Show Us Your Beer Engines

[Sean]

I reckon they're ruined more by poor cellarmanship that sparklers.

A good example of this is to go and try some Pedigree at about half a dozen pubs... The flavour is all over the shop. <_<

Pedigree is a bit like the little girl with the little curl. When it's good it's very, very good when it's bad...

Warren -

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Don't get me wrong - there is plenty of beer ruined by poor cellermanship. But, without a doubt, sparklers completely ruin many beers (especially Adnams).

Pedigree is particularly subject to mediocre cellermanship because it requires a cellar regeme unlike any other beer: stillaging on arrival, immediate venting with a soft-spile until it subsides, then hard spile for at least a week, preferably 10 days, then vent again 24-48 hours before serving. Most pub cellars are not even set up with the space to do it properly, let alone the knowledge, so it gets treated like any other beer and consequently is mediocre and very inconsistent. Properly kept it's still a beautiful pint (although still a bit inconsistent - that's the nature of the beast).

On the other hand, I used to know one pub landlord who cellared all his beers like he did for Pedigree. They tasted fine when first put on sale but were completely flat and insipid 24 hours later.

 

[kirem]

ok so how does a sparkler work?

Why did they start putting them on the engines?

What is a soft spile and for that matter a hard one?

Are there any online references to start learning this lost art?

K

 

[warrenlw63]

Kirem

A sparkler is just an attachment on the end of the swan neck. It's got several pinholes in it. The whole idea is the beer is just forced out under the pressure of the pump. (Think espresso coffee). Forcing it out also purges out residual CO2 and puts a nice, fluffy head on the beer. (Note this is not like the Guinness nitro dispense).

The whole rationale was/is the sparkler was considered the norm in the North of England where their beers are supposedly maltier with less hop aroma and the punters expect a pint with a head.

Down south beers are are/were expected to be poured flat, tranquil and minus too much of a head. The purists claim that this preserves the hop aroma of the beer and in some instances they're probably right.

Personally (probably due to aesthetics) I prefer the sparkler pint because it looks nice. Bad, bad materialistic me. :lol:

Warren -

 

[Doc]

I've gotten all the bits together and have done the plumbing. So without further ado, here are some piccies.

Here is the unit (setup on the end of the BBQ )



The underside showing the beer line coming into the cylinder (via a non-return valve). I put the NRV in because I had one. Depending on your setup and the BE in relation to your cask/keg you may not need one.



Another shot showing my cleaning mechanism ( a Keg Systems cabonator cap with liquid disconnect ) on a coke bottle full of PSR solution.



Final piccy showing the Aspirator setup on a soda stream bottle (with reg).



Hopefully now that it is all clean I'll get a change to use it over the weekend and show some action shots.

Beers,
Doc

 

[bindi]

Saved those photos Doc thanks, now I am looking for an engine [for real ale that is]

 

[KoNG]

Sparklers must also double as some form of drug taking impliment.?!?!
a couple of times in pretty east side Hackney i caught a few "lads" trying to borrow the sparklers.... naive me, thought they must have been enthusiastic homebrewers until the gaff informed me of their other use.
Lock em up at night boys..!!!

UnderBelly KoNG

 

[warrenlw63]

Kong

I think they may shove the sparklers up their nostrils for that full "real ale" effect. :lol:

Warren -

 

[Doc]

First test of the unit with the golden good stuff.
This is an Hourglass American Pale Ale/DIPA. It is highly carbonated so not the best beer for this type of thing, but it was the closest and easiest keg I had handy.
It worked really well. A less carbonated beer would have worked better, but I guess I have to do more experimentation

The aspirator worked brilliantly. I had the reg dialled up at 100kpa and it let nothing into the keg until I started pumping. Then it only let it a very minimal amount. I guess this means you could have it on your existing balanced lines set at 100kpa but serving real ales from one of the connections. Nice.

Beers,
Doc

 

[Guest Lurker]

Flatten the beer and do it again!

 

[Doc]

Absolutely GL. But with a beer I've been saving to get this unit into action for.

Doc

 

[big d]

Im jealous doc

 

[Doc]

Monday night is going to be German Real Ale night through a British Beer Engine in Australia by a Kiwi. Oh the blasphemy

Doc

 

[Linz]

Heres mine on initial set up to test...





and the wife also got this one for the lagers

 

[Gough]

So how are the beer engines going guys? They all look great - as a bottler I'm very envious. Are they helping perfect the cask ale/real ale pour? How's the flavour/mouthfeel difference? I'd love to give one a try sometime - been brewing lots of British Ale styles lately

Shawn.

Edit: Spelling...

 

[warrenlw63]

Here's mine.

Had a damn hard time wrestling it off that skaggie up the road though. :lol:

Warren -

 

[RobW]

Pretty high tech Warren. Mine's just a plain syringe without all that sophisticated hardware hanging off the end

 

[warrenlw63]

Mine's a northern syringe Rob.

That there's a sparkler on the end me lad. :lol:

Warren -

 

[Linz]

Hmmm....an aspirator.....thats what I need now.


Anyone get one and not need it????

 

[bindi]

Hmmm....an aspirator.....thats what I need now.


Anyone get one and not need it????

I know of one, will ask for you [family]. then PM you.

 

[big d]

Would love to help you out Linz but my aspirator from Docs bulk buy is still in its plastic bag awaiting hook up down the track.

Cheers
Big D