Help identifying keg

I recently got a free keg that I'm working on turning into a fermentor, but I'd like to figure out what style of keg it is first. It is from the old Olympia brewery.

It is cask shaped with a bung in the side half way down. No valve at the bottom, but an unfamilar connector on top. It's not the golden gate style that you normally see on the cask shaped kegs.

The top connector is about the diameter of a #10 bung with two holes about the same diameter as a standard racking cane. One is connected to a dip tube. The connector isn't threaded but appears to be part of the keg. It is located dead center on top in a little recess, and there are two horizontal posts between the connector and the inside of the recess.

There is also a cover for the connector which has a rubber coating on the inside and can be screwed/locked into place over the connector. Both holes are still accessible but there is an air seal due to the rubber. I can take a picture when I get home but I'm hoping this rings a bell for somebody and I can figure out what sort of tap it takes and if this might aid me in turning it into a fermentor.

Thanks!

Sounds like a Hoff-Stevens keg to me.

Edit: does it look like this? If so, it's a Hoff-Stevens

It's a Hoff-Stevens as Brewtopia indicated. They used to be pretty prevalent. Not many of those around any more.

I used to tap Hoff-Stevens kegs of Old Style at I job I had in the late eighties.....messiest system ever.



Gedvondur

The holes on mine are identical in size, and the connector is symmetrical. It lacks screws as well, the whole connector is actually part of the keg and does not come off. Other than that it's pretty similar. Is there anywhere on the web with pictures of the different types of couplings? Thanks for the help!

This site will tell you what breweries use what type kegs. Post a picture when you get a chance and I'm sure we could tell for sure what you have. Still sounds like Hoff-Stevens though.

I'll post a picture when I get home from work, thanks for the link.

Here's a couple pics of the keg and the connection fitting. I stopped by my LHBS, Larry's Brewing Supply in Kent, and Larry immediately recognized the picture I drew as an Oly keg. He said it was not a Hoff Stevens. I think we're just going to cut the connector off and use a bung for the airlock.

:rockin:

Yeah, that's definitely not a Hoff-Stevens, unless it's an early design.

I will be at Larry's tomorrow picking up grain with a buddy of mine. He's the head brewer at Stix downtown in South Lake Union. I get to brew on their 7 bbl system on Sunday!:rockin:

I've probably run into you there before and not realized it, it's my home away from home. :cross: Good luck on your brew tommorrow!

Larry's is about 5 miles from my house and was just there on Wednesday for ingredients. He has everything there. Huge supply of grains for sure. Very helpful but the older lady that works up front can be a beotch.

Betty? That's his wife.

Pabst Blue Robot said:

Betty? That's his wife.

Click to expand...

Well don't tell her I said that or I might get cut off.

I had no idea there were HBtalkers this local. We should get together and brew some time.

Let's do it. We have to keep up with all the Grabassers, Vagrancy's and Sewage!

Well, update on the keg situation:

I had an idea about cutting off the top of a corny and basically just having that welded to the top of the keg after we cut the hole. That way I could pressure transfer without having to pick the thing up, and I could cut the dip tube to length. Turns out it would be about $75 for the welding because they'd have to flush the keg afterwards to keep it sanitary. That and I had some concerns about keeping the keg clean with so small an access port.

I talked it over with the guy at the shop, and he said a lot of people just get a larger diameter hole cut and float an upside down pie tin on top of the keg around the hole. I was a bit embarassed that so simple a solution had escaped me, but I think that's what I'm going to do. Pics to come, and let me know if there's anything I might have overlooked!

Update on the keg fermentor, I just finished the inaugural run with it and found it to work out quite nicely. Fairly easy to clean too, the only really drawback was lifting that heavy SOB up on to the bench.

Brewtopia said:

Let's do it. We have to keep up with all the Grabassers, Vagrancy's and Sewage!

Click to expand...

No props to Yankee Ingenuity?

Pabst Blue Robot said:

Betty? That's his wife.

Click to expand...

Wow... personally, I think Betty is great. She has always been friendly and helpful, pointing out something that I might not have thought about when putting together a recipe, checking to make sure that I have not forgotten anything, etc.

I love that place, the people are awesome.