Party Pig vs. Tap-a-Draft

I saw a party pig for $20 but my lhbs sells the tap-a-draft system (w/out plastic bottles and told me I could use my own bottles?). So, anyone used both? Which one is better?

My lhbs doesn't sell party pigs b/c he says they suck but I have heard otherwise here.

The tap-a-draft seems like it doesn't keep long, about 6 weeks after adding beer. But if it takes two weeks to carbonate then that is only 4 weeks to drink which isn't bad for 1 bottle, but definitely not half my batch. Is it possible to keep it in the bottle longer as long as you don't tap it? I like the idea of the tap-a-draft especially if I could keep it in my basement for months until I wanted to start drinking.

TheH2 said:

I saw a party pig for $20 but my lhbs sells the tap-a-draft system (w/out plastic bottles and told me I could use my own bottles?). So, anyone used both? Which one is better?

My lhbs doesn't sell party pigs b/c he says they suck but I have heard otherwise here.

The tap-a-draft seems like it doesn't keep long, about 6 weeks after adding beer. But if it takes two weeks to carbonate then that is only 4 weeks to drink which isn't bad for 1 bottle, but definitely not half my batch. Is it possible to keep it in the bottle longer as long as you don't tap it? I like the idea of the tap-a-draft especially if I could keep it in my basement for months until I wanted to start drinking.

Click to expand...

Party pigs are nice, but you gotta buy one of those $5 pouches every time you use the damn thing. And the system is usually $50 each. The CO2 cartridges for the tap-a-draft are only $1.40 to $2.10 to push out a 6L bottle. I haven't used the system myself, but I've looked at several reviews. Most people say it performs well. A few have complained of leaks at the bottle threads when tapped, but this can be remedied by teflon tape.

So far as how long the beer will last, in the PET bottle it should last six months or so as long as you make sure it's kept in a dark place. It should last 4 weeks or so once you hook it up to the tap.

TheH2 said:

(w/out plastic bottles and told me I could use my own bottles?).

Click to expand...

If your in a part of the country where soft drinks are sold in three liter bottles you could use those, they have a wider mouth than two liter bottles and would probably fit the tap-a-draft. I think thay also make a adapter to use the metal minikegs with a tap-a-draft.

I've heard people complain about how slow the beer comes out on TAD's. The TAD probably can probably last longer than 4-6 weeks. I believe the carbonation leaks out and you'll go through more co2 sparklettes to store it. The other bottles if untapped can last a year if stored properly. Cool and in the dark.

I have heard nothing but praise on the party pigs. The only common thing people have complained about has to do with the cost of the pouches.

I know somebody posted photos with a party and a co2 attachment. The drilled a hole and mounted a chrome valve and a portable tire inflator.


I never heard back from them on this. I may have to search for it in here.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=25831&highlight=Pigs

I have a party pig but have yet to use it. I will be using it shortly. My HB Club likes the party pig.

Thanks for the replies. I just found out that I can use mini-kegs with the tap-a-draft system. So, off to the store to buy a full one (apparently anything but Heineken as it is a different system) and drink away. No sense buying an empty one for almost $10 when I can buy a full one for $20.

I think I can handle 24 bottles as opposed to 46 to 48. A few more 22oz. bottles and bottling day will be a breeze.

So you fill and carbonate a TAD system the same way you would a keg? And the TAD system fits mini-kegs?

This might be a quick cheaper alternative then buying a bunch of keg equipment at the time being.

I have to wonder why people decide to go with a TAP or pig.

expensive for something made of plastic

$5 for each pouch and I need two pigs for a batch(i think) way to much extra cost for a batch

tad will leak carbonation so it limits how long i can store it with out waste kinda crazy if i want to age a little

IMO bottle some more batches and save up for real kegging equipment your going to want to eventually anyways

But I guess those that have serious space issues may have a case for one.

I think its my lazyness, I drink it fast enough to consume in 1 1/2 months. I dont with the holidays have money to buy all the kegging equipment. And I absolutely am tired of bottling.

But if its not all its cracked up to be I will take your advice!

I'm building 2 of these with my next paycheck:

http://home.swbell.net/bufkin/cheap_3_liter_kegs.htm

Should be a pretty cheap alternative

+1 on the lazyness I want to keg so bad but I weighed the options and an going to "suffer" though some more bottling sessions. Acually Im like a little kid on bottling day so no big deal.

Alamo_Beer said:

I'm building 2 of these with my next paycheck:

http://home.swbell.net/bufkin/cheap_3_liter_kegs.htm

Should be a pretty cheap alternative

Click to expand...

Isnt he filling the bottle from an already carbed keg? You could bottle as normal in the 2 or 3 liter bottle like he shows and just not extend the tube all the way down.

Yes he is bottling from his keg but I'm planning on using it like the tap a draft or party pig and priming like normal then bottle into the 3 liter bottles. Thats only 6 bottles to fill! I can deffinatly live with that!

