party pig?

I hate bottling and do not have room for a fridge with cornelius kegs. Anyone tried the party pig?

Heard great things about them, some brew pubs actually sell beer in them... they are a good bet

I have one.....it works pretty well, though I only used it a few times and moved up into kegging. One problem I had was that the hand pump would not pressurize the "pig" enough to pop the pressurizing packet. If you can't create pressure, the system won't dispense and you're screwed. I actually primed my beer and let it sit for a week, and that created enough pressure to pop the package instead of the pump. If you make sure you get a good seal, and screw the clamps down, it works fine.

I bought a pig last month and love it. I don't have the space to keg and this little pig saves a lot of time when bottling. As for popping the pressure pouch, I had to put the rubber pump on the floor and pump it with my foot. It actually tells you this in the included directions. If you are restricted by space I think the pig is a great idea. SWMBO even likes it because of how cool it looks. I like it because I only have to sanitize and put 1 lid on it- a big time saver. I am going to get a couple more and have 3 beers on tap at once- the pig holds about a case, and I usually bottle the other half.

bobida said:

...the pig holds about a case, and I usually bottle the other half.

Click to expand...

I had no idea they were that big.

Thanks for the input guys. I think I'm gonna buy one for now and if I like it , buy 3 more so I can have two batches on tap. Mike

As a fellow bottler, I'm interested.

I understand that the inflating "pressure pouch" expands to maintain a constant pressure of 15-20 PSI. But that CO2 remains in pouch. If I naturally carbonate my beer, will this system hold that the CO2? for at least a month or two??

I'm not as concerned about not being able to dispense the beer as I am about losing carbonation.

ChemBrew said:

As a fellow bottler, I'm interested.

I understand that the inflating "pressure pouch" expands to maintain a constant pressure of 15-20 PSI. But that CO2 remains in pouch. If I naturally carbonate my beer, will this system hold that the CO2? for at least a month or two??

I'm not as concerned about not being able to dispense the beer as I am about losing carbonation.

Click to expand...

One of my homebrew club friends has two of these and bottled a robust porter. I tried it out and asked when he made it.... He said 2 years ago!!! It wasn't flat.

I too was surprised on how big they are when I first saw one.

I'm gonna get one shortly too. I the only thing I don't like is that you have to buy the pouches.

I saw someone here on HBT modified a pig with a chrome tire valve right at 12 o'clock as you face the tap. I searched for it and could not find the post.

Then you throw on one of these. http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=4570

I'm thinking of doing this that way I can do nitro on a Pub Ale or a Stout. Hmm makes me thirsty.

This way you can do natural, force carb or pouch. If you force carb you need a tire hose from the regulator.

ChemBrew said:

As a fellow bottler, I'm interested.

I understand that the inflating "pressure pouch" expands to maintain a constant pressure of 15-20 PSI. But that CO2 remains in pouch. If I naturally carbonate my beer, will this system hold that the CO2? for at least a month or two??

I'm not as concerned about not being able to dispense the beer as I am about losing carbonation.

Click to expand...

You prime with sugar (half the amount used for bottles) and it holds for months. Hubby usually has one in our fridge that lasts him a long time. We've used them for a couple years and never had a problem. They're very convenient because they fit in a normal fridge and they're portable.

We have 4 ready for an upcoming convention. The convention has a concert and the last couple years we have put the pig in the carrier and off we go with a pile of beer cups. We always take Irish Stout since it's a Irish band and we "refresh" ourselves, guests, and get the band pretty shnockered too.

Thanks. Looks like I'll be trying one out in the near future.

They work great. Dave Wills over at Oregon Trails sells his beer in them in addition to kegs and cornies.

does the beer last decent in them for you people that have them?

I got a brand spanking new one last night on ebay. $31 w/ the pump and filling bucket and pressure pouches. Normally $49

Can't wait to try it out!!

I used them for years until finally going to Cornies last year. I still have my $3 foam cooler with a hole cut in the side for the tap to stick out of. Great for taking beer anywhere.
About 3 down on my "upcoming projects" list is to cut a disk from 1/2" acrylic that is the same diameter as the tap. I will tap two npt threaded holes an put in Colder quick disconnects, one for gas in and one with a flexible dip tube and liquid out. This should allow me to use a pressure pouch or external CO2 and to easily hook up a picnic tap or put it in the kegerator.
The 2.5gal bottles are only $9.75 and the clamp rings are only $6.75.
The pressure pouches can be a pain. I've only had a few that didn't eventually pressurize. I've had a bigger problem with them spontaneously pressurizing in my supply closet.
Here's a big tip. don't push the flow restricting part (looks like a giant screw) all the way into the tap assembly if it doesn't go easy. If you do, you will end up using a screwdriver to pry it out and damage the part and probably your fingers. On both of mine, I get a very reasonable flow when i just push it in with as much finger pressure as you might expect when opening a car door (10lbs maybe?) On both of mine, this ends up leaving about 1/2" not pushed in.
Yes, the beer stays good in them as long as in a bottle.
Cheers,
Jeremy

Schlenkerla said:

One of my homebrew club friends has two of these and bottled a robust porter. I tried it out and asked when he made it.... He said 2 years ago!!! It wasn't flat.

I too was surprised on how big they are when I first saw one.

I'm gonna get one shortly too. I the only thing I don't like is that you have to buy the pouches.

I saw someone here on HBT modified a pig with a chrome tire valve right at 12 o'clock as you face the tap. I searched for it and could not find the post.

Then you throw on one of these. http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=4570

I'm thinking of doing this that way I can do nitro on a Pub Ale or a Stout. Hmm makes me thirsty.

This way you can do natural, force carb or pouch. If you force carb you need a tire hose from the regulator.

Click to expand...

http://forums.moreflavor.com/viewtopic.php?t=20255&highlight=&sid=f586e44edef666fa64f3b3c3eca3735b

I found this on another form. How do you know how much psi is in the pig? also if you did something like this would you have to prime the beer? I am new to kegging.

This is definately what I was talking about. I wondering if this works w/o tipping the pig. I think the pouch pushes the beer up to the tap.

I'm guessing 14psi Yes & No on the priming. If you don't have a bulk CO2 you'd need to prime.