Advice on keg insulators

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

cayergeau

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2011
Messages
61
Reaction score
0
Location
Bedford
I have a 5 gallon Sanke keg that I'm looking to be able to insulate. Right now, I'm looking at these two.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/5-gallon-keg-sleeve-ice-blanket-bundle.html

http://www.kegworks.com/kegworks-keg-beer-insulator-5-gallon-size-417-p172425

I like the fact that they have the ice blanket inside, since I don't have a kegerator, nor do I have room in my fridge to put the keg to cool down, and I think that the ice blanket would help to bring the keg down to a good temp before I bring it out, and the fact that it can apparently keep an already cold keg cold for 24 hours makes me think that it can chill mine from room temp and keep it cold for at least long enough for a party. What are other people's thoughts on these, whether reviews or any mistakes in my thought process that I've made?
 
You will not be able to cool down a room temperature keg with this ice blanket and insulator combination. It is really designed for kegs that are already cold (as you already know). If the keg is full and cold, it has a very large thermal mass. It would take several hours for it to get warm even without any insulation at all. Add the thermal blanket and you could get several more hours. Add the ice blanket on top of that and you have a great "chill preserving" system.

However, if the keg is warm, the thermal mass is still huge, only it's not working in your favor. You would melt the ice blanket in short order and probably not chill the keg down appreciably. The amount of ice in that ice blanket is probably equivalent to 5 or 6 pounds of ice - not anywhere near what you would need to chill a warm keg. If there is some way that you can chill the keg like maybe some creative food storage and shelf removal on your fridge for even an overnight chill, you will be golden.
 
In the meantime, I have it sitting in my basement at home, which will hopefully bring it down a bit, then I plan on buying some ice tomorrow to let it chill.

Do you know what the ice pack is filled with? I think that there are certain things that can absorb more heat than just ice, which may or may not help with that predicament, however I do realize that nothing can replace letting the keg sit in a fridge to cool down.

Also, do you know for a fact that these will not fit on a sanke? If its just something that either zips up over the outside or slides up and over, wouldnt that be kind of universal aside from the slight difference in sanke and corny keg diameter? Either way, I wrote to the Kegworks company to ask them that, and hope to hear back soon.
 
KegLove makes sleeves for many different size kegs. The ice blanket is filled with a blue gel. I would assume that is the same material that all the ice pack companies are using. According to their website, it freezes at 23 and melts at 41. http://www.keglove.com/index.php

I have one for my cornies and use it in the backyard for our cook-outs...works great!
 
Back
Top