Monday 8 August 2011

More keg debate

Sometimes, for one reason or another, we brewers send our beer beyond its natural homeland (20 miles for us). And in some cases we want to remain fresh and tasty beyond its natural youthful and tasty lifespan (6 weeks for most of our gear). Traditional 'cask' packaging does a job in these circumstances, but could there be something better? Well, I came across an alternative and decided to find out.....

KeyKeg: I've been using these little babies for over a year now, filling them with West Coast IPA and sending them down to Italy for the pleasure of the SPQR. We fill an impermeable bag contained inside a rigid plastic sphere with beer and off it goes. I confess that in this case the containers are filled with beer that hasn't been allowed to fully vent during fermentation and so has an elevated carbonation level. There remains a lowish level of yeast in it (0.1 million cells per ml) and a little residual fermentable sugar for secondary fermentation. It's a 'fully hopped' style of beer, served cold, fizzy and delicious. And it remains tremendously fresh throughout its 3 month lifespan, thanks, in great part, to the packaging. Make no mistake now, West Coast IPA served from KeyKeg is "real ale":

Real ale is a beer brewed from traditional ingredients (malted barley, hops water and yeast), matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide.

Here is a 'keg' being used to package, transport and serve delicious, fresh and tasty ale and doing it better, in the circumstances, than the cask.

Come on, lay right into me. But beware, I'm not stupid enough not have more up my sleeve.

6 comments:

Stuart Ross said...

spot on!

Brock said...

Plastic sphere!? Burn it at once! What need for this unholy vessel to be conveying my beer to Italy!? Hmmm.. Why doesn't a sealed cask keep beer good as long as a sealed keykeg thing then?

Brock said...

Anyway, surely you've somewhat spoiled your own argument by admitting you brew the beer differently for keg? I've just decided I want more wooden cask ales by the way.

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr Ed

Can this concept be adapted for the local / supermarket market ?

Whilst the drive to Ramsgate is okay and the walk with the dog at Pegwell Bay enjoyable, followed by a gulp or two of newly purchased ale. It would be great to be able to pop in to a local shop/supermarket and buy your wares to consume at home. If a winebox type gizmo is not suitable, how about the keykeg ?

Yours, exiled from Dover

Mark said...

Can't be "real" ... has the word KEG in the name.

*Fingers in ears*

lalalalalalalala, not listening.

Capturing Smallwonders said...

Great reading your bloog