Stillage
Encyclopedia
A stillage is like a pallet
or skid but with a cage or sides or some form of support specifically tailored to the material it is intended to carry. Some are designed to be stackable.
Stillages are mainly used to transport goods without the need to load and unload the product being carried, which saves time and decreases the chance of damage. An example is the use of stillages in the glass industry, where they are shaped like an upright "A"; the glass leans inward and is strapped to the stillage ready for transport.
A stillage is any device on which a cask
of ale
is placed for service.
Unlike keg
s, which can be simply stood upright on the floor, casks are used lying on their sides. This allows the beer to run from the tap under gravity, with room in the "belly" of the cask below the outlet for the finings
to collect. The shive
with the spile
will then be the highest point on the cask. As the beer clears (see finings
), the inside of the cask becomes coated with sediment. It is important that the stillage holds the cask absolutely still with no rocking or shaking, otherwise the sediment will be shaken into suspension and the beer will be cloudy.
A stillage need not be complicated - anything that will support a cask (preferably on three points to avoid any wobbling) will do. At temporary events, sturdy tables or frames made of scaffolding
and planks might be used, with the casks placed on wooden wedges (two at the front, one at the back). At the other end of the scale, many pub cellars use specially-made steel racking, often with two rows of casks one above the other. Some pubs have brick or stone stillages, sometimes quite ancient, built into the wall of the cellar.
As the cask empties, it needs to be gently tilted to obtain the last of the beer. With wooden wedges, moving the rear wedge forward will achieve this; purpose-built metal units often have springs incorporated that automatically tilt the cask as it becomes lighter. This requires less effort from bar staff, and also helps beer quality - the lift is so smooth and gradual that there is no danger of stirring up the lees
and making the beer cloudy.
Pallet
A pallet , sometimes called a skid, is a flat transport structure that supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, pallet jack, front loader or other jacking device. A pallet is the structural foundation of a unit load which allows handling and storage efficiencies...
or skid but with a cage or sides or some form of support specifically tailored to the material it is intended to carry. Some are designed to be stackable.
Stillages are mainly used to transport goods without the need to load and unload the product being carried, which saves time and decreases the chance of damage. An example is the use of stillages in the glass industry, where they are shaped like an upright "A"; the glass leans inward and is strapped to the stillage ready for transport.
Beverage/alcohol industry
CASK
Peripheral plasma membrane protein CASK is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CASK gene. This gene is also known by several other names: CMG 2 , calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine protein kinase 3 and membrane-associated guanylate kinase 2.-Genomics:This gene is located on the short arm of...
of ale
Cask ale
Cask ale or cask-conditioned beer is the term for unfiltered and unpasteurised beer which is conditioned and served from a cask without additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure...
is placed for service.
Unlike keg
Keg
A keg is a small barrel.Traditionally, a wooden keg is made by a cooper used to transport items such as nails, gunpowder., and a variety of liquids....
s, which can be simply stood upright on the floor, casks are used lying on their sides. This allows the beer to run from the tap under gravity, with room in the "belly" of the cask below the outlet for the finings
Finings
FiningsThe term is a mass noun rather than a plural. are substances that are usually added at or near the completion of the processing of brewing wine, beer and various nonalcoholic juice beverages. Their purpose is for removal of organic compounds; to either improve clarity or adjust flavor/aroma...
to collect. The shive
Shive
A shive is a wooden or plastic fitting used in ale casks. It is found on the curved side of the cask, arranged so that when the cask is on its side and the keystone is at the lowest part of the rim, the shive will be the highest point of the cask....
with the spile
Spile
A spile is a small wooden peg used to control the flow of air into, and carbon dioxide out of, a cask of ale.Cask ale is served without externally-supplied carbon dioxide or nitrogen...
will then be the highest point on the cask. As the beer clears (see finings
Finings
FiningsThe term is a mass noun rather than a plural. are substances that are usually added at or near the completion of the processing of brewing wine, beer and various nonalcoholic juice beverages. Their purpose is for removal of organic compounds; to either improve clarity or adjust flavor/aroma...
), the inside of the cask becomes coated with sediment. It is important that the stillage holds the cask absolutely still with no rocking or shaking, otherwise the sediment will be shaken into suspension and the beer will be cloudy.
A stillage need not be complicated - anything that will support a cask (preferably on three points to avoid any wobbling) will do. At temporary events, sturdy tables or frames made of scaffolding
Scaffolding
Scaffolding is a temporary structure used to support people and material in the construction or repair of buildings and other large structures. It is usually a modular system of metal pipes or tubes, although it can be from other materials...
and planks might be used, with the casks placed on wooden wedges (two at the front, one at the back). At the other end of the scale, many pub cellars use specially-made steel racking, often with two rows of casks one above the other. Some pubs have brick or stone stillages, sometimes quite ancient, built into the wall of the cellar.
As the cask empties, it needs to be gently tilted to obtain the last of the beer. With wooden wedges, moving the rear wedge forward will achieve this; purpose-built metal units often have springs incorporated that automatically tilt the cask as it becomes lighter. This requires less effort from bar staff, and also helps beer quality - the lift is so smooth and gradual that there is no danger of stirring up the lees
Lees (fermentation)
Lees refers to deposits of dead yeast or residual yeast and other particles that precipitate, or are carried by the action of "fining", to the bottom of a vat of wine after fermentation and ageing. The yeast deposits in beer brewing are known as trub...
and making the beer cloudy.