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Recommended Pumps for Moving Barrel-Aged Beer

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  • Recommended Pumps for Moving Barrel-Aged Beer

    Trying to determine what type of pump I need for moving beer out of oak barrels. Other than drilling bung holes and gravity feeding the barrels into a grant, anyone have any opinions regarding what type of pumps are best for moving out of oak in as sanitary a way as possible?

  • #2
    Why not use something like Rack-It-Teer?




    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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    • #3
      ALOT CHEEPER
      Bulldog Barrel Transfer Tube The Bulldog is a great tool to remove wine, beer and other beverages from a wood barrel without using a pump. Simply insert the Bulldog into the bunghole of your barrel and twist the nut on the tapered bung to seal it tight. Then, open the ¼” ball valve to allow an inert gas to flow into the barrel. As the barrel pressurizes slightly the beverage will beginning flowing up the pipe and out of the barrel. A very gentle ride for your creation. Made of 304L stainless steel with sanitary welds. Empty your barrels without air exposure or electric pumps.

      To start the flow then use your CIP pump, preferably with VFD.
      Last edited by Ted Briggs; 05-18-2015, 07:43 AM.
      Brewmaster, Minocqua Brewing Company
      tbriggs@minocquabrewingcompany.com
      "Your results may vary"

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      • #4
        We use a racking cane like the ones listed above and instead of using CO2 pressure to move the beer we prefer using a diaphragm pump, flojet specifically. The CO2 only method will slow down as you move more and more beer in to the bright tank due to a build up of hydrostatic pressure. So if you're doing more than a few barrels in to the same tank I would definitely recommend the flojet. If you're doing more than a few bbls, like say 40bbl message me and I'll give you a more detailed run down of our process.

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        • #5
          We used to use a GW Bulldog but we had a lot of clogging issues with fresh bourbon barrels full of oak chips, plus someone would have to hold it in place the whole time or the seal would pop right off.
          We recently invested in a Rack-it-teer and it's about a million times better. All stainless, no brass fittings, a piece at the bottom that keeps chips from getting in, and the bung seal has teeth that keep it from popping off

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Randy.Cockerell View Post
            We use a racking cane like the ones listed above and instead of using CO2 pressure to move the beer we prefer using a diaphragm pump, flojet specifically. The CO2 only method will slow down as you move more and more beer in to the bright tank due to a build up of hydrostatic pressure. So if you're doing more than a few barrels in to the same tank I would definitely recommend the flojet. If you're doing more than a few bbls, like say 40bbl message me and I'll give you a more detailed run down of our process.
            Randy, what size Flojet pump do you use? Do you use a significantly larger/more powerful pump if it's a large amount like your 40bbl example?

            Thanks,

            - Austin

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            • #7
              Anyone ever use this? Can't seem to find any reference to it. Appears to be a different brand then the GW Kent model...


              Bulldog Mfg. makes a gas pressure racking wand called the Bulldog Pup Racking Wand to transfer wine to and from oak wine barrels.

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              • #8
                Curious if anyone has used the Bulldog Pup mentioned above as well?

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                • #9
                  We use the GW Kent Bulldog and have had good results and all of the parts are stainless. We have run into the hydrostatic issue that Randy was talking about when we were doing more than 2-4 oak barrels. Randy, can you pm me with your method for large transfers?

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                  • #10
                    Used to transfer 30+ barrells to a brite tank a few times a month. Used a racking cane, and a air operated double diaphragm pump. We used a wilden, but that is the same as the flo-jet. Nice option because it is self priming, and is gentle on the beer (zero shear), and acts as a one way valve (you can pump straight into a brite tank under pressure without fear of backflow). Downside is that compressed air is EXTREMELY expensive (less than 15% efficient).

                    Other decent options would be a liquid ring pump with a VFD, or a flexible impeller pump with a VFD. Both are self priming, and are low shear, but the liquid ring pump will allow reverse flow when off. Nice part about the flex impeller is that it can be used in reverse, which makes cleaning and sanitizing SO much easier than the AODD pump.

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