How to install Hand Pull & Flexi Cask for Homebrew

[@jham2015]

Stumbled onto your account after I did my own Timothy Taylor clone. Really glad to have your account to dive into! Stay healthy and brewing!

[@soooohoopy]

Cheers for the video, great to see how to get a pint of cask at home.

[@KHGrinderboy]

Always wondered how folks used a hand pull at home, great vid Griffo, simple, to the point, no messing. I think this could be a project in the future!

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Cheers Matt, glad you found it useful! :)

[@josephcajzer9598]

Follow up thanks for getting back to me Griffs, the new pint 365 comes with a built in check valve/back flow device. Hope this helps

[@feefifofum6383]

Wonderful vid. Any chance of a follow up covering how to clean the system? I’m wondering how much beer is left in the tubes after pulling a pint. Basically, what’s involved in only pulling a pint every few days.

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Thank you! Apologies for the slow reply! Yes, I will be happy to create a short video of how I clean the system. It's a very short length to the fridge so the wastage is minimal 👍🍺

[@MysteryFishBrewery]

Just wondering if it would be easier to put the empty bag in the box first and also whether it could be filled without taking the bag "plug" out and filling it via a spare version of the connector you use to connect up the bag in the fridge. Would that not eliminate the majority of your air?

[@melanieWilkinson3944]

Thanks for your videos - I've been inspired to make my own beer for my hand pump. I'ts brewed and today I'm going ro transfer it to a polypin with a tap but do I need to put more sugar in to condition the beer as not in a preasure keg, greatdul for any advice

[@krislewie]

That's super cool, might need to look into this down the road. I was thinking, get a small piece of plywood or something and prop it on a shallow angle and lay the bag on that with the hole up the slope, should fill easier and naturally push the air out.

[@hughesbrews8062]

Fantastic video, I would never have thought that having a hand pull set up would cheaper and easier than kegs. If you like traditional bitter it has to be the way to go

[@cillianpaget]

Thanks for a great video. Was just curious if you sugar prime or add any carbonation to your ales at all before placing it in the fridge and connecting to your pump?

[@Pazey1]

I used to do this from left overs from commercial brewing keep a spare tap and connect to the adapter so it becomes a cleaning ring main and drop into a jug with cleaner to pull through you can also add sugar small amounts for extra condition and vent through tap the excess low amounts like 20-30 grams ive had mine go like baloons and still fine because i forgot about them could of been messy!

[@jimbam8590]

So when you think you have everything. .. now look what you've done .. i want one lol, great vid 👍

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Sorry about that Jim! Haha. Thank you!

[@alanleah4576]

Great video mate. Looking at the bag set up, wouldn't it still work the same way with the corny keg? My thought is fill the keg then purge out the oxygen as normal, leave the gas inlet connector off once purged then connect the hand pull to the corny as normal with the 1 way check valve in between and draw it off. Maybe if needed drop a bit of CO2 in now and again as a protective blanket. Thoughts? Cheers Alan.

[@matthilton8959]

How much sugar do you prime with for this? Great video by the way.

[@chriswooffindin5932]

Another genius idea my friend. Great video and great idea (and one which I've never come across)

[@imperia1999]

Very good could do with changing my stout vary flow tap for one of these, thanks for sharing bud cheers

[@Dts1953]

Excellent video. What a lovely looking pint!👍👍👍

[@TheGrimbarianBrewer]

Great video mate, good old traditional handpump,always look great when pouring a pint. Cheers

[@josephcajzer9598]

I just purchased a hand pump from pint365 . I have the straight tube with and 2 john guest fittings, there is n o back flow or check valve as you have. can I operate without one? How long does your beer in the bag last ? Thank you great job

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Hi Joseph, yes it should be ok without a check valve but I’d get one if you can to stop any air drawing back into your beer, beer will last weeks as no oxygen is being introduced 👍

[@markmoocha2089]

Fantastic video mate..I will be having a go a this..what’s your fermenting bin??where did you buy it from?? Cheers

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Thanks Mark, It's an SS Brewbucket - got this one from Brew UK.

