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Making Cask Ale


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#1 neddles

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Posted 01 March 2015 - 10:52 AM

As mentioned in other threads I have acquired a pin for making cask ale. The intention is to serve the vast majority of my low abv ales this way. I'll be serving it via gravity tap from the cold room in my basement. I've done a good bit of reading about how to do this at home and Friday I brewed the first beer to go in the cask. I'm sure there will be a little trial and error to get my process and timing right. I have a lot of recipes ideas in mind. Most of the time I want to have it filled with various low gravity American and English pales/bitters and mild ales with the occasional bigger beer in there for get togethers and other events. First up is the recipe below to be followed by a pale mild with WY1469. I know realbeerguy casks his mild (also on my list) and I think MTN has a firkin he fills from time to time. Any advice from these guys or anyone else who has casked their beer before would be much appreciated. Any other thoughts on cask ale welcome too. Like it? Hate it? Discuss some really nice ones you've had.

 

Cask Pale #1

6 gallons post boil

OG 1.041

IBU 38

SRM 6

ABV ~3.8%

 

93% Crisp MO

7% Baird's Carastan (33L)

Mash@156F

 

Apollo @ 60 to 38 IBU

40g each Amarillo/Citra for 30 min in 160F whirlpool

20g each Amarillo/Citra first dry hop in primary

10g each Amarillo/Citra cask hop.

 

WY1968


Edited by nettles, 01 March 2015 - 10:53 AM.


#2 positiveContact

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Posted 01 March 2015 - 01:57 PM

can you describe how your process differs from just standard brewing when people keg their beer?



#3 denny

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Posted 01 March 2015 - 02:26 PM

Most of the people I know making "cask ale" use a corny and serve by gravity, not pressure.  I think of cask ale as a serving method, not a style or recipe.



#4 positiveContact

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Posted 01 March 2015 - 06:48 PM

Most of the people I know making "cask ale" use a corny and serve by gravity, not pressure.  I think of cask ale as a serving method, not a style or recipe.

 

I thought there was some overlap with the "real ale" movement?  also at bars the stuff I've had from the cask has been served via beer engine.  it all sounds magical but I wonder if there is really much to it beyond the slight oxidation that occurs before the keg kicks.


Edited by Evil_Morty, 01 March 2015 - 06:49 PM.


#5 realbeerguy

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Posted 01 March 2015 - 06:51 PM

When I'm doing a cask, it's with the idea that it will be consumed in a day or 2.  I like to prime my cask with about 2 oz of honey.  



#6 Big Nake

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Posted 01 March 2015 - 07:59 PM

A "pin" is a plastic box that "caves in" when the beer is served, right? I had a local buddy who actually went on a trip to the UK on a "beercation" and started making cask ales/real ales and serving them this way (by gravity). I admit that I love these styles but I have no desire to complicate the serving of my beer nor do I want to take the chance of having it spoil. I also don't want to be held to drinking it within days. I could see it for a special gathering but the last time I took an English beer to a gathering I just served it in a keg with a cobra tap and CO2 tank. Nettles, keep us posted on how this goes and how the beer comes out.

#7 Brauer

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Posted 02 March 2015 - 04:30 AM

I thought there was some overlap with the "real ale" movement?  also at bars the stuff I've had from the cask has been served via beer engine.  it all sounds magical but I wonder if there is really much to it beyond the slight oxidation that occurs before the keg kicks.

The only real magic to it is that British beers evolved with this as the serving method, so they taste their best served at cellar temperatures with low carbonation. There are still places in Germany that serve their beer from casks (I've had Helles and Maerzen served this way), which changes the flavor profile from the cold fizzy presentation that we are used to for these styles. It's interesting to try them this way and remember that this would have been the way that these beers were usually served, once.

A "pin" is a plastic box that "caves in" when the beer is served, right? 

...nor do I want to take the chance of having it spoil. I also don't want to be held to drinking it within days. 

No, a pin is a rigid container. I use a 1 gallon cubitainer, which is like you describe. In one of those, since there is no addition of air, the beer doesn't oxidize and will last for weeks. Of course 1 gallon won't last very long, but there are larger cubitainers.

