OK, so I have owed my reader (oh yes just have 1)a new blog update. So here it is. Tuesday we had a Cinco de Mayo office party and I brought in some homebrew Pale Ale for the office. Over all a success.
But more importantly right now we are Ephemere and Chimay Blu(ing) it up. It is so nice to sit on the porch and drink some good beers. Got to love the weekend.
SBG
First, thanks so much for the growlers of brew! So delicious. I must remember to take you up on the offer to refill for this weekend.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I have no idea how to make a general comment, so I'm commenting here. My apologies if this isn't the approved place for general comments.
I have a barn and thus, of course, barn parties. The parties range in size from a me, alone, throwing darts, to 30 or so, to 100+ once a summer.
It seems to me that a party barn should have a regular supply of good beer. So I have in my head some kind of tap/refridge system, for beer on tap all summer long.
My questions:
1. Is this a good idea, or should I go with bottles/coolers for the smaller gathers and a keg in a ice bucket for larger parties.
2. If a keg systems is possible/suggested, I'd rather not get one of those pre-made Sears specials with the tap on top of a fridge. The barn and 100 years old and needs something homemade or vintage to go with the ambiance.
3. Finally, If I make my own, what are the steps in general?
As you can see my thoughts on this are rather unfocused, and that's the reason I've done nothing with this idea so far. I need a Snobby Beer Girl to help me!
Dear Fan,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your question/comment. To answer your question, yes. Either way, keg or bottles you will have beer.
I am a big proponent of kegging systems. I have one in my dining room and love it. However you need to determine for yourself if the investment is worth the return. For this, I have created a simple equation.
Take your anticipated Barn Party Size (BPS) of 30 – 100 people X by the potential Number Of Parties (NOP) of 1-2 per year X by the Anticipated Drink Count (ADC – and not the ADC you are thinking of) of 2-3 drinks per person.
Preface: I am a beer geek and not a mathematician so I have used rounded numbers in my equation.
Calculation Formula
(BPS x NOP)ADC = Answer to Keg or Bottles
(50 x 1) 2 = 100 beers.
When we built our Keg-o-rator (4 tap, not just a single) it cost us roughly $350. I understand from your blog that you are quite handy. I am confident that you would be up to the task of building one yourself. We built ours using a handful of video from YouTube, a chest freezer from Sears, and plumbing supplies from www.micromatic.com .
If you don’t already have the homebrew equipment that could add another chunk of cash to the equation. Of course, there is always the option of purchasing kegs, and in that case a full Keg of good beer is $80.
Good luck with your decision and let me know what you decide
SBG
Love it! thanks so much for your expertise.
ReplyDeleteMore questions though:
1. How many 12oz beers are in a keg?
2. How long does beer last in a tapped keg?
3. Does it need to stay cold and/or pressurized to keep from skunking, once tapped?
Thanks!--Fan
Great questions!
ReplyDelete1. In a small Cornelius (soda keg) - roughly 55-60. Full barrel size that you purchase from a liquor store 60-125.
2. Beer should be drunk as quickly as possible. This is a hard question to answer. It depends on the beer, and how you tap it. Speaking in real general terms – 3-6 weeks. With a good kegging system people do leave their beers on tap for longer periods of time. However I would not personally recommend going past 8 weeks at any point.
In a cask conditioned tapping system we are talking 1-2 weeks is optimum for holding true to the beer.
3. Pressurized YES. Cold, it depends on your definition of cold. Cool vs. cold is my preference – especially when it comes to certain types of beer.
Thanks again! Great answers.
ReplyDeleteAnother question on #3:
I gather that you prefer beer to be the correct temp for the beer, and your personal tastes, but does keg temp, also have an impact shelf-life of the beer?
Say for example you fire up a new keg for the weekend, then knowing that you will not be using it much through the week, you power down the energy sucking fridge, then say you power it up again for the next weekend. Not a good thing?
I guess I'm getting at that whole beer "sunking" think I've heard a few times from no-experts. It goes something like, "if you cold beer get warm, and then cold again for drinking, it'll be skunked"
Thanks--Fan
Sorry about the typos in the previous post. I suppose that preview button is something I should be using!--Fan
ReplyDeleteBeer should always be at a constant temperature!!!
ReplyDeleteThe best temp for a beer would be roughly the same temperature as a basement – so about 50 degrees Fahrenheit I would NOT recommend “powering down”. Please don't or I will have to report you to the IBU - LOL