[@yorkshamunki]

Nice "how to" fella.... I've done similar at home - car boots are awesome for picking up a hand pull taps - although rather than doing the bag in a box affair, I just use my cornies…. transfer as normal, purge, condition (or not!!) and connect.... beauty of this method is you don't need to invest in the bags if you already have the cornies… Nice one Griff... Peace

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Thanks Chris! That's a good idea! I might try that as well, just whack a ball lock on my system :) Car boots round here are shocking - always on the look out for home-brew equipment also! haha

[@smallbatchbrewingco5675]

Great video , I bought a brand new hand pull and couldn’t get used to it as I was trying from the keg , might give the bag a go 👍🏻

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Cheers Daniel! That's awesome, let me know how you get on! :-)

[@ediitelman]

Hi, where did you but the hand pump from?

[@damo9897]

Top video Mate, great to see how you’ve put it all together. Cheers

[@andyaxten2444]

Hi, Brilliant videos, I will be getting a beer engine at some point soon hopefully, can I ask a couple of questions though please. I brew my own beer from kits, I'm fairly new to Home brewing and i use a plastic fermentation bin and a plastic pressure barrel normally and pour my beer direct from the barrel. Q1. was that stainless steel vessel that you took your beer from, your alternative to a plastic Bin ? Q2. Would I be able to connect a line straight to my barrel after transferring from the fermentation bin or would I still need to transfer to a bag from the Barrel in order to use a beer engine ?. Q3. Does the beer engine not suck up some of the residual fermentation sludge that settles at the bottom of the Barrel ? Sorry to bombard you, hope you can help please. Cheers. Andy

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Hi Andy, no problem at all! The fermenter is an SS Brewtech Brewbucket (or a cornelious keg if you were asking about that). Yes you can connect straight to your barrel to serve via the hand pull and the beer engine doesn't suck up any trub as most of it isn't transferred into the keg, it's force carbonated with CO2 rather than priming sugar so nothing really collects at the bottom. Home that helps! 👍🍻 Cheers

[@andyaxten2444]

@@HomebrewGriffo Hi Griffo, thanks for the reply mate, I might be confusing myself here. My Barrell is a normal plastic pressure barrel that you would get from a brew shop as part of a starter kit. If I brewed and transferred in the following way, would I be able to connect a beer engine to my barrel. 1. brew beer in the fermentation bucket for the recommended time 2. Transfer the beer to my pressure Barrel and leave standing for the required time period 3. after leaving for the required period, connect beer line to my barrel tap and to a beer engine 4. draw the beer from my barrel through the beer engine to the glass. Cheers. Andy

[@HomebrewGriffo]

@@andyaxten2444 That sounds fine, the beer engine won't handle more than 5 psi so don't carbonate your pressure barrel much. The engine will draw it out so no need for any pressure in theory. Let me know how you get on! Cheers

[@andyaxten2444]

@@HomebrewGriffo Hi mate, many thanks for the advice, when I get my beer engine, ill give it ag go and will definitely let you know how it goes, thanks again Griffo.

[@PaoloMissiaggia]

Hi man!!! Thank you for the guide!!! I found it really useful!!! May I ask you a question? I saw that you have the same Angram pump I have and I am searching for the same John Guest "straight" connector from the angram to the pipe(the one showed in at 9'20'' in the video), but I don't know the ANGRAM connector size. I know for sure that it is not a 3/8" because I have one at home and it does not feat, but a I couldn't find this info online. Can you please share the correct size to connect to the angram pump? p.s. Maybe also your links are wrong, because the 3/8'' straight shouldn't fit (in the video it appears clear that the 2 sides have different sizes).

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Its a john guest 3/8 fitting, the one going into the fridge is a check valve again 3/8. Cheers

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Try BrewUK or Maltmiller :-)

[@PaoloMissiaggia]

@@HomebrewGriffo Thanks :-)

[@AFCRichmond2782]

Congratulations 👍🍺

[@honestyorkshirebeerreviews5265]

Would you recommend priming within the bag prior? and if so how long would you leave it to condition before pulling a pint? , Not quite at the grain level yet, but super excited to be making Tiny Rebel Cwtch and really want it from the handpull for christmas. Any advice would be appreciated, I only have polypin bags, so a little more durable than the ones in this awesome video.

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Hiya, I don't trust carbonating the bags, I just worry about them busting and losing all that beer. I normally just let the residual yeast clean up the beer in the bag giving a slight carb. Hope the Cwtch worked out mate! Iechyd Da!

