ok guys. I have a little problem. I'm very well versed in cask ales just not the equipment. I am using a cask widge. which allows me to tap and store the firkin upright in a beer fridge. My question is has anyone blanketed a firkin using a cask widge. The problem I'm running into is when I try to blanket the pressure pushes the ale through the engine itself and causes waste. Should I just add CO2 as I go or is there a reason this is happening.
I've seen the Cask Widge used successfully in a number of applications...all of which use it with ambient air as intended. 'Blanketing' the cask with CO² should mean just that...a blanket. CO² is heavier than air; so, when added, it will drop in the cask and add a protective shroud over the beer. Adding more CO² than is needed would cause an increase of the internal pressure of the cask, thereby forcing the liquid upward through the system. Methinks that a cutback in pressure should solve the issue. (Anyone who works in a brewery automatically knows that CO² drops and holds the 'low ground'...whether that is in a fermenter or along the brewery floor)
I use a low pressure propane regulator in the gas line to my cask. Works well at keeping the pressure signficantly lower than my CO2 regulator can and it only draws pressure when I pull from the cask. Poor mans cask breather.
