Help.

I'm hoping to convert some kegs to brew kettles this weekend. I have a problem sourcing the tap (spigot) fittings.
I can't get the weld be gone stuff here. If I order from the tates it will cost me a fortune in tax and shipping and will take weeks at best to get here.

The best thing I can find is one of these. It/s designed to fit through plastic and doesn't come with a food grade or heat resistant o rings or washer. It also has a none standard bore size at the back.



Any suggestions or ideas please.

Seems like the o-rings are going to be problematic if they don't hold up to boiling wort, not to mention rigging up something to a non-standard bore. Any possibility of just buying regular fittings and getting them welded up proper? Since you're doing multiple kegs I would think you could get a pretty decent rate.

I can't find any fitting to weld!

orfy, try tnlandsailer. he's a gadget guy and may have a idea for you......

Wouldn't just a threaded pipe about 2" long work? They usually have a flat band in the middle for putting a wrench on which is where I would imagine you'd weld it. But I haven't welded in 15 years and that was iron beams, not ss.

Like this, but shorter:

Or does it have to have a flange in order to seal properly? I'm not really up to snuff on keg conversions.

It's an idea thanks. I'd be scared of stress fractures on a pipe without a flange

Orfy, can you solder? Check around and see if you can get some 56% silver solder. I've used it for years soldering stainless rings for offshore fishing and put it to use on my brew kettle.

You just drill a hole the same size as the outer diameter of the 1/2" coupleing.

Insert the coupling half way through the hole, apply white braizing flux and heat it cherry red, apply the silver solder an it will seal it up good. It's plenty strong and won't leak or corrode. The flux washes away with hot water.

This will work with stainless to stainless, brass to stainless and copper to stainless.

I can solder but will a handheld plumbers canister torch be man enough for the job? I don't have a full set up.

If you have Mapp gas then yes. Plain propane may not get hot enough with that much heat sink.

Say Orfy, is that bulkhead fitting you posted a pic of made of bronze? Also, I can't tell from the pic but it needs to have 1/2" threads inside to accept thermometers or ball valves and such.

If so, just use that without the o-ring and solder it in place after tightening down. Plain plumers solder and a propane torch would work for that.

Check this out:

http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/...e_Silver_Solder___Fluxes_126.html&CatalogBody

The cadium free solder sticks (silverflow 24) and the No. 5 flux powder would get the job done with a propane torch.

This would be better:

http://www.cupalloys.com/products.php?productId=24 but would require the mapp gas

Yahooooo..

Done it.

It went the no weld option and the bits including spigot cost me £11.



But I got to thinking and I've ended up getting the keg drilled and an adaptor welded in by a machine shop.

So the actual cost of the conversion was £3 for the spigot and 3 bottles of homebrew for the guy in the machine shop.

Result!!!!!!!!!

Looks pretty slick! Now get 'er fired up.

Very cool. Me likes

Nice clean bead. Obviously he did it before drinking the homebrew!

The machine shop just so happens to specialise in refrigeration piping so they do a lot of ss pipework.

I warned them that I may have another 8 to do in a week or so.

Looks great, very professional.

your on your way there orfy! what's the inaugural brew gonna be??????
kettle looks good!

I just finished my drain filter thingy for the lauter tun. I still only have only keg but I reckon I can double up as a hot water kettle and a brew kettle (I'll just have to collect my sparged wort into a bucket then move the kettle.

I need to find a nice simple recipe (Any suggestions) and I need to review my planned technique to make sure I kinda know what I'm doing.

I'm a touched stressed at present due to a house sale. If i feel calmer and SWMBO is otherwise occupied I'll have a go on Sunday. If not sometime later.

orfy said:

I need to find a nice simple recipe (Any suggestions) and I need to review my planned technique to make sure I kinda know what I'm doing.

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What syle of beer? Going over technique is a good idea, but generally speaking you have quite a bit of time to react to "situations" with AG.

I like thinks like Hobgoblin and Newcastle brown. I'd describe them as nutty and very slightly sweet. But I also like a good ESB or IPA. I guess I'd like to go with something with a small rain bill of around 6 or 7lbs of grain but I figure for the style I like it'd need to be nearer 10lbs.

Simple is the main thing, I guess I can just make it a session beer.

I'll my proposed brew schedule when I get chance and see if I have it planed right and have done the right Math. I mainly work in metric.

I appreciate the pointers.

i would say an English IPA or ESB. the extra hops will help hide any minor flaws (not that you'll have any!).

The nut brown would be a good one, too. I believe the brown I used for my chipotle beer would be just about right...I'll dig it up at home.

Cool, thanks

orfy said:

I like thinks like Hobgoblin and Newcastle brown.

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Why not brew the Hobgoblin...that one's pretty simple?

El Pistolero said:

Why not brew the Hobgoblin...that one's pretty simple?

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Might be for you. It scares the sh** out of me.

I'll take another look at the recipe'. I have all the stuff ready.

BeeGee said:

The nut brown would be a good one, too. I believe the brown I used for my chipotle beer would be just about right...I'll dig it up at home.

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chipotle beer...yes! how'd that come out? i love chipotles, but generally hate chile beers, and just about every brewery around southwest CO and New Mexico makes one. the other night though i was thinking about how chipotle would taste in a smoked porter or rauchbier, the smokiness and spice of the chipotle might add a nice dimension to it, or it might be overwhelmed by the smoked malts. i don't know....what do you think?

drengel said:

chipotle beer...yes! how'd that come out? i love chipotles, but generally hate chile beers, and just about every brewery around southwest CO and New Mexico makes one. the other night though i was thinking about how chipotle would taste in a smoked porter or rauchbier, the smokiness and spice of the chipotle might add a nice dimension to it, or it might be overwhelmed by the smoked malts. i don't know....what do you think?

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It came out really good, I was very happy with it. I added a bunch (don't remember exactly) to the secondary and would probably go with 2-3 next time. After 3 days I had to rack it because it was where I wanted it in terms of smokiness. I brewed and kegged it for a party we had last August where we had some Mexican food catered and it was a big hit.

The only complaint I had which might be just fine by you was that it had no chile bite, just chipotle smokiness. Next time I'm going to add chipotles with a fresh jalapeño or two to the secondary to try to get some actual chile flavor.

wierd. i would assume it would be pretty spicy. it is hard to get that chile bite into the beer. most of the ones ive sampled dont have any bite to them, although there was one or two that did. the reason i don't like most of them is they use hatch green chiles, which i don't like all that much, but theyre good with hasbrowns. i don't know if adding a fresh jalapeno would do much, chipotles arre just smoked jalapenos, and they always seem to be pretty damn hot, hotter than a fresh one. i can munch on fresh jalapenos, but i wouldnt dare eat a chipotle straight. maybe add a habanero, or a different (non-smoked) dried chile after you take it off the chipotles. good to hear the smokiness comes through though.