[@carchie86]

Great video Griffo, I've just acquired a beer engine myself which I am trying to get set up to a bag in box with the help of your video. What size food grade silicon pipe do you use to connect your Vitop connector to your 3/8 pipe and do you have a link to where you bought this from? Also the connection point on my beer engine is 12mm/0.5 inch (internal diameter), do you have any idea as to how I can get my 3/8 pipe which is currently too narrow connected up to the pump?

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Hiya, from memory it was just a length I had kicking about, If you go for 3/8 internal diameter it will fit over the barb on the vitop and the 3/8 pipe with a jubilee either side. With the Beer engine, you can get a 1/2 Inch x 3/8 straight reducer from RLBS in the UK. Cheers

[@cheshirehomebrew]

Cracking video, could almost taste that beer. Cheers mate 👍🍺

[@norfolkhillbilly]

Are they the double lined bags, I`ve bought some smaller one`s and managed to scrounge a some bags off the drays that deliver beer in a bag.

[@andydunn5673]

Interested to see if this becomes your favourite way to store and serve beer How many times do you think you can re use it Great little film Thanks for sharing

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Thanks Andy! Depends on what style I make but I'd like to always have something available on the hanpull, You can probably re-use them a lot BUT they are cheap enough to buy in qty's of 10. Cheers

[@PaoloMissiaggia]

Hi again, still another question... You didn't prime the beer before transferring it into the bag, right? So you didn't want to have an extra carbonation later or it was because the bags are not resistent to pressure?

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Hi Paolo, yes the bags are resistant to some pressure but the style of beer I made required very little to no carbonation, the hand pull gives it all the life it needs for my taste 😃👍 Cheers

[@epilasek]

@@HomebrewGriffo Nice video, thank you. Im going to set this rig up too. My thoughts are to rack the beer into the bag near the end of fermentation. Leave it a day or so at room temp. Then into the fridge at 11C to finishing off conditioning.

[@reddogales9029]

Best ever!! 😍😍😍 Need to invest me in one of these.. Good work pal

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Cheers John :-)

[@rylandlewer3636]

The trouble with the plastic bags are the (almost) single use factor about them, and the added plastic component, just doesn't gel with the nature friendly less waste of home brewing angle... I'm sure the wear and tear on them isn't great. Surely theres some way to allow a corney keg with a spunding valve to do most of the work up til after conditioning, but then how to get the thing out through a motor and still actually taste / look like it should - I'd think each pull would stir up the dregs in the keg and then oxidisation etc...

[@paulwoods9822]

Need some help new to home brewing Looking to do my first brew Can you suggest a beer that is like Doombar that can be purchased on the net thanks

[@michaeltangen]

Question about those John Guest check valves - most that I've seen have a push in connection in one end and a barbed fitting the other. With those push-in ends, do you have to use a stiffer tubing or do your standard vinyl beverage tubing work on those?

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Standard 3/8 beer line works a treat! 👌 cheers

[@owendavis7891]

Could you do this with a Mexican larger kit?

[@jcinsaniac]

Looked like great beer...does serving it this way have any problems you have to guard against, like oxidation? And those lucky, lucky bushes...getting a taste of your brew.

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Cheers! No oxidisation should occur. Cask is always best but this is a great compromise to have this type at home :-)

[@oliverdesborough2055]

Excellent Video mate! This is exactly what I wanted to add to my Brew Garage next! You’ve just answered all my questions in one video. Looks like I might finally be able to drink real cask ale in Switzerland. 😉👍🏻 Do you need to flush through and sanitize the lines/hand pull periodically when you’ve not poured a pint for a few days? Is cleaning it as easy as pulling some line cleaner and starsan through? Cheers!🍻

[@fabioberardi1913]

Hi, beautiful video. now for your fault I have to give me a pump. Do you reuse the bag in boxes or throw them away with each use? Do you wash them?

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Thanks Fabio! I really enjoy the beers off the pump and I used to throw the bags after one use but now run it off a corny keg! (Environmental and cost benefits!) Cheers

[@fabioberardi1913]

@@HomebrewGriffo Hello and thanks for the reply. which barrels do you use? do you carbonate according to style? how long does the beer last once the keg is opened?

