Has anyone see this yet?
Draftmark::Agegate
I know it's reusable, but can it be hacked for home brewers?
Draftmark::Agegate
I know it's reusable, but can it be hacked for home brewers?
Draftmark Tap System
- Thread starter stlbeer
- Start date
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yeah, that looks like a neat concept, they should make a modified one that would take the typical sized growler and just sell special caps to go onto it.. i would buy that!
Looking through the website, they use air to push the beer.
But they say that the air does not come in contact with the beer.
Beer in a bag inside of a bottle? Not sure.
I might have to call in a favor to my cousin to procure me one along with a refill.
I am a little hesitant as the main unit is $50 and the refills are $14.
If you get one please post a lot of detailed photos.
I think you could modify a cap to force carb using co2 or naturaly carb with sugar.
Sent using Home Brew Talk app.
But they say that the air does not come in contact with the beer.
Beer in a bag inside of a bottle? Not sure.
I might have to call in a favor to my cousin to procure me one along with a refill.
I am a little hesitant as the main unit is $50 and the refills are $14.
If you get one please post a lot of detailed photos.
I think you could modify a cap to force carb using co2 or naturaly carb with sugar.
Sent using Home Brew Talk app.
HearthstoneBrewery
Well-Known Member
My coworker bought one and brought me the empty bottle. It's a bag in a bottle.
Hmm. Makes me rethink it's re-useability.
I don't think you could carbonate in that, but maybe you could put carbonated beer from a keg in there and serve from it.
Are you able to remove the cap and see if it can be refilled?
Is there a fitting on the bottom for the 'air pump'? Can you get a picture of that?
I don't think you could carbonate in that, but maybe you could put carbonated beer from a keg in there and serve from it.
Are you able to remove the cap and see if it can be refilled?
Is there a fitting on the bottom for the 'air pump'? Can you get a picture of that?
CrimsonBrew
Member
Got one yesterday. Its awesome! Very neat concept. I don't know how make it reusable though.
OneFeather
Well-Known Member
This looks like it works just like the Party Pig.
The cap is a press on. With small ears. Two ways to hack it. Either get a small tube and pressure fill it with your already carbonated beer and put that yellow stopper back in it with the little t at the spout to the closed position. Which will fill and press the air our of the bag at the same time. Or, very gently pry the cap off after using and clean out the bag. Then, when you want to use, purge plastic bag with CO2 and expand it in the bottle. Fill with your precarbonated beer, press lid back on with the yellow spout in it an closed to seal it. The bags should wear our and it would really suck if the lids didn't stay attached. Be nice if someone made new press on caps with the seal for a dollar or two. It looks like it took a lot of force to push the cap on as every one has the "whitening" from pressure being applied. I've gotten 6 of them ready to try for a home brew. It is neat.
jmarchlewski
New Member
I purchased one last week and I think it is great. A little expensive but the beer is really good. I have had ShockTop and Bass Ale. It comes out a little foamy but the beer taste wonderful and it is so easy. I recommend it highly. I cannot wait for the summer to use it for the pool. What experiences have other people had??
jmarchlewski
New Member
I will post pictures later this week.
sengsational
Well-Known Member
I suspect that the bag is connected to that special cap, and that there's a second hole in the cap where the air from the air pump gets shot in there, but has anyone done any analysis of how this works?
If someone from St. Louis wants to send me an empty, I'll make a video of my analysis, like I did here for miller home draft:
Set up a private auction on eBay for me, sengsational, and I'll pay shipping.
--Dale--
If someone from St. Louis wants to send me an empty, I'll make a video of my analysis, like I did here for miller home draft:
Set up a private auction on eBay for me, sengsational, and I'll pay shipping.
--Dale--
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Hopslammed
New Member
My brother's girlfriend got this for me for Christmas (they're from Illinois, one of the few locations Draftmark is being test marketed). Knowing I brew on occasion, her intentions were for me to use it for my own homebrewing draft system, as I do not have the means or space for a true corny system. So I set out on a mission.
The hardest part of this hacking is drinking the "beer". Shocktop, Bass, Budweisser are the main choices but I some how ended up with a local from Chicago of Honkers Ale. The system is great, but the beer left me queasy and made me realize the things we do for science...
Anyways here is how I got it apart and how I think it works:
First off, it is a "cartridge" system, and actually looks like a shell for a shotgun. Each cartridge comes with a plastic and rubber tap. Ya fit this stuff all together put it in, and then there is this groaning, grunting sound as the bottle becomes pressurized. There seems to be a pumping system that leads from the back end of the machine to the front tap area where a pin punctures a second hole on the cap of the bottle next to the beer flow valve. This pressurizes the space between the inside of the bottle and the interior bag/bladder, thus creating pressurized outflow. The pulling of the tap is self explanatory.
Now, to get it apart was relatively easy. There are these two "anti-tabs" and by that I mean there are two missing chunks from the lip of the cap, and also there is a little cutout on the opposite side. These two access points allow you to fit a large width, but thin screwdriver (flathead) into the space between and twist (like you were actually screwing something in). I tried prying upwards but this did nothing. Twist around the circumference of the cap until you get it to move up a little bit. It should spin at this point. Then do a combination of twisting and prying and the top will come completely off. This took a good 10 - 15 mins.
