Roadkill Brewery Co. (THE BEER THREAD)

[Incursus]

Started off my next batch of Wherry yesterday, unfortunately the 2 bottles I have left probably wont last out till it's ready for drinking... poor planning on my part

I'm planning on priming in the keg, then using it to fill a load of bottles, this will mean the keg maybe half empty or less for the second stage...do I just use one of the CO2 jobbies?

[art b]

Quoting: Incursus

I'm planning on priming in the keg, then using it to fill a load of bottles, this will mean the keg maybe half empty or less for the second stage...do I just use one of the CO2 jobbies?

you will need to top up as the pressure drops ,
 or a vacuum will form and air will get pulled in through the tap...

just thinking aloud ...

if you pressurised the keg after filling it,
with co2 caps you should then be able to fill bottles,

 the carbonating sugar [which you would add in solution] to the keg,in the beer will carbonte the bottles as there stored..

a roundabout way but could work ..

[Incursus]

Quoting: art b

the carbonating sugar [which you would add in solution] to the keg,in the beer will carbonte the bottles as there stored..

That's my thinking, just think it may be easier than putting sugar in each bottle and using the syphon to fill the bottles..

Quoting: art b

if you pressurised the keg after filling it,
with co2 caps you should then be able to fill bottles,

I was just thinking of leaving the lid off for the bottle filling and letting gravity do the work, then put a co2 cap on if there is any left in the keg...or I'll just find some more bottles and start the next lot of beer off.

[Roadkill]

Quoting: Incursus

I was just thinking of leaving the lid off for the bottle filling and letting gravity do the work, then put a co2 cap on if there is any left in the keg...

That should work.  CO2 is heavier than air so as long as we're not talking ages it shouldn't do any harm.

?

I'll let the expert add his 2c, though.

EDIT

Unless the beer, being "flat" without added CO2 would go off in the bottles as they'd be some air in there

[Incursus]

Quoting: Roadkill

Unless the beer, being "flat" without added CO2 would go off in the bottles as they'd be some air in there

Well the mixture will have just been primed with sugar so should create it's own CO2 in the bottle, I'm just using the keg as a bottling bucket but may not bottle it all.

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter1-3.html

4. Combine beer and priming sugar. The best method for preparing the beer and priming sugar solution is to use a separate container the same size as your fermentor as a "bottling bucket." Clean and sanitize it and pour the priming solution into it. Next, siphon the beer from the fermentor into the bottling bucket. Don't simply pour the beer into the bucket, and don't let the beer splash as you siphon it in. Instead, put the end of the siphon under the surface of the beer as it fills. The swirling motion of the beer as it enters the bucket will be sufficient to evenly mix the priming solution into the beer without aeration.

If you don't have a bottling bucket, you can gently pour the priming solution into the fermentor and gently stir it. Allow the sediment in the fermentor to settle for 15-30 minutes before proceeding. You can fill the bottles using the bottle filler attachment on your siphon.

 

5. Bottle. Carefully fill the bottles with the primed beer, place a sanitized bottle cap on each bottle, and crimp it using the bottle capper. At this stage it is helpful to have a friend operate the capper while you fill the bottles.

[Roadkill]

Ahh, yeah.  That should work.  

[art b]

yup as chris says ..the keg becomes the bottling bucket,
 so no problem with the beer in bottles or the keg,

the beer is still fermenting slightly when you bottle ,and the addition of sugar kicks it off again..

[Incursus]

Quoting: Incursus

Started off my next batch of Wherry yesterday

Lively batch this one, came home on Monday to find the lid on the verge of going pop!  Still distorted even after I let the pressure out

[art b]

Quoting: Incursus

Lively batch this one, came home on Monday to find the lid on the verge of going pop! Still distorted even after I let the pressure out

its strange how they all ferment differently
just make sure its not too warm [unlikely now] as a fast ferment isnt good for taste ,

[Incursus]

Temp is holding at around 20*C so should be fine.

To be fair I had left it for over 30 hours

[art b]

its the leaving things alone thats the hard part ..

.patience is key to this brewing lark...

[Incursus]

Quoting: Incursus

Just in time as the hydrometer reads 1010

Only 1014 this time after 2 weeks maybe because the weather has been a little cooler?, to be fair the kit say it should be at 1014 so hopefully ok.  I would have left it another few days but I wouldn't have the time to bottle it for a couple of weekends

All bottled and in a warm place for a couple of days now.

Start point was 1040 so I reckon about 3.5% for this batch.