[@HomebrewGriffo]

@@fabioberardi1913 I use corny kegs widely available and carbonate to style. Beers never pass their expiry round here but hoppy beers will start to lose character after about a month in the keg. Malty beers can last a lot longer without any detriment - Like I said, I've not experienced an out of date keg here haha

[@fabioberardi1913]

@@HomebrewGriffo hello, but in the bag in box you did normal priming?

[@bigglesbrewery]

Great vid! How long will the beer last in the bag? Same shelf life as keg?

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Cheers! Yes, I with being protected from oxygen I don't see how this couldn't last as long as a keg BUT generally the style for a hand pull should be drunk fresh (in my opinion)! :-)

[@tonydixon5448]

Did you use priming sugar when you bagged your beer?

[@HomebrewGriffo]

No, I don’t bother, there’s usually enough carbonation from the fermentation process 👍🍺

[@pippoquota5736]

great!!! where did you get the hand pull? is it expensive? did you make it yourself?

[@josephcajzer9598]

I just got one shipped to the states from pint365 in Birmingham

[@seany108]

Can those bags take any pressure for a slight secondary ferment ?

[@fredericastevenson]

Great video. How do you condition the beer to get that natural carbonation of cask conditioned ale?

[@HomebrewGriffo]

I just leave it in the bag at 11 degrees for a week or so. you could add a bit of sugar to get more carbonation but I don't recommend pressurising those types of bags lol. But it could be a funny experiment... there's an idea! :-)

[@fredericastevenson]

Homebrew Griffo Thanks for your reply. It’s the style of beer I really miss here in California after being weaned on ‘real ale’ back in my youth in Cheshire. It’s difficult justifying the cost of an Angram Beer Engine as they are something in the region of $800 on this side of the pond!

[@louisnaum7722]

So will the beer go off quicker in the bag? How long will it keep?

[@HomebrewGriffo]

It will keep for a few weeks, no oxygen is getting to the beer so all is good

[@SwanseaTitanFan]

How long will that 20 litres last in the fridge?

[@markmoocha2089]

Hi how long is your beer keeping fresh in the system Cheers Mark

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Hi Mark, it will keep as long as any keg beer as there's no oxygen getting to it. I've not tested how long my beer keeps lol

[@arnaudmahieu1162]

Is it possible to carbonate beer in these bags?

[@HomebrewGriffo]

I wouldn't but if you have it in a sturdy container well fitted, you might get away with a couple of PSI

[@arnaudmahieu1162]

@@HomebrewGriffo Thank you for the reply :)

[@andydunn5673]

Have you ever tried metal casks ?

[@iggigrinner]

Thanks

[@benny1161]

Did you need to prime the beer at all ?

[@HomebrewGriffo]

No I didn't prime this at all, just let whatever was left to condition the beer at fridge temp. Cheers

[@SafferBrew]

Top job bud!!

[@goodolboysbrewery125]

Dam i wanna beer engine now their proper dear hear in aussie

[@matswilliams1058]

Hreat video! Cheers!!

[@AndrewLynch9]

How much was it to set this up?

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Not much, links to all the kit is in the description. Hand pulls can be found on ebay etc.

[@mrbigpip]

Where u get your a gram tap from mate,

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Hey Pip, you can buy direct from angram but there are loads on eBay and the like! Cheers

[@mrbigpip]

Homebrew Griffo is it gong well, seems really good, the bags seem cheap enough to just bin, also cask conditions without fridge if your in garage, cellar act, seems good (in uk of course) Any negatives.

[@HomebrewGriffo]

This is the second beer i've had on it (had to make sure I was happy with the setup before sharing) and there's no negatives so far! Cheers

[@mrbigpip]

Homebrew Griffo great setup I will therefore be using it as template, many thanks for this. It’s actually not even that costly. That’s for the links, I also need to run my cold water pipe and drainage like that, really nice idea and keeps the chiller out the way for late hops.

[@emmaviv1]

lets hear the story of the massively broken nose mate....

[@HomebrewGriffo]

Haha no story as such, I can't even pin point a specific episode that it was acquired but what I do know is, it was during a time of boxing, karate and a generally miss spent youth lol