What makes a keg different from a cask?
Commonly used for transporting, storing, and serving beer, cider, and other beverages are kegs and casks.
Read More: 5l beer keg
Although wooden barrels were sometimes used, stainless steel versions of all brewing vessels are now far more common. While kegs are often straighter with a single opening valve and an extractor or spear running through the middle, casks are curved to aid in any sediment settling at the bottom. Usually, rolling rings are included to facilitate mobility.
Though there has been some disagreement on whether beers in casks or kegs are superior, most people now concur that they are just different and that both kinds of containers serve valuable functions.
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What is a cask?
Since they have been around for hundreds of years, casks are often used to store “flat,” or non-pressurized, beverages.
Traditionally, cask beer is put “live” to the container and undergoes a second fermentation while the yeast ages inside the barrel. Once opened, this kind of product typically requires 24 hours to “condition,” and as it is new, it should be utilized within 3 days.
Because the carbonation in cask beers is a natural by-product of the fermentation process, no additional gas is introduced while serving. Additionally, they are often meant to be eaten at a temperature of 11 to 13 degrees Celsius, which is higher than goods from kegs.
Port, wine, brandy, and whiskey can all be stored in different barrels. But unlike beer barrels, these are often made of wood and are not the same size.
Most of the barrels that Close Brothers rents out are 464mm or 484mm 9 gallons, which are also referred to as firkin or 72 pints.
What does a keg entail?
Kegs, on the other hand, have been around since the 1960s; their purpose was to offer a more uniform quality of dispensing and a longer shelf life. Kegs are often used to store beer that is fully ready to drink once it has finished fermenting in the brewery.
Kegs are commonly used to store pressurized beverages, such beer that fizzles. To eliminate any remaining yeast and extend the shelf life, these beers are almost usually pasteurized and filtered. In order to reduce oxygen interaction and extend the shelf life of the product, they are maintained under pressure in an airtight container. Normally, the beverage can be consumed as soon as the lid is opened.
Keg beer needs food-grade CO2 to carbonate the beverage, which is commonly supplied by your neighborhood bar. Keg beer is normally served cold, between three and eight degrees Celsius. You may probably expect any draught beer you order to be pumped up from a keg using electric and gas pumps to provide velocity.
Soft drinks, wine, cocktails, and even coffee can be stored in kegs.
Most of the kegs that Close Brothers rents out are 30 or 50 liters, or 52 and ¾ pints and 88 pints, respectively, and may be equipped with a variety of extractors.
Ekegs and casks
For both kegs and barrels, Close Brothers provides a specialized “fill and forget” service.
Our “easy” keg (ekeg) and “easy” cask (ecask) services make it easier for companies to do business with wholesalers. When your containers are empty, we’ll pick them up; you deliver the filled ones, let us know where they’ve been transported.
Our rental solution, which offers a large assortment of ecasks and ekegs, may help your company increase productivity, save expenses, and lower risks related to managing a fleet of containers.