 

One thing about cask ale (served the traditional way) is that it is a living product that changes over a short period of time, so it has a natural variability that is alien to our sensibilities, which expect a uniform, industrial product that spoils slowly but is difficult to get at it's peak. Cask ale actually finishes fermentation at the serving location, with the aim of putting it on tap as soon as it is done. It is very dependent on time and cellarmanship. It can be the freshest beer you'll have outside of your own brewery, or it can have a little age on it. What this means is that some days you'll get one and it will be just fine, another day, it might be softer because of a little oxidation, but some days it will be at it's best and you'll say, "it's great today."  It's a very different way to approach beer and not particularly suited to homebrewing, where people have gallons of beer sitting around for months.



#8 neddles

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Posted 02 March 2015 - 07:30 AM

can you describe how your process differs from just standard brewing when people keg their beer?

Sure. The beer will be racked to a keg with priming sugar and at times dry hops and then sealed up to carbonate. The cask will then be moved to a location where the temp. is conducive to the secondary fermentation in the cask. Then the cask goes to its final resting spot. In my case this is my cellar back room which is about 52F right now. The cask is then allowed to settle and drop clear and is vented to allow it to off gas until the carbonation (condition) in the beer equilibrates with the cellar temp. Tap it with a gravity tap and serve. I have no plans initially to expose the beer to O2 like RBG does because I am not going to drink it in 3 days. In circumstances where I am having a good number of people over I will let the O2 in and dispose of any leftover beer if there is any (and hopefully there isn't). 

 

After a discussion with Paul from UKBrewing.com he recommended I do not buy a cask breather unless I intend to serve from multiple casks. Instead he said a CO2 regulator set to minimum pressure can easily provide the CO2 blanket needed to keep the beer fresh without adding any more CO2 to the beer. I obtained one of these to allow the CO2 in through the shive bung on top of the cask.

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#9 positiveContact

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Posted 02 March 2015 - 07:34 AM

do you just set the co2 regulator to whatever equilibrium you were trying to hit with the natural carbonation?



#10 Big Nake

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Posted 02 March 2015 - 07:36 AM

The only real magic to it is that British beers evolved with this as the serving method, so they taste their best served at cellar temperatures with low carbonation. There are still places in Germany that serve their beer from casks (I've had Helles and Maerzen served this way), which changes the flavor profile from the cold fizzy presentation that we are used to for these styles. It's interesting to try them this way and remember that this would have been the way that these beers were usually served, once.No, a pin is a rigid container. I use a 1 gallon cubitainer, which is like you describe. In one of those, since there is no addition of air, the beer doesn't oxidize and will last for weeks. Of course 1 gallon won't last very long, but there are larger cubitainers. One thing about cask ale (served the traditional way) is that it is a living product that changes over a short period of time, so it has a natural variability that is alien to our sensibilities, which expect a uniform, industrial product that spoils slowly but is difficult to get at it's peak. Cask ale actually finishes fermentation at the serving location, with the aim of putting it on tap as soon as it is done. It is very dependent on time and cellarmanship. It can be the freshest beer you'll have outside of your own brewery, or it can have a little age on it. What this means is that some days you'll get one and it will be just fine, another day, it might be softer because of a little oxidation, but some days it will be at it's best and you'll say, "it's great today."  It's a very different way to approach beer and not particularly suited to homebrewing, where people have gallons of beer sitting around for months.

I was watching a show where they were at the Brain's Brewery in Wales and the main guy there said that because of the way it's served, it's a "perishable item, no different than milk" which made me turn my head sideways for a second, but I suppose that's true. It's like when we were younger and got a keg for a party where the beer is displaced by air... you have about a weekend and then you're done. I'm not up on all the variables like pins, beer engines or cubitainors but I do get the idea... the beer's lifespan is shortened.

