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The 'Real Ale' idea has kinda tickled my fancy but my question is. How does one acquire a beer engine in Australia. Im guessing they come from the UK but have ebay'd and none are shipping to Australia. Wouldnt mind setting up a simple system as im currently not kegging as I have no room but a beer engine hooked to a keg would suit me just fine.
 
So how do you dispense from a keg ... or do you put the beer in a polypin?

I bought a beer engine 6 months ago after using gravity from polypins for years, hooked it up to said pins - result brilliant
 
AFAIK polypins are not available in Australia (bag in a box, a bit like a giant wine cask - that's the Aussie term for box wine to you Dennis - not a wooden cask :rolleyes: ). I had a few pints of hand pulled ales in NZ recently and they use polypins to deliver to the pubs from some of the craft breweries, and nice drop they were to.

edit: photo of polypins of real ale as available in the Uk lucky buggers:

photo_main_real_ale_beer.jpg

However the Illawarra brewers have experimented with beer kept in a plastic water cube such as we use for no chilling, under low pressure and served via hand pump, seemed to work ok. The problem is to maintain a blanket of CO2 over the beer, I think they serve theirs over a day or so at brewdays / meets. Probably mentioned in this thread, can't be arsed to go back n pages where n is a large number ;) You would need to look at bleeding CO2 into the headspace, using a sparklets or sodastream bulbs arrangment maybe.
 
As I`m looking to produce an English "real ale" I don`t want a highly carbonated beer. I prime with 80gms of sugar after 5-6 days it has ballooned up with a decent layer of co2. years of using polypins and a few burst ones have shown me when to let of gas to avoid a leak. End result is each pin last about 2 weeks if I`m drinking it on my own [wifes a wine drinker], keeping good condition to the end
 
golden info there Dennis. When I lived in Cardiff in the 70s CAMRA was just taking off and the local Brains pub which was a bit wanky (yes even in the 70s, and a Brains pub :lol: ) put on a cask of SA behind the counter, gravity served, to cater for the real ale professional city gents on their way home to Lisvane and other yuppie suburbs. Brains is usually served on beer engine through a tight sparkler and is smooth as mothers milk, but straight out of the cask with no head it was a completely different beer and almost fizzy to the tongue :eek: And that's a beer that is cask conditioned with no added CO2. Not at all necesary to gas up a real ale, just a case of handling it gently to retain the naturally dissolved CO2

could go a pint of SA just now :icon_drunk:
 
Lot of people over here say gravity is the holy grail but I prefer beer via beer engines, mine does not have a sparkler but I`m thinking of buy one to sample the difference. Over here there seems to be a north south divide over sparklers and being a life long southerner I`m used to beer without one.
 
The 'Real Ale' idea has kinda tickled my fancy but my question is. How does one acquire a beer engine in Australia. Im guessing they come from the UK but have ebay'd and none are shipping to Australia. Wouldnt mind setting up a simple system as im currently not kegging as I have no room but a beer engine hooked to a keg would suit me just fine.

Hello,

If you are interested in using a beer engine with a keg go back and read through this thread.
I know there are a lot of posts but you will find various ways of having low carbonated beer
served from a keg through a beer engine. If you are interested in some information and photos
please PM me.

Regards

Graeme
 
The IBU had one of our real ale fests last weekend. As well as a couple of engines on hand, pulling out of naturally conditioned cornies and cubes as per usual, one of our number recently returned from England with a couple of pin casks so these were pressed into service as well.

One of the highlights of the day was the tapping of the pin

To enjoy real ale, you don't actually need an engine (lovely though they are to have).

cheers

grant
 
Last edited by a moderator:
To enjoy real ale, you don't actually need an engine (lovely though they are to have).

cheers

grant


I'm sure your correct Grant and I never thought I'll have one let along two. If your in the right place at the right time it's a nice bit of bling hey?

Now I need two 6" drip trays, sparkler and a check value, where's the best place to buy them, Dennis ?


Batz
 
I'm sure your correct Grant and I never thought I'll have one let along two. If your in the right place at the right time it's a nice bit of bling hey?

Now I need two 6" drip trays, sparkler and a check value, where's the best place to buy them, Dennis ?


Batz

They sure are :icon_cheers:

We've got stuff from barley bottom in the UK previously. They stock everything you can imagine and need.

http://www.barleybottom.com/menu/&cate...Bar%20Equipment

and

http://www.barleybottom.com/menu/&cate...lar%20Equipment
 
Batz,

There is a seller on Ebay in the UK selling them for about AUD$11.00 shipped to Australia

Regards

Graeme
 
I went to BYB house, he just had a hose in a freshly chilled ESB fermenter. Most memorable beer ive ever had.
 
NNL brewing supplies is where I get my stuff for my hand pump. Try googling them or send Bigfridge a message.
 
Batz,

There is a seller on Ebay in the UK selling them for about AUD$11.00 shipped to Australia

Regards

Graeme


Looks the easy way out, thanks Graeme.

Batz
 
Can I ask again where did you buy your engines from,Ebay bay doesnt have much
a responce would be nice

sav
 
Can I ask again where did you buy your engines from,Ebay bay doesnt have much
a responce would be nice

sav

Hello Sav,

I purchased both of mine from Ebay UK. Search for beer pump and specify the UK as the location.
I have not checked to see how many are listed today but there are usually a few going when ever I check.

Regards
 
Hello Sav,

I purchased both of mine from Ebay UK. Search for beer pump and specify the UK as the location.
I have not checked to see how many are listed today but there are usually a few going when ever I check.

Regards


Thanks for the response gap
sav
 
Can I ask again where did you buy your engines from,Ebay bay doesnt have much
a responce would be nice

sav

Settle Sav, (he's probably out the back paddock mustering some hippies).
 
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