General Considerations
- The volume of sediment in casks should be monitored to allow the maximum amount of beer to be dispensed. If the amount or volume of sediment is abnormally high, it may be pulled into the tap.
- The sediment should remain at the bottom of the cask throughout dispense.
- Sediment from one cask should not in any way be transferred to another cask.
Range of Values
The residual volume of beer in casks should be as little as possible. This is achieved by ensuring that the sediment is compact.
Operational Protocols
- The number of cask movements after fining should be minimised.
- The amount of beer retained with the sediment depends on cask construction and on stillaging and tilting procedures.
Measurement Protocols
- Compactness of sediments can be measured using ‘glass-ender’ casks. Alternatively an Imhoff Cone can be used. Inspection containers should be illuminated in a consistant manner and terms to describe the precipitate agreed and, if possible, reference photographs provided
- Glass-ended casks should he rolled and resettled several times, clarity and the appearance of the bottoms are recorded each tune.
- Periodically casks of each size should be slillaged, stooped, stood and run-off via the tap to the last saleable pint. The residue is then measured. Settling the residue in a cylinder at 15° C (59° F) or below allows an assessment of the amount of liquid and solid present in the cask bottoms.
