I don't recall exactly when I was introduced to cask beer, or real ale as it's termed by CAMRA, but I've long enjoyed this departure from the normal draught experience. There are certainly those who don't care for this "warm, flat" beer; for me, the cellar-level serving temperature allows more aromatics and flavours to emerge, and the reduced carbonation lends a fuller, richer mouthfeel to lower-gravity ales.
My home serving setup has not progressed to kegging yet, let alone setting up a firkin with a handpump (though there are some interesting DIY ideas for doing this). A while back, though, Northern Brewer started carrying an innovative solution for those who wanted to have real ale at home. Cubitainers are expandable, reusable plastic containers that are available in a number of sizes and can take a tap attachment. They can't take a very high level of pressure, which makes them perfect for serving cask-style beer via simple gravity feed. I picked up a few of the one-gallon size a year or two ago, but had only tried using them once before. When my recent English summer ale was ready for bottling, it seemed like a perfect time to put one back in action.
Since the volume going into bottles was going to have a higher level of carbonation, I filled the cubitainer before adding my priming solution to the bottling bucket; the cask portion received a separate preparation of priming sugar to lend it a more appropriate amount of pressure (and to prevent the thin plastic container from, y'know, exploding). This was kind of a test run for the cubitainer cask method, so no finings were added to the "cask".
After a week in my warm brew closet, during which time the cubitainer expanded and the yeast flocculated solidly, I let it chill in the fridge for a while and we had a small cask release party. Real ale traditionally sits well for just a couple days once tapped, after which it begins to turn, so the thing to do seemed to have most of it in one go. The results: mixed.
It was difficult to reach a real "cellar" temperature; with spring in full effect, even our basement was relatively warm, but in the fridge for even an hour or so seemed to bring it down a bit too far. While not bad, it was just...off...a little. The bigger effect was in the mouthfeel. While the cubitainer had built up significant internal pressure, the beer in the glass was pretty much wine flat. Again, while not the worst thing in the world, it still wasn't quite right. Beyond that, the summer ale itself was pretty green; the mineral quality of the yeast (Wyeast 1028) was very assertive, giving the beer a lager-like quality. This is still present in the mature bottles, though it's mellowed.
While this wasn't quite a rousing success, it was still encouraging; I will do this again. Some considerations for next time:
- More priming sugar. I'm fairly certain that BeerSmith, which I use to estimate carbonation as well as build recipes, accounts for some CO2 left in solution after fermentation; however, in rousing the yeast to ensure fermentation was complete, much of that was probably driven out. Going a little heavier on the priming solution (within reason) should cover the issue.
- More carb time. Giving the cask more time to allow the generated CO2 to get back in solution should also improve the carbonation levels.
- Improved "cellar temperature" method. Instead of moving in and out of the fridge, a small insulated box with room for the cask and one (or maybe two) ice pack(s) might keep the beer at a better "cellar" temp.
- More appropriate beer style. Admittedly, the beer in question was probably not the best one for casking: it was a light wheat beer, and the higher carbonation of the bottles seems to suit it much better than the low-carb cask did. In addition, the young yeast character was a bit overwhelming. An all-barley bitter or porter, possibly with a fruitier yeast, will probably turn out quite nice served this way.
- Cask hopping. A few whole hops, maybe in a hop bag, would really make this something special.
Half the fun of these projects for me is trying out homespun methods to imitate or commercial process or product, or even to come up with something even more interesting. Keep innovating, and find your bliss.
- Br. Absalom
Thinking of setting something like this up to mimic the British "Real Ales". Did you ever get the carbonation right?
ReplyDeleteI've done this several more times with pretty decent results. Once or twice I've had pressure become too great for the cubitainer, but the worst of it was some leakage at the port. I put them in 5-gallon buckets, covered, while carbonating just in case things get explosive. Final carb is pretty low, but not too far off the mark for real ale. Definitely worth trying out with a gallon of a batch to see how you like it!
DeleteAnthony,
DeleteFor what it's worth, I've also done this with some success. I prime at a rate of 13 grams/gallon and add 1-1.5 oz dry hops. Roll it around, let it sit for 3-4 days, then pour myself a glass. I've only, like Adam, had to worry about leakage a couple of times; once, a microleak through the plastic itself and another time through the port.
Thanks for the response. I'm going to order a couple of 2.5 gallon cubitainer from US plastics and give it a go. I'll serve it by gravity but eventually I want to attach a Rocket hand pump and set up some sort of beer engine. How long do you reckon the beer would last in these things? Im assuming not as long as a corny keg, but If i split my batch between smaller cubitainers, and store the unopened ones in the fridge, would they store decently do you think?
Deleteoh and a couple more things, the tap you were using. I see on US plastics they have either a quick serve tap or a ones such as smooth flow or self venting taps. Im believe I need the quick serve as the self venting would allow air back in, is that right? And Ted. Dry hopping sounds like a good way to go. How did you prevent the hops from clogging the tap, and clean them out at the end?
DeleteMy cubitainers last about 3-4 weeks at 60F before they lose all carbonation. In terms of the tap, yes, quick serve is the way to go. With the hops, the little bits and pieces tend to simply drop to the bottom below the tap, so it's never clogged for me. Cleaning-wise, I have a Mark II keg and carboy washer which recirculates cleaning solutions through a submersible pump, which cleans it up just fine.
Deletegreat, thanks again for the advice. I've got them on order. I'll report back in a few weeks to let you know how it goes!
DeleteNo problem! Good luck.
DeleteLooking forward to hearing how it goes for you! Cheers!
DeleteI also agree with Ted on how long they last. I put weights on them as the volume lowered to try to minimize headspace and keep more CO2 in suspension. Don't know that it worked terribly well, but it was a fun balancing game.
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