Atomic Systems

On holiday in Wainfleet all Saints last week I went to Bateman`s Brewery for a visit. Asking why the kegs were small, (9 gallons) the answer was that they were for pubs that sell in low volumes. The reason being that the keg beers only last for two weeks before they spoil. This is due to the yeast present which gasses the beer naturally. Bottled beer is first filtered which also removes the gas, then bottled and artificially gassed. That is why the draught beer tastes better. Best bit of the visit was the sampling afterwards!. Must visit more breweries, especially if you get samples.
Regards, Michael

Sorry to correct you, but they're Casks, Not Kegs. Batemans brew traditional ale, that is Cask conditioned. Once a Cask has been tapped (opened) the beer needs to be drunk within about 3 days, otherwise it will spoil. Part of the skill of the pub Landlord is to only order the size of cask that he can safely sell in that time frame.

Kegs hold the fizzy rubbish churned out by the international breweries.

The correct term for a 9 Gallon Cask is a Firkin.

Here endeth lesson number 1 on cask beer

Looking at the thread heading I thought beer was going free

Breweries are very interesting places and I have been round a few in my time including the great Guinness brewery at Park Royal and the King & Barnes brewery in Horsham which was sadly pulled down a few weeks after I went round.

Another classic was the Youngs Brewery at Wandsworth. A rather surreal experience where the brewery was in the middle of the one way system yet there were stables and a duck pond to look around whilst the mad London traffic whizzed past a few feet away on the other side of the wall. At that time, local deliveries (within 3 miles) were made by Horse & Dray.

The Bass Museum (now The National Brewery Centre) at Burton upon Trent was also a great visit and looks as though it has much to offer today as well.

mijemcc wrote:On holiday in Wainfleet all Saints last week I went to Bateman`s Brewery for a visit. Asking why the kegs were small, (9 gallons) the answer was that they were for pubs that sell in low volumes. The reason being that the keg beers only last for two weeks before they spoil. This is due to the yeast present which gasses the beer naturally. Bottled beer is first filtered which also removes the gas, then bottled and artificially gassed. That is why the draught beer tastes better. Best bit of the visit was the sampling afterwards!. Must visit more breweries, especially if you get samples.
Regards, Michael

Beer? One country: Belgium
http://www.duvel.be/#/uk/en/home

theokus wrote:

mijemcc wrote:On holiday in Wainfleet all Saints last week I went to Bateman`s Brewery for a visit. Asking why the kegs were small, (9 gallons) the answer was that they were for pubs that sell in low volumes. The reason being that the keg beers only last for two weeks before they spoil. This is due to the yeast present which gasses the beer naturally. Bottled beer is first filtered which also removes the gas, then bottled and artificially gassed. That is why the draught beer tastes better. Best bit of the visit was the sampling afterwards!. Must visit more breweries, especially if you get samples.
Regards, Michael

Beer? One country: Belgium
http://www.duvel.be/#/uk/en/home

Couldn't agree more Theo ! THE only place to drink beer.

Re the subject of your link .. I had eight of those one night! The barman said 'At thirteen, we shout TIMBER!'

oldrocker wrote:Couldn't agree more Theo ! THE only place to drink beer.

I've had the experience of missing my flight due to over indulgence in the Belgian Beer Bar at Brussels airport.

But saying that, Stalybridge Station Buffet Bar, despite missing many trains due to the same reasons as the above, still is my No 1.

T

I always found breweries an interesting form of craft engineering. Particularly good brewery visits also include an explanation on how ingredients and brewing techniques can affect the flavour of the beer produced - I can particularly recommend the Brugse Zot brewery in Belgium for that.

You can also buy mini-kegs sometimes which are more this size. My friends and I used to buy them when we were at university, as it was a good value way of getting real ale (not something widely available in student bars). If I remember correctly, the Durham brewery would ship for free within the town.

AN

There was a real ale shop in Canterbury that sold green beer on St Patrick's day.

It tasted OK

the King & Barnes brewery in Horsham which was sadly pulled down a few weeks after I went round.

Ah! you must have made quite an impact on your visit..... ( It's flats and apartments now.)

The 'Badger' group bought them out I think. Mr King is back in the business though, and making some very pleasing ales, though not in very large quantities.
Belgian beers are good too - in fact I think there might be one in the cupboard that needs my attention............

Cheers

John

oldrocker wrote:

theokus wrote:

mijemcc wrote:On holiday in Wainfleet all Saints last week I went to Bateman`s Brewery for a visit. Asking why the kegs were small, (9 gallons) the answer was that they were for pubs that sell in low volumes. The reason being that the keg beers only last for two weeks before they spoil. This is due to the yeast present which gasses the beer naturally. Bottled beer is first filtered which also removes the gas, then bottled and artificially gassed. That is why the draught beer tastes better. Best bit of the visit was the sampling afterwards!. Must visit more breweries, especially if you get samples.
Regards, Michael

Beer? One country: Belgium
http://www.duvel.be/#/uk/en/home

Couldn't agree more Theo ! THE only place to drink beer.

Re the subject of your link .. I had eight of those one night! The barman said 'At thirteen, we shout TIMBER!'

The British have good beer though. Especially the darker beers.
It is also a question of good and natural ingredients. (And good hops)

The best Belgian beer is called Westvleteren:
http://www.sintsixtus.be/eng/home.htm

During my backpacking days I discovered that the best beer was to be found in 3rd world countries.

They simply cannot affort the chemical factories to make the beers we have to suffer.

Best I found was Africa, India, China and Burma.

Avoid Muslim countries - They don't drink (when anybody's looking) and import international cat pee for the tourist.

theokus wrote:The best Belgian beer is called Westvleteren:
http://www.sintsixtus.be/eng/home.htm

I have St Sixtus glass but I have to say my favourite style is the Lambic. The really 'sour' ones !

One of my favourite bars is Mort Subite in Brussels. I might try to get there this year just to sit and drink in the atmosphere.

oldrocker wrote:

theokus wrote:The best Belgian beer is called Westvleteren:
http://www.sintsixtus.be/eng/home.htm

I have St Sixtus glass but I have to say my favourite style is the Lambic. The really 'sour' ones !

One of my favourite bars is Mort Subite in Brussels. I might try to get there this year just to sit and drink in the atmosphere.

Aaaah yes!
Try Geuze and Hoegaarden too.

Thanks for the correction re kegs/casks. Must not have been listening to the guide, too interested in the goings on. Have to agree about Belgian beer. I was in Ostend for a couple of holidays and tried a different brew each time I had a beer. I believe there are over 200 different ones. One odd one I found was actually cloudy by design but tasted fine! Still only scratched the surface of that nations fine beers. Regards, Michael

mijemcc wrote:Thanks for the correction re kegs/casks. Must not have been listening to the guide, too interested in the goings on. Have to agree about Belgian beer. I was in Ostend for a couple of holidays and tried a different brew each time I had a beer. I believe there are over 200 different ones. One odd one I found was actually cloudy by design but tasted fine! Still only scratched the surface of that nations fine beers. Regards, Michael

Guess it was Hoegaarden.

http://www.google.be/search?q=Hoegaarde ... 80&bih=919