Sugar wash for co2 during zombie apocolypse.

[BruceH]

So I have a lot of time to think about things and I like to think ahead. One of the things is "how to push carbonated beer out of a keg without a co2 tank".

Thoughts so far have been a bicycle pump connected to a ball lock connector, a ball lock hand pump ala how kegs were pressurized way back when I was a lad (ordered one from AIH) and fermenting a gallon or so of sugar wash in a spare keg.

The sugar wash keg would be allowed to pressurize up to the poppet value and would be hooked up to the beer keg only when using the beer tap.

Any thoughts besides how many paper products, non-perishable food, etc. I have on hand?

 

[eanema]

This thread is perfect.

Ok, so my though is during the zombie Apocalypse I would unfortunately probably switch back to bottle conditioning... But if I were trying keg and force carbonate my first thought is that there would be hundreds of easily accessible CO2 tanks you could scavenge from bars/fast food etc. And if course to make things difficult let's assume they are empty. My idea is to fill the CO2 tanks with CO2 collected and compressed from either sugar wash, or maybe from a compost heap? Might make it taste nasty... problem with sugar wash is that sugar may not be super available or maybe not want to waste it on carbing beer

I would jury rig an oilless air compressor to occasionally pump the CO2 from the wash into the CO2 tank. You won't get anywhere near the pressure as a tank filled with liquified CO2 but it'd probably pour a bunch of beers if you have a big enough CO2 tank...

So carbonate in the keg by spunding at what ever temp/pressure gives you the correct vols, so your beer is ready to chill and serve!

My second though would be to make a keg with a plastic bladder. Fill the keg/bladder with carbonated beer, purge all air, then pressurize the space between the bladder and the keg. Now you can serve with compressed air! You could probably make the bladder out of thick polyethylene like vapour barrier? Or you could fill a balloon with CO2 and displace the beer in the keg with that...

 

[BruceH]

This thread is perfect.

My second though would be to make a keg with a plastic bladder. Fill the keg/bladder with carbonated beer, purge all air, then pressurize the space between the bladder and the keg. Now you can serve with compressed air! You could probably make the bladder out of thick polyethylene like vapour barrier? Or you could fill a balloon with CO2 and displace the beer in the keg with that...

This is doable. Attach the bladder to the gas in and pump air into it without oxidizing the beer. I'm thinking 300 gram weather balloon.

I was kegging today and the beer tasted good right from the fermentor. I transfer at about 1.012-14 for spunding purposes. The lager will have a FG of 1.007-8 so it wasn't completely fermented. It was nicely carbonated and besides being cloudy and a little yeasty it was delicious. I suppose this is how ale was served 1000 years ago.

 

[eanema]

Yup, in days gone by, carbonation was not a thing. Just flat warm beer. Mmmmm beer. Now that we k ow about such things, beer will never be the same without a good head!

 

[BruceH]

Last ditch way to get carbonated beer out of a ball lock corny. Hope I never have to use it but glad I have it just in case.