Avanti Party Pub

So Im new to the forum but have been trolling around for a couple weeks now and Ive come to love the website. Awesome people with a lot of knowledge. And so here I am asking those people for an opinion...

Im fairly new to brewing and have already decided that bottling is a little bit of a pain. I do enjoy having them around and I honestly dont mind the work to bottle a batch or two but if I can make life simpler then why not.

And so here lies my question, does anyone have any opinions or experience with the Avanti Party Pub?
http://www.avantiproducts.com/products/id/466

I think the little video on the page is pretty cool description of how it all works. Looks like Ill be able to toss in my home brews into the mini barrels and carbonate with priming solution no problem, seal it up nice and after couple weeks toss in, chill and enjoy.

I have searched the forums and seen posts about their mini pub but from everything Ive seen online, the Party Pub and Mini Pub are two completely different things. To those who suggest just standard kegging, I sadly do not have the space required for another fridge. Trips to the basement when I want a beer i consider to be inconvenient and so this is small enough that it wouldnt take up that much space.

So any thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Nobody has an opinion about this? Little disappointing. Thought they seemed pretty cool.

First off, I've never used or seen one-so keep that in mind.
I guess it depends on how much they cost. I couldn't find a price on the link. I know that some people here re-use those mini kegs. If space is a factor, you could always consider getting a 2.5 or 3 gallon corny keg and keeping it in your regular refrigerator. Of course you'll also need a co2 tank, regulator, and (at least) a picnic tap. Factor all of the above in your price and go from there. Also, if you are ever in a position to get a full blown keggerator, you'll already have the mentioned equipment. And if you get out of the hobby, you can give the keg to me for all the help.

Well they sadly run about the $250 range. Probably more expensive than the keg setup. Mentioned the keg setup to wifey and she not too keen on loosing her fridge space. And if I were to get out the hobby I'd be happy to send it to a new home

They really don't take up that much space. Not a whole lot bigger than a gallon of milk, footprint wise. To try to sell her on the idea, you could keep whatever space it would take up open in the fridge for a few weeks...just to prove a point. Once she sees that she'll still have plenty of room, maybe she'll give you the go ahead.

Looks pretty cool, but I've always been hesitant about the CO2 cartridges. Knowing how much CO2 I go through, I'd be buying those (expensive) cartridges all the time!

I also don't know much about those kegs and how they connect, can you re-use them or are you required to just buy another keg.

Keep in mind that those little mini 5 liter kegs are not designed to be refilled. It is a DYI project to refill them and retrofit them to be force carbonated. You don't just hook a coupler up to them like sankey or corny kegs. The little CO2 cartidges WILL NOT carbonate the keg, they are just enough to provide serving pressure.

It is a bit of a PITA, in my opinion, to even work with those kegs. It can be done, but if you want it to be simple and don't expect to have to use a little ingenuity and extra work to fill and carb these kegs, then this is not for you.

Cant the 5L mini kegs be carbonated via priming solution and a rubber bung? If so, then wouldnt that work fine for the setup? Honestly not trying to loophole the wisdom and advice of my betters Im just purely curious.

In regards to running a smaller keg in the kitchen fridge, would that be the standard setup of the keg and CO2 tank plus the tap in there? Still completely new to the kegging field as I have bottled my previous brews.

And as for the tap, hows this: http://www.kegworks.com/bronco-keg-beer-pump-us-sankey-coupler-396-p16490

You can't hold carbonation pressures with a bung....the pressure would push a bung out long before carbonation started.

Also, these are those little 5 liter kegs, like the Heinekin and Newcastle kegs at the grocery store. You can't tap them with a sankey tap. It's a smaller, much different coupler.

That's what I'm saying, they don't make it easy to reuse these things.

I apologize for the confusion with the link. I meant would that type of tap system work with a simple set up in the fridge? Id need something fairly low profile. The avanti system seems cool but the more I hear from you guys and read around, its just not worth the trouble or money.

You dont want to use a pump, it will spoil after a few days. You will want C02, and if you want low profile, you will likely want to go with cartridges. If I was size constrained, I would get the smallest regulator I could, a 20oz C02, and a 3 gallon corny. Your profile might be slightly larger, but it will be a significantly easier setup (not so much DIY) and you will be able to force carb with ease. By the time you modify everything, swear up and down about how much you hate the thing, then ultimately graduate to larger kegs, you will have spent more than going with a cheap corny setup. Another plus to the 3gallon corny setup would be that if/when you move to a larger system, you would still have all of the "small" equipment for backups and parties.

