Show Us Your Beer Engines

[sean83]

Reasonably easy to purchase, it just depends on how much you're willing to pay.

Postage from the UK should be about 75 quid plus whatever you pay for the beer engine. You can get a new EWLbeer engine for 99 quid or a second hand one off eBay for 40 quid if you're lucky. There is a source in Australia who is a distributer for an English mob who recondition them; IIRC NNL brewery services will do a recon unit for $450 AUD or so - best confirm this with them yourself. Plenty of options so price is the consideration. Heck if money was no object you could buy a brand new Angram beer engine from the UK.

Cheers Malted,

Yeah have looked at the UK route - convincing swmbo is another story. Price obviously is a factor. Will keep trauling ebay.

 

[Thefatdoghead]

I got mine through a mate who works for heavertree in the U.K for 90 pounds so I was pretty stoked with that, I also was on a site called Angram if you wanted to look there for them they had some pretty sweet pumps.

Hey Malted what I mean is serving from a keg and having the C02 blanket on the top of the keg. If I had a Polly I would just use it as you say but from reading this thread it seems those water containers from camping stores etc don't really seal 100% although I thought I might get away using one of those instead of spending $100 on a aspirator. So the bag conected to the gas in which is filled with co2 at atmospheric pressure and use a cpc fitting through the keg lid into the pump, as you pump the co2 is drawn from the bag into the keg.

Anyway I might just grab the camping store water bag and fill it with co2 see how it goes.

Cheers guys

 

[Malted]

I got mine through a mate who works for heavertree in the U.K for 90 pounds so I was pretty stoked with that, I also was on a site called Angram if you wanted to look there for them they had some pretty sweet pumps.

Hey Malted what I mean is serving from a keg and having the C02 blanket on the top of the keg. If I had a Polly I would just use it as you say but from reading this thread it seems those water containers from camping stores etc don't really seal 100% although I thought I might get away using one of those instead of spending $100 on a aspirator. So the bag conected to the gas in which is filled with co2 at atmospheric pressure and use a cpc fitting through the keg lid into the pump, as you pump the co2 is drawn from the bag into the keg.

Anyway I might just grab the camping store water bag and fill it with co2 see how it goes.

Cheers guys

I still don't understand why you want the CO2 in a bag. Are you collecting it during brewing to recycle the CO2 you are producing?

 

[Thefatdoghead]

I still don't understand why you want the CO2 in a bag. Are you collecting it during brewing to recycle the CO2 you are producing?

If you suck beer out of a keg you draw in air (because you don't have c02 pressure from bottle). Air will oxidise beer as you know so I want to create a layer of c02 without force carbonating the beer over time.

 

[Wolfy]

If you suck beer out of a keg you draw in air (because you don't have c02 pressure from bottle). Air will oxidise beer as you know so I want to create a layer of c02 without force carbonating the beer over time.

The idea behind the bag (Polypin) is that it collapses as the beer is drawn out (either through the beer pump or via gravity) so there is no headspace and no oxygen to worry about.
I'm not sure what brands of bags/polypins are available locally (and have not yet tried my ebay one) but some of the guys on the JBK UK based forums use them successfully so you may like to check their setups.

 

[DennisKing]

The idea behind the bag (Polypin) is that it collapses as the beer is drawn out (either through the beer pump or via gravity) so there is no headspace and no oxygen to worry about.
I'm not sure what brands of bags/polypins are available locally (and have not yet tried my ebay one) but some of the guys on the JBK UK based forums use them successfully so you may like to check their setups.

I use my polypin and hand pump as Wolfy describes. Personally I find it as close to UK pub real ale as I have found in the home brew environment. I have posted this photo before but here it is again.

 

[craigev]

Anyone figured out how to integrate a beer engine into a fridge yet ? or is it impossible. I assume its been thought of, but strangely no one seems to have said anything about it. stupid idea i suppose logistically.

 

[Thefatdoghead]

I use my polypin and hand pump as Wolfy describes. Personally I find it as close to UK pub real ale as I have found in the home brew environment. I have posted this photo before but here it is again.