#11 BlKtRe

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Posted 02 March 2015 - 07:40 AM

This year is my clubs 20th annual Brewfest. I'm heading a committee to come up with special things to do for it. Its difficult because we already pretty do it all. One if my ideas is to borrow some Firkins from a local pub and have special homebrew tapping's through out the day. This would be a big undertaking getting the beer to the fest and ready to serve properly at the correct temps. I'm ready to take on that challenge. 

This year is my clubs 20th annual Brewfest. I'm heading a committee to come up with special things to do for it. Its difficult because we already pretty do it all. One if my ideas is to borrow some Firkins from a local pub and have special homebrew tapping's through out the day. This would be a big undertaking getting the beer to the fest and ready to serve properly at the correct temps. I'm ready to take on that challenge. 

 

I might add these Firkins will be served the traditional way using bungs, spiles and gravity. 



#12 neddles

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Posted 02 March 2015 - 08:18 AM

do you just set the co2 regulator to whatever equilibrium you were trying to hit with the natural carbonation?

No. You serve at the amount of CO2 that wil remain in the beer at cellar temps. Which at 50-55F should be about 1-1.5 volumes. The CO2 hookup is just there to provide a blanket over the beer and displace the beer you tapped. BlKtRe hit on what one of the end goals for me is. To be able to make and serve these beers for get togethers or events at my house (or nearby) where all the beer will be consumed in a day or so. In that case I can go full tradition and forget the CO2 and let the beer breathe to the atmosphere.

#13 neddles

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Posted 02 March 2015 - 05:55 PM

When I'm doing a cask, it's with the idea that it will be consumed in a day or 2.  I like to prime my cask with about 2 oz of honey.  

How long do you typically give it to ferment that honey before you vent and tap?



#14 realbeerguy

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Posted 02 March 2015 - 06:40 PM

How long do you typically give it to ferment that honey before you vent and tap?

1 week does it for me at ambient..Last one done in Feb was a week at 68dF in the laundry room



#15 neddles

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Posted 02 March 2015 - 07:14 PM

1 week does it for me at ambient..Last one done in Feb was a week at 68dF in the laundry room

Do you see any reason a 24 hr. cold crash to drop the first dry hopping would slow that down to over a week?



#16 realbeerguy

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Posted 03 March 2015 - 07:09 AM

Do you see any reason a 24 hr. cold crash to drop the first dry hopping would slow that down to over a week?

Since the Mild is such a low gravity beer, my turn time is around 2 weeks.  1 week ferment, 1 week in cask.  Don't forget that one of the reasons for cask conditioning is to do a referment in the cask.  Some transfer with a few points left to go in primary and let fermentation complete in the cask.  No need to cold crash.  If you are going to dry hop in the cask, or adding anything else (spices, oak, etc) use a hop bag.



#17 neddles

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Posted 03 March 2015 - 08:53 AM

Since the Mild is such a low gravity beer, my turn time is around 2 weeks.  1 week ferment, 1 week in cask.  Don't forget that one of the reasons for cask conditioning is to do a referment in the cask.  Some transfer with a few points left to go in primary and let fermentation complete in the cask.  No need to cold crash.  If you are going to dry hop in the cask, or adding anything else (spices, oak, etc) use a hop bag.

Thanks. Yeah I understand the refermentation part of it. For this particular recipe (in post #1 above) I dry hopped with 40g or ~1.5oz loose in the primary as is my normal process. I would normally hit this with a second charge in the keg and in this case I will add bagged pellets in the cask along with the priming sugar (2 oz. dextrose). I normally drop out the first dry hopping with a cold crash for 24-48hrs before racking to the keg so in this case i need to do the same. I was just curious if the cold crash would delay the secondary fermentation beyond the week you normally give your casks. My OG is 1.041, so very close to the OG of your mild.



#18 realbeerguy

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Posted 03 March 2015 - 10:50 AM

Cold crash & add some dry yeast to the keg when you prime.  SO4 should do fine.



#19 neddles

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Posted 06 March 2015 - 11:40 AM

This one went into the cask on Wed. night along with 3oz. priming sugar and 15g each amarillo and citra in a hop bag. Opted to not use finings on this first cask. Gonna give it about 10 days or so and then vent and tap it.




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