Will kick off the next Wherry batch (destined for the keg) hopefully on Tuesday or while I'm "Working Smarter" on Thursday though I do need to pick up a large bucket and a aquarium heater before then now that the average temp in the brewery is well below 18*C.
That lot should keep me in beer till the new year..maybe

[Roadkill]

I got my next 2-can kit yesterday . . . It's a St. Peter's Ruby Red Ale (4.3% Alc they reckon).

Free of course . . . it turns out that before Lakeland's M.K begin stocking a particular Beer kit they first ask me to sample and assess it !

It's the best place Sammy's ever worked !!!  

Will be purchasing my 3rd Keg later this month . . . .

[Incursus]

Quoting: Roadkill

St. Peter's Ruby Red Ale

Is that the beer Asda sells? Looks like it's in a medicine bottle..

[Roadkill]

All St. Peter's Ales come in funny Oval bottles.  I've not seen the Ruby Red on the shelves before, though.

Quoting: Roadkill

Will be purchasing my 3rd Keg later this month . . . .

I'm going to buy a "King Keg" for my next one as my new, intended set-up will resemble that of a pub.  (I'm planning on having 3 kegs in the shed, but hopefully running pipes and taps into the garage).

FYI

If this works I'll be looking to sell my other standard kegs after they're empty.

(One's had two batches in, the other one batch.  Both have Co2 Lids.)

[Incursus]

Quoting: Incursus

I do need to pick up a large bucket and a aquarium heater

Ordered the heater £7.  Will pick up a 40l bucket from Aldi tomorrow

Quoting: Roadkill

If this works I'll be looking to sell my other standard kegs after they're empty.

I'll take the free one you got from Sammy  

[Roadkill]

Fine, but the C02 lid cost £13 !  

[Incursus]

Maybe. I'll see how the next lot goes as pouring a pint from the keg with the last lot took about 5 minutes (or I got a jug of foam) and was a pain in the arse, this time I will use the CO2 cap which I hope will regulate the pressure somewhat.

[Roadkill]

Trick is to pull back the rubber band that acts as a pressure release valve to stop the pressure building up too much.

I did this with my 1-can kit and it made it much more manageable.

Never had that problem with the 2-can kit, though.

[art b]

Quoting: Roadkill

Trick is to pull back the rubber band that acts as a pressure release valve to stop the pressure building up too much.

yup
good point
the rubber band wont really give until the keg is at bursting point..

[Roadkill]

My plan (long term) at the moment is to switch to the King Kegs and fit pressure gauges to the lids so I can monitor the pressure . . . . that way I can observe what the pressure is when the kegs starts to bloat, reduce it and will know when it's ready for injecting more CO2 before it creates a vacuum.

Basically, as I'm aiming for a 120-pint stockpile I need to keep the beer in tip-top condition to maximise the life span.

[art b]

Quoting: Roadkill

I'm going to buy a "King Keg" for my next one as my new, intended set-up will resemble that of a pub. (I'm planning on having 3 kegs in the shed, but hopefully running pipes and taps into the garage).

the lad never does things in halves.....

a few people do that, run pipes from the garage into the kitchen....

you may need to consider cornies ,which are s/steel soft drink dispensing vessels that have a co2 distribution system, it all gets a bit involved then ..

heres some ideas...

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=homebrew+corny+keg+setup&client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=02dcUqXyGcPG0QX75oHgBA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1448&bih=862&dpr=1

you would probably have to consider pipe cleaning if you have runs of piping..

[Roadkill]

Wow !  That's a whole new can of worms !!!

Going for Corny kegs and a CO2 tank and regulator set is the way forward but would take up more space than I can justify.

I plan (in the most simplistic way possible) to mount 3 Kegs on a shelf in the shed.  Maintain pressure using 8g CO2 bulbs individually.  Fit a suitable pipe over each of the taps (about 24" long) leave the taps on the keg open at all times but fit a new tap like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290986270802?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 to the other end and mount the tap on the wall.  

Do that for each one so theoretically you'd only need to venture out to the shed to add more pressure every 5-6 pints per keg.

[Roadkill]

There's a guy selling "ready made" pressure gauges for King Kegs on eBay . . . but I figure  can make it far more pimpin'.



I can fit 3 kegs, side-by-side, in the shed on a shelf, so will run a pipe from each tap (I'm fitting ball-valves) to a back-plate that will mount a tap for each keg . . . .

. . . Also, each keg will have a pressure take-off that be connected to its own gauge which i'll mount above its corresponding tap.  

That way I can keep tabs on each keg without going outside and know when I'm close to zero pressure (and air getting in) in each barrel . . hopefully minimising the risk of it going off.

Plus it'll be a damn cool set up with 120-pint capacity !!!

[Cunning Plan]

http://geekologie.com/2013/10/tabletop-beer-brewing-machine-the-size-o.php