What distinguishes a cask from a keg?
Kegs and casks are frequently used for carrying, storing, and serving beer, cider, and other drinks.
All brewing vessels are now far more commonly made of stainless steel, however wooden barrels were occasionally utilized. While casks are curved to help any sediment settle at the bottom, kegs are typically straighter, with a single opening valve and an extractor or spear running through the middle. Rolling rings are typically added to aid in mobility.
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While opinions on whether beers in casks or kegs are better have occasionally differed, most people now accept that both types of containers have useful purposes and are just different.
What is a barrel?
Since casks have been around for hundreds of years, “flat,” or non-pressurized, liquids are frequently stored in them.
Cask beer is typically added “live” to the container, where it ferments again as the yeast ages inside the barrel. This type of product needs around 24 hours to “condition” when it is opened, and as it is brand-new, it should be used within 3 days.
No additional gas is added while serving because the carbonation in cask beers is a natural by-product of the fermentation process. Moreover, they are frequently intended for consumption at a temperature between 11 and 13 degrees Celsius, which is greater than that of keg items.
Barrels can be used to hold whiskey, port, wine, and brandy. However, these are not the same size as beer barrels and are frequently made of wood.
Close Brothers rents out most of its barrels in 464mm or 484mm 9 gallons, which are also known as firkin or 72 pints.
What is included in a keg?
Kegs, on the other hand, were introduced in the 1960s with the intention of providing a longer shelf life and a more consistent quality of dispensing. After the beer at the brewery has finished fermenting, it is frequently stored in kegs until it is ready to drink.
Pressurized liquids, like fizzing beer, are frequently kept in kegs. These beers are virtually always filtered and pasteurized to remove any residual yeast and increase the shelf life. They are stored under pressure in an airtight container to lessen oxygen interaction and increase the product’s shelf life. Usually, as soon as the lid is opened, the beverage can be drunk.
Food-grade CO2 is required to carbonate keg beer, and your local pub is likely to supply it. Typically, keg beer is served cold, typically between three to eight degrees Celsius. Any draught beer you order will most likely be pumped up from a keg using gas and electric pumps to produce velocity.
Kegs can be used to hold soft drinks, wine, cocktails, and even coffee.
Close Brothers rents out most of their kegs in sizes of 30 or 50 liters, or 52 and ¾ pints and 88 pints, respectively, and can have a range of extractors installed.
Casks and kegs
Close Brothers offers a specific “fill and forget” service for barrels as well as kegs.
Our “easy” keg (ekeg) and “easy” cask (ecask) services facilitate commercial relationships between enterprises and distributors. We will collect your empty containers; you will deliver the filled ones and notify us of their destination.
With our wide selection of ecasks and ekegs available for hire, your business may be able to reduce hazards associated with fleet management, boost productivity, and save costs.