Crash bang wallop

[bungeejumper]

Hark, the merry sound of delivery drivers chucking aluminium kegs from a height of six feet onto an unforgiving pavement. Where they were landing with the kind of force that might easily be expected to break the paving slabs.

I was dumbfounded enough to ask the men whether the kegs were empty or full, and they said full. (They certainly sounded full. And I imagine that empty kegs would have bounced?) So look, I know I've had a sheltered life, but how common is it to just sheer-drop kegs from this sort of height? And do the barrels stand it? And how long would it take a live beer to recover from the trauma before you could serve it?

"Live" would probably be stretching probability, mind you. This was a Wetherspoons.

BJ

[didds]

Brewery deliveries I usually witness have a sort of stuffed sack CF a large pillow that the firkins etc get "dropped" onto from the lorry to pavement...

FWTW!
didds

[jfgw]

And how long would it take a live beer to recover from the trauma before you could serve it?

Cask beer needs to be shaken before it is stillaged in order to mix the finings in with the beer so that it settles faster. This will happen on the dray anyway, an extra six-foot drop won't make any difference.

Julian F. G. W.

[Itsallaguess]

Brewery deliveries I usually witness have a sort of stuffed sack CF a large pillow that the firkins etc get "dropped" onto from the lorry to pavement...

I think they're called 'Dray Pads' -

https://www.google.com/search?&tbm=isch ... k+dray+pad

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[jfgw]

I would expect 'spoons to get at least some of their cask beers in 18 gallon kilderkins. A rough calculation gives about 95kg when full. Firkins (9 gallon) would be about 50kg and 50-litre kegs about 60kg. A 28lb sledge hammer is about 12.7kg but is much more solid.

Plastic firkins are a little lighter but break more easily.

I do not know how impact-resistant paving slabs are.

Julian F. G. W.

[AleisterCrowley]

Yes, I've seen draymen using cushions and cellar ramps
The empties get a right battering though, and I think they're worth a bit as scrap so get nicked

[Rhyd6]

The empties when cut in half lengthways make excellent barbeques

R6

[JMN2]

Yes, I've seen draymen using cushions and cellar ramps
The empties get a right battering though, and I think they're worth a bit as scrap so get nicked

The old aluminium ones had more scrap value, easy to melt, which was the reason together with some cleaning chemicals reacting with them) that they don't exist anymore. Modern stainless steel ones cost about £50 and the brewery colour coding makes them unattractive for dodgy breweries.

[AleisterCrowley]

Are they all steel now then ? I was going to say ref post above I wouldn't fancy using aluminium half-kegs as a barbecue.
Better than magnesium I guess...

[JMN2]

Are they all steel now then ? I was going to say ref post above I wouldn't fancy using aluminium half-kegs as a barbecue.
Better than magnesium I guess...

I think they are, cleaning stuff is mostly caustic now so it reacted with aluminium and the casks needed to be lined with epoxy resin or some such so why anyone would still use them if they don't have to. Plastic is becoming popular but they can be very bouncy and banging in the shive can be difficult, especially for smaller pins.

[jfgw]

Are they all steel now then ? I was going to say ref post above I wouldn't fancy using aluminium half-kegs as a barbecue.
Better than magnesium I guess...

I wouldn't recommend using a plastic one as a barbecue either

These kegs and casks belong to the brewery. If you nick one, don't mention it on a public discussion board If you try to sell one on ebay, expect Kegwatch to launch a full investigation,

https://www.kegwatch.co.uk/ .


Julian F. G. W.

[AleisterCrowley]

These kegs and casks belong to the brewery. If you nick one, don't mention it on a public discussion board If you try to sell one on ebay, expect Kegwatch to launch a full investigation,
https://www.kegwatch.co.uk/ .

Base in Kegworth I assume.

[BrummieDave]

As well as dray pads and ramps, I remember seeing dray men using straps to gently roll casks into cellars many years ago.

And I wouldn't know 'Spoons for the quality of their beer - they tend to offer a good selection, reasonably well managed, competitively priced, and there's lots of places far worse IMHO

[Rhyd6]

We were given a damaged steel keg, not pinched I assure you! Our grandson helps out at a friend's micro brewery and was given a couple of damaged kegs so hence the barbie. It works very well, especially if you have a full keg of Hafod Ale to accompany the foodstuffs

R6

[jfgw]

As well as dray pads and ramps, I remember seeing dray men using straps to gently roll casks into cellars many years ago.

And I wouldn't know 'Spoons for the quality of their beer - they tend to offer a good selection, reasonably well managed, competitively priced, and there's lots of places far worse IMHO

I fully agree. While they may not be the best, their beers certainly ain't bad. They could make some improvements to some of their toilets, however.

Julian F. G. W.

[JMN2]

Some 'Spoons are better than others, apparently depends a lot on if the manager understands cask ale and is willing to make an effort. Oxted is rubbish, Epsom is meh, Durham is very good (beer, that is, not the customers...). Having a good cool cellar helps a lot too.

[Hallucigenia]

It makes quite a difference whether the beer is being delivered by the brewery itself or (more likely with Spoons) a third party. Funnily enough, breweries tend to look after their property more carefully.....