Pic(k) of the Week: Priming casks (cellarman couture)

Brewer's Alley is a brewpub in Frederick, Maryland, USA. In February 2004, Tom Flores, brewmaster there invited YFGF's Thomas Cizauskas to the brewery to add priming gyle* to freshly-racked firkins.

Four observations:

• Now, that's a blast from the past.
• Now, that's some high hair.
• Now, that's some cellarman couture.
• That's a photo of me, from back in the day. I'm Thomas Cizauskas.

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• * When an ale has finished its fermentation, most of its CO2 will have vented off. The well-dressed cellarman will rack (transfer) this 'flat' ale into a firkin (10.8 U.S.-gallon cask). To this, he will add about a half-liter of freshly fermenting wort (pictured) —from a new gyle (batch) at high krausen (maximum yeast reproduction just before it begins to vigorously ferment). He may also add finings —clarifying agents— now or at a later time. Over the course of a few days, the resulting fermentation will produce about 1.2 to 1.4 volumes of CO2: just enough for an appropriately pleasant sparkle
• I've been told that this photo has been used by a well-known American brewing school for its class on brewing and preparing cask-conditioned ales. No need to have form suffer from function.


• Pic(k) of the Week: one in a weekly series of photos taken (or noted) by me, posted on Saturdays, and often, but not always, with a good fermentable as the subject.
• See the photo on Flickr: here.
• Commercial reproduction requires explicit permission, as per Creative Commons.


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