I have seen your set-up before mate very nice. I don't really want to bother with polly pins I just want to dispense from kegs. Just don't wan't to spend the money on a aspirator etc but now thinking about it i'll probably just use the beer pump at parties and go through whole kegs if the co2 in a bag thing doesn't work.
If I can get hold of some proper polly pins ill give them a go some day.

Cheers

 

[Lachlan J]

I'm be joining the Beer Engine club in a week or two, it's on its way from the UK right now :beer:

I was thinking.. I've got lots of those 1.5L grolsh bottles at home. Do you recon I could pop one of those open, dip the tube in from the engine and pump out 3 pints? Basically treat it like a micro keg...?

 

[Rurik]

I'm be joining the Beer Engine club in a week or two, it's on its way from the UK right now :beer:

I was thinking.. I've got lots of those 1.5L grolsh bottles at home. Do you recon I could pop one of those open, dip the tube in from the engine and pump out 3 pints? Basically treat it like a micro keg...?

I have been thinking of doing the same thing with growlers. Condition in the keg, push across into growler the dip tube in and through beer engine.

 

[vic45]

I'm be joining the Beer Engine club in a week or two, it's on its way from the UK right now :beer:

I was thinking.. I've got lots of those 1.5L grolsh bottles at home. Do you recon I could pop one of those open, dip the tube in from the engine and pump out 3 pints? Basically treat it like a micro keg...?

Yes this will work well. We often serve small amounts of different Beers like this at B.A.R. Craftbrewers events.
Just don't overcarb.

 

[spog]

for anyone interested the brewing network had a show on beer engines/cask beer recently,2 wks ago i think.

cheers.......spog........

 

[willham]

There seem to be two spare fittings. I guess one could be used if you didn't want to use the 1/2" fitting. Not sure on the reason for the third.

Beers,
Doc

Are the two fittings for "water in" "water out" for cooling cavity. I had a couple of these engines. I live in England and there's a lot of pubs closing due to smoking ban, so plenty available here.

 

[super_simian]

"Due to smoking ban" really, are poms that addicted to cancer sticks they'd rather not go to the pub than go and not smoke? No wonder they needed help not to lose 2 wars...

 

[willham]

"Due to smoking ban" really, are poms that addicted to cancer sticks they'd rather not go to the pub than go and not smoke? No wonder they needed help not to lose 2 wars...

Yeah that's right. If only we had the courage to go to the pub just to drink. You aussies are so brave.
And name a country that started with, and still has less culture than yeast. :lol:

 

[spudfarmerboy]

Hello Willham,
Just ignore the previous poster, most people are pretty friendly on this forum.

 

[willham]

Hello Willham,
Just ignore the previous poster, most people are pretty friendly on this forum.

To be fair, I think the banter is great. There is never bad feelings between us, but I think we should still have the blaggard. Its what makes us who we are.

 

[Thefatdoghead]

Got this yesterday. 90 pounds and it work perfectly. Im not going to bother with check valves or aspirators at the moment im just going to give it a run on a keg of beer and see how it goes. 4 guys and an afternoon should get through a keg no worries.

 

[Wolfy]

Got this yesterday. 90 pounds and it work perfectly. Im not going to bother with check valves or aspirators at the moment im just going to give it a run on a keg of beer and see how it goes.

Same as what I did for my new brother-in-law the day after his wedding:

They made me brew the beer for the wedding, so I left him the keg/pump and just undid the PRV a bit - told him he'd better finish the keg within a couple of weeks.

 

[Thefatdoghead]

Same as what I did for my new brother-in-law the day after his wedding:

They made me brew the beer for the wedding, so I left him the keg/pump and just undid the PRV a bit - told him he'd better finish the keg within a couple of weeks.

Nice and shiny too . I'll polish mine up when I get the chance. I have made a sort of American amber with 1469 for the christening so should be a good day. I didn't think it would last more than 2 day without getting oxidised let alone 2 weeks? Just what I assumed is all.