Then I'll just put the "special" cap on when I'm ready to dispence and keep it in the fridge. I've got an IPA that needs to be bottled and I'm hoping I can do the 3L thing with that beer here shortly. I'll let you know how it works out, though it'll probubly be in a few weeks.

I won a party pig at a recent local HB Comp and I was a bit surprised by the quality. Had I spent 40 bucks (plus the pump and filling stand cost) I would be upset. The parts are thin plastic, and the bottle itself has that "god if I drop this the wrong way..." feel to it. However, the refill bags are cheaper here then the 5 bucks I've seen posted, so in that regard I believe the upkeep cost to not be as big of a factor as other posters have mentioned.

As for functionality, I'm pretty impressed with the pig. It worked exactly how it was intended and the logic behind it seems sound enough. I personally keg and plan to use the pig for outings and music festivals that don't allow kegs. The quality I mentioned above is less of an issue for me. Its not like a piece of sporting equipment that wears out of time, if kept well I'm sure I'll be using the pig for several years. I'll ask around the brew club and see if anyone has owned each and give me an honest opinion I can pass on.

Don't have experience with TAD but do have a couple pigs.
The pigs are kind of expensive for what you get and the pouches are more costly than caps but they are easier to fill and store well.
The pigs are also brown vs the clear TAP bottles which is an improvement.
I got the cooler from the website which allows me to take a pig to partys and keep it cool without a fridge.
The Pig does not leak and will keep beer indefinitely even after taping. I had some wit that I started drinking on vacation in July. It sat in my basement for a couple months, then I finally put it in a fridge and finished it in October. The beer was probably better in October than July.
vs kegging - It cost less to get started especially if you consider the need for another fridge. The Pig fits in my fridge.
It is easily portable and with the cooler it is very easy to use at a party.
However when it is drained quickly or it is very cold the beer runs very slow. It seems the internal bag does not recover fast enough.
Craig

OK I had to follow up on this. As mentioned the pig was easy to fill and use, but I finally used it to serve beer for the first time this weekend. At first, it seemed to work well, low head, nice pours, but when I got down to about 33% I started getting a ton of foam. I found that tilting the pig slightly helped out a bunch, but it was still sucking air in with the beer, thus giving huge heads. Please keep in mind this was my first outing so the bag might have not seated as its supposed to, but at this point, I'm gonna have to give the pig a thumbs down. I'll repost if my second run works better.

Ok, So my roommate and myself tried the party pig for the first time because bottling is really a drag! We ran into a slight problem. I have been searching for somebody to have the same problem that we ran into but it doesn't seem like anyone has. So here's the problem:
We went through the whole process correctly, (we double checked everything) and we let the beer sit in the party pig for about 3 weeks. He brewed a double pale ale. There was good carbonation on the first pour. I tried it the following day, and the carbonation was almost gone. We are still having the same problem about a week and a half later. We haven't tried to tap into the second party pig yet since we got two. I was wondering if anybody has had this problem or could offer some advice. I'm brewing a porter right now and do not want to run into the same problem. It's almost like 2 gallons of beer are wasted! It makes me want to cry when i think about it. The seal is intact by the way, we double checked that and there is still a good amount of pressure in the bottle. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Greg

The TAD is so incredibly easy to use I really can't complain. But, if I was to complain, this would be it:

1. The big blue bottles can't stand up because of the rounded bottom, unlike any other PET bottle, so filling them is quite annoying. It's also best to stand them up during conditioning so they don't leak. What a stupid design.

2. You can find 8 gram CO2 cartridges very cheap on eBay, but shipping is a bit high. Unfortunately I can't find any store that has them, so if I run out, I'm stuck.

But, on the plus side:

It keeps your stuff carbed consistently. So, if you primed it and it didn't work out so well, you can tap the thing and the next day, you will have nicely carbed beer. If it seems a little too carbed, you can use it with just one CO2 cartridge and it seems to lighten it up a bit.

Overall, I think it's worth it. Just buy a 96 pack of CO2 cartridges on eBay and you'll be okay for awhile.

Hate to bring this one back alive, but I just got offered TWO of the Party Pigs for only $30. So far I don't have room for full size kegs, so was thinking these may be a good idea. I'm tired of filling so many bottles every time.

jflongo said:

Hate to bring this one back alive, but I just got offered TWO of the Party Pigs for only $30. So far I don't have room for full size kegs, so was thinking these may be a good idea. I'm tired of filling so many bottles every time.

Click to expand...

Jflongo,
How do you like them?

Jason72 said:

Jflongo,
How do you like them?

Click to expand...

So far, I can't tell you

It was quite easy to fill and put together once I knew how. I have not dispensed beer out of it yet. I just filled it 2 1/2 weeks ago with my Oatmeal Stout. I'm getting ready to try a bottle of that today or tomorrow. If it's carbonated well, then I'll bust out the Mr Pig on St Patty's day and try it. I'll let you know then.