Home Brewing cock up in the pub shed

I recently brewed a beer in the Welsh Cockney pub shed and thought I would share the process and the problems I had. A cock up after secondary fermentation, and I thought the beer was dead. Or did I save it?

So this is the story of me brewing a real ale in the pub shed.

Contents

Brewing And Primary Fermentation

I decided to brew a real ale that I could transfer to a beer in a bag and dispense from my beer engine in the pub shed.

The brew is an easy on being that it is only a simple beer kit. The beer in question is a real ale from Coopers. The kit comprises of a large can of malt extract, 1kg of brewing sugar and a sachet of yeast.

The brewing process is easy:

• Mix the can of malt extract in 2 -3 litres of hot water in the fermentation bucket and mix well.
• Add the sugar and mix well.
• Add cooler water up to 23 litres
• Finally add the yeast and the brew is done.

So I went through the process and put the fermentation bucket into my fermentation chamber ( converted fridge). I then set the Inkbird temperature control to 21°C and the primary fermentation is under way.

Secondary Fermentation

After a week the beer has completed it primary fermentation. I take another gravity reading over the next two days to make sure it is stable. It is, so it is time to transfer the beer into the pressure barrel.

I add some Coopers Carbonation Drops to the pressure barrel and syphon the beer from the fermentation bucket.

Once the beer is in the pressure barrel I place it in the fermentation chamber and set the Inkbird temperature control to 19.5°C.

The secondary fermentation is under way.

Beer In A Bag Cock Up

Several weeks before I started this brew I had bought a beer in the bag from a brewery and hooked it up to my beer engine in the pub shed.

It worked a treat and the beer was good too.

So my plan after the secondary fermentation is complete is to transfer the beer into the now empty (and sanitised) bag from the brewery.

I do just that, and then put it into the fermentation unit and set the Inkbird to 10.5°C. I plan to let the beer settle for a day or two, then it is time to start enjoying it via the beer engine.

However, after a few hours I open the fridge to check all is well and the bag is leaking from the tap seal. What a cock up, so I stand the beer up so the tap is at the top and put my thinking head on.

My fear is that if beer can get out, then air can get in and my beer might be dead.

Corny Keg To Beer Engine

My solution is to buy a corny keg, C02 gas bottle and the various connectors and gas line. The plan is to transfer the beer into the corny keg, connect the gas and let it carbonate the beer over a week.

I did try the beer before I transferred it to the keg and it tasted good, but there is not much carbonation.

So that is what I do, transfer the beer into the corny keg, connect the gas and set it to around 5 psi. I leave it for a week and hope my beer is not dead and can’t be saved.

Finally Pouring A Pint Of Home Brew

It is time to see if my plan worked in saving my Coopers real ale brew.

After cleaning the beer line I connect the line to the corny keg and pour myself a pint through the beer engine.

Is the beer good or bad?

I am pleased to say that it has all worked out.

The beer pours well through the sparkler and looks good in the glass. It settles to a two finger head, which does fade to a one finger head.

The nose is pretty subtle with a little caramel malt and a hint of dark fruits.

So what does it taste like?

Pretty good, a nice caramel malt base with a hint of fruit, it has a sweet start, but a slight bitterness carries through, I like it.

The carbonation level is about right for a real ale, just enough, but not too much.

Final Thoughts

I guess I would not recommend reusing a beer in a bag, it might work, but it didn’t for me. I thought I was going to loose my beer.

However it all turned out in the end, and I have to say that the system I have now is better. The corny keg is so easy to use, and with the C02 gas I can brew a wider variety of beers.

So I am going to enjoy this real ale and then brew another beer, I am thinking a pale ale maybe.

If you have any thoughts or questions about my beer in a bag cock, or any other part of the brewing process, then do share them below.