Next is the most arduous task. Terribly easy, but very time consuming. The bladder is not a flexible material as one might expect. It is a fairly rigid material (imagine a 2 liter soda bottle that is slightly thinner, squeezed to ungodlyness) that is very squeezed. My guess here is that there is remaining pressure in between the bladder and the inside of the bottle because the next step is filling the bottle with as much water as it can initially hold (about half a cup to a cup of water). I did this at my sink. Then you need to gently yet firmly squeeze the bottle. This forces air out of the mouth of the bottle where the bladder is fastened to the mouth. So you repeat this over and over until the bladder is fully expanded. Fill with water, squeeze, fill with water, squeeze. Alternatively, if your hands get tired of squeezing (as mine did), you can rest the beveled bottom in your disposal and just press down. I'm sure there are other ways, but with my limited technology, this is what worked for me. This also took about 1 - 20 minutes and I was only able to get it to 75% capacity (3/4 gallon instead of the full gallon).
This is the part where I get curious. The Honkers Ale was precarbonated inside the cartridge/bottle, as there is no CO2 connection or provision. So to my mind there are two options. Either "cartridge condition" the beer or force carbonate in another system and pour it into the cartridge for..different tap system usage (why one would do this, I don't know beyond portability).
So there ya have it ya'll. Detailed how to, but without the pictures. Use your imagination ; )
The hardest part of this hacking is drinking the "beer". Shocktop, Bass, Budweisser are the main choices but I some how ended up with a local from Chicago of Honkers Ale. The system is great, but the beer left me queasy and made me realize the things we do for science...
Anyways here is how I got it apart and how I think it works:
First off, it is a "cartridge" system, and actually looks like a shell for a shotgun. Each cartridge comes with a plastic and rubber tap. Ya fit this stuff all together put it in, and then there is this groaning, grunting sound as the bottle becomes pressurized. There seems to be a pumping system that leads from the back end of the machine to the front tap area where a pin punctures a second hole on the cap of the bottle next to the beer flow valve. This pressurizes the space between the inside of the bottle and the interior bag/bladder, thus creating pressurized outflow. The pulling of the tap is self explanatory.
Now, to get it apart was relatively easy. There are these two "anti-tabs" and by that I mean there are two missing chunks from the lip of the cap, and also there is a little cutout on the opposite side. These two access points allow you to fit a large width, but thin screwdriver (flathead) into the space between and twist (like you were actually screwing something in). I tried prying upwards but this did nothing. Twist around the circumference of the cap until you get it to move up a little bit. It should spin at this point. Then do a combination of twisting and prying and the top will come completely off. This took a good 10 - 15 mins.
Next is the most arduous task. Terribly easy, but very time consuming. The bladder is not a flexible material as one might expect. It is a fairly rigid material (imagine a 2 liter soda bottle that is slightly thinner, squeezed to ungodlyness) that is very squeezed. My guess here is that there is remaining pressure in between the bladder and the inside of the bottle because the next step is filling the bottle with as much water as it can initially hold (about half a cup to a cup of water). I did this at my sink. Then you need to gently yet firmly squeeze the bottle. This forces air out of the mouth of the bottle where the bladder is fastened to the mouth. So you repeat this over and over until the bladder is fully expanded. Fill with water, squeeze, fill with water, squeeze. Alternatively, if your hands get tired of squeezing (as mine did), you can rest the beveled bottom in your disposal and just press down. I'm sure there are other ways, but with my limited technology, this is what worked for me. This also took about 1 - 20 minutes and I was only able to get it to 75% capacity (3/4 gallon instead of the full gallon).
This is the part where I get curious. The Honkers Ale was precarbonated inside the cartridge/bottle, as there is no CO2 connection or provision. So to my mind there are two options. Either "cartridge condition" the beer or force carbonate in another system and pour it into the cartridge for..different tap system usage (why one would do this, I don't know beyond portability).
So there ya have it ya'll. Detailed how to, but without the pictures. Use your imagination ; )
sengsational
Well-Known Member
I was always under the impression that this was inbev's answer to miller/coors "home draft" (aka tap-a-draft knock-off). I'm wondering how much inbev is going to push this system now that miller/coors has given up on their mini keg (or at least stopped selling it in NC).
sengsational
Well-Known Member
They started selling these things here in North Carolina now. A guy from the south part of town graciously offered to drop-off an empty at my brother in law's workplace, and so I've had this empty sitting around for a few days. But finally, tonight, I cut it open. Not too many surprises for me....works the way it's been described to work. I seriously doubt that you could get the crumpled bottle clean enough to re-use for homebrew. And it appears that the two nested bottles were blow molded at the same time, so there's no way to get the inner bottle out from the outer bottle. As mentioned before, the inner bottle is like a regular PET bottle (not soft, but rather crinkly).
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Wow, great analysis!
It sure looks like it would be very challenging to reuse one of these for home brew. The cap being the primary issue. It would probably be an easy effort to "reinflate" the inner bottle. But that cap looks to be pressed on.
It sure looks like it would be very challenging to reuse one of these for home brew. The cap being the primary issue. It would probably be an easy effort to "reinflate" the inner bottle. But that cap looks to be pressed on.
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