polypins but found they were not air-tight enough to do the job properly - no carbonation stayed in the beer and if left to sit they would slowly leak beer.

I started trying a few of them out in stores by closing the tap and seeing how hard I had to squeeze the bag for air to come out - not hard it seems.

At a pinch I'd use a 10L one again for a "party keg" sort of arrangement, filling it fresh from a cold-conditioned fermenter (cold enough so some CO2 stays in solution during transfer). but there must be some difference between the taps on the camping ones and the dedicated beer polypins in the UK.

I did come across this store online at one point

Bag-in-box online

They look like single-use bags, but for less than $A3 for a 20L bag (with tap) they could be a good option.

I didn't go down this path in the end 'cause corny kegs are more versatile, and I was happy keeping a blanket of CO2 on the beer using a little keg charger.

I'm giving the beer engine a rest over summer anyway, since the 1/2-pint of beer remaining in the engine gets a bit nasty if left too long. It's not an issue in winter it seems (below "cellar temperature" in my shed at least!).

cheers

 

[JonnyAnchovy]

Is there any real advantage then in using a bag over a corny, aside from the convenience of not having to hook up gas or a demand valve/ breather?

 

[Innes]

When cleaning the beer engine, how do you get the remaining water out of the system.

When I finished using my beer engine, I pumped some clean water through it, then some sanitiser and then clean water again.

When I pull the handle, a few drips of water still come out of the hose barb and the neck and it makes a gurgling sound.

Is there usually a drain screw on them?

 

[DennisKing]

Is there any real advantage then in using a bag over a corny, aside from the convenience of not having to hook up gas or a demand valve/ breather?

For me the advantage is I get a beer in a cask condition or real ale style rather than a keg beer. I know this is a very British thing and probably you guys are more used to a higher carbonated beer but one of the reasons I started brewing was to have a beer at home the same as I drink in a decent pub. These polypins are used by a lot of brewery's over here to sell their beer for the take home market as they will go for a couple of weeks no problem. Even the odd pub will use them if they have a slow turnover of cask beer as they won`t go off like a conventional cask.

 

[Innes]

When cleaning the beer engine, how do you get the remaining water out of the system.

When I finished using my beer engine, I pumped some clean water through it, then some sanitiser and then clean water again.

When I pull the handle, a few drips of water still come out of the hose barb and the neck and it makes a gurgling sound.

Is there usually a drain screw on them?

Any Help?

 

[white.grant]

When cleaning the beer engine, how do you get the remaining water out of the system.

When I finished using my beer engine, I pumped some clean water through it, then some sanitiser and then clean water again.

When I pull the handle, a few drips of water still come out of the hose barb and the neck and it makes a gurgling sound.

Is there usually a drain screw on them?

Mine is not in constant service so I dismantle the cylinder and wash and dry all parts before putting it back together.

cheers

grant

 

[Rurik]

To clean my engin I run some cleaing solution through it(sodium percabonate), then flush with water. Every so oftern (about once a year) I pull apart and clean & lube in the same way I do my draft system.

 

[wakkatoo]

Got to join this group today when a much-anticpated pacakge arrived! In our little B.A.R group that makes 4 engines with possibly another 4 on the way B)

Think I did alright with my purchase, the manufacture date is 01/11. Given that and the condition its in (not a mark/stain) I'm guessing its almost brand new. Got a jacket to pump chilled water around, not sure I'll use it and I've already pulled some beer through.

A very happy chappy