Hi OP,

Every now and then I revisit the Avanti Party Pub question. I don't think that there has never been a reply on these forums by anyone who owns one. There is one lengthy review at Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Avanti-1-7-Cubic-Dispenser-Platinum-Finish/dp/B004J67SHO/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top If you go to the bottom of the long review, you'll see that there are three comments - click the number to link to them. The owner still likes the product six months later.

I have a Party Star tap for the reusable mini kegs but when assembled it doesn't fit in my current fridge. It also produces a few drips now and then. Fun to bring to a small party. Foams quite a bit at first. It uses the 16g co2 cartridges. We recently had a mini leak during aging, but overall they've worked well with periodic use. You can't reuse the Heineken type, but the type that's designed for homebrewing have a rubber bung with a plug that goes into the bung from the underside. The pressure that builds with natural carbonation keeps the plug in the bung. To dispense with the Party Star, a tube is inserted, pushing the plug into the mini keg. My husband always does it and has no problems using keg lube. He doesn't find it to be a hassle. Lots of folks really dislike the whole process, though.

The Avanti Party Pub still intrigues me, but it won't fit on my kitchen counters due to the height. I like the option of using a 9 ounce co2 tank. I haven't completely ruled it out but am still looking for the holy grail of dispensing while maintaining a certain style in my home. Need a new house designed for brew and brewing.

TopherM said:

It is a bit of a PITA, in my opinion, to even work with those kegs. It can be done, but if you want it to be simple and don't expect to have to use a little ingenuity and extra work to fill and carb these kegs, then this is not for you.

Click to expand...

Actually I use these as well and I love them. They are way easier to fill than bottles. The bungs seal them right tight and never pop out under carbonation if seated properly. If you and a friend are drinking for a night the bottom taps work fine otherwise. I have the co2 tap for the top and it keeps the beer good for weeks to a month.

These are big in europe a AU and as they say also look the dog bullocks!

I just did 10 gallons a couple weeks ago. You can refill these a 12 times at least of you take care.

I know this thread is old but there doesn't seem to be any response from anyone who owns one so I thought I'd chime in for anyone still wanting info on the Avanti Party Pub (Also sold as the Edge Star Deluxe). I have had one for several months, and my father has had one for almost 2 years, in fact he is the one who recommended it to me. I wish he hadn't.

My Dad hasn't had many issues with his other than a few CO2 line leaks, bungs with slow leaks, and a learning curve on getting the T-Bar into the keg without spraying beer out.

I, on the other hand, have had nothing but issues with it since day one. In fact, I'm thinking of taking it out and shooting it this weekend. First off it's made with the cheapest materials possible. It's mostly cheap plastic including the case, fittings, CO2 fittings, tap handle, and cartridge attachment. The tap works by running a 1/4" hose through the handle and when in the off position simply pinches the hose. Pulling the tap releases the pinch so you can imagine how often lines need to be replaced.

The refrigeration is just a chill plate that you set the keg on and the case isn't insulated at all. You can set the temp between 38 and 42 degrees but good luck holding your beer at anywhere near that temp. You have to put your keg in the fridge for a day or so before putting it in the kegerator but even still the chill plate can't hold that temp.

I have had many, MANY, CO2 leaks since I got this thing. First the elbow that attaches the line to the regulater leaked because it is a cheap clip you push the hose into and it is supposed to grab the line. Since I couldn't get replacement parts I ended up piecing together $10 worth of brass fittings to make a replacement. Why they didn't use something similar is beyond me.

There are little plastic "plugs" and springs where all the lines attach so you can unhook a pressurized keg without spraying beer all over the place or losing CO2 from the cartridge, but half the time they either sitck and won't let CO2 get into the keg, or they end up cockeyed and won't close so you end up with beer shooting out.

A few times the o-ring inside the CO2 attachment has also leaked and once the cartridge is pinched, there's nothing you can do, it's wasted.

All these issues cost you a cartridge. I've gone through as many as 10 cartridges in one 5g batch of beer (3 kegs and a few flip top bottles) due to running into one or multiple of these problems, so I bought myself a 9oz paintball tank and an adapter. First off there is only one version of the 9oz tank that will fit inside the Avanti and no one seems to make it anymore. It was shorter and fatter and the only ones you can find now are skinny and too tall to fit, so I drilled a hole in the back to run the line out and keep the tank behind it. At first the adapter would bottom out on the tank and was too tall to allow the pins to meet up and start the flow of CO2. I cut 1/4 inch off the bottom of the adapter to allow it to screw down further and ran into another problem. The inside of the adapter was beveled at the top and now wouldn't allow the tank to go all the way in. I ended up having to grind out the bevel with a Dremel tool and now everything is hunky dory with the CO2.

After all this I still end up constantly having to fix leaks, have spring valves stick no matter how much I clean them, etc etc. Basically it's junk, stay away from it. I'm going back to corny kegs.