http://***********/stories/techniques/article/indices/39-kegging/1524-the-nitrogen-effect
Finding Nitrogen for this sort of project is probably impracticable...considering that the tap is all wrong.
But I do wonder what nitrous would do in a beer?
My Experience With The Coors Lite Home Draft (Video)
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http://***********/stories/techniques/article/indices/39-kegging/1524-the-nitrogen-effect
Finding Nitrogen for this sort of project is probably impracticable...considering that the tap is all wrong.
But I do wonder what nitrous would do in a beer?
MJDore
Well-Known Member
So I finally got around to filling one of these things. I filled it with the last gallon+ of already carbed Pumpkin Spice Ale from one of my cornies using Biermuncher's "we no need no stinkin beer gun" process. That all went fine. However, this AM I went to put my 16g CO2 cartridge on and it leaked like crazy. I could hear it hissing. After taking it off and inspecting I noticed I managed to break the piece that punctures the CO2 cartridge off. Has this happened to anyone else? These are the cartridges I'm using: Rebel Brewer. Not sure what the heck happened but I was having trouble getting it to seat so probably got it jammed up.
sakeyfour
Well-Known Member
Bought one of these to try out. Able to drink half the Coor before I had to dump it. Put a little pipe tape around the top of the Co2 I got from my local homebrew shop and no leaks works great.
sportscrazed2
Well-Known Member
anyone know if they sell these with good beer in them? i would hate to have to drink coors light it's horrible.
sportscrazed2
Well-Known Member
$20 at local liquor store think i will pick one up and ask my uncle who actually likes this stuff if he wants to buy it then I can go pick it up when he's done drinking it
sportscrazed2
Well-Known Member
gonna pick one up tommorow on my way home and give it a try. i guess i can stomach some coors lite
brew2enjoy
Well-Known Member
I picked one up today. Uggghhh Coors light is terrible! Probably doesn't help that I have been drinking nothing but DFH 90 minute IPA's for the past month or so 
sportscrazed2
Well-Known Member
yeah not looking forward to drinking it. been drinking nothing but craft beer pretty much since i turned 21. i tried bmc once or twice before i couldn't stand it anymore. had some during colts game the other day because i needed to spend a minimum of $5 at bar so i could get free buffet. drank 3 sips the entire game
sportscrazed2
Well-Known Member
on second thought screw coors i want some good beer
I brought one of these Coors kegs and a bunch of my HB bottles to a party and told everyone for every HB they wanted to drink they had to have one glass of Coors. it worked pretty well, everyone had a couple coors and then enjoyed the tasty HB... unfortunately I was also made to take what ever coors was left over home with me... but I shared the pain and got rid of just over half of it. We needed more people
sportscrazed2
Well-Known Member
yeah it sucks that they don't put good beer in these things. but they look to be about a third to half the price of empty equivalents. I wish they would at least put killians or something in these. doesn't coors own killians?
sportscrazed2
Well-Known Member
I was at the liquor store today and they had 3 of them 2 miller and 1 coors. I almost bought one but then my judgement got the better of me and I bought a 12 pack of sierra nevada and some guinness foreign extra stout.
sportscrazed2
Well-Known Member
anyone know if the tap a draft bottles work with these things? i was thinking of buying one and drinking it as well as picking up 4 of those empty bottles with caps. i could carbonate them all naturallly and put one in the fridge to drink. and when it's empty just put the co2 capsule on another one. figure i'd do it now so at least I could try to push off the coors light on my family at thanksgiving.
jiggs_casey
Well-Known Member
Took one apart yesterday per the video. These are going to be great for me as I would like to start kegging but don't want to dump a bunch of money into it yet and bottling is getting a little old. I love the sticker on the top of the bottle, 'single tap system - do not reuse or recycle'...
I have an ice chest in the garage that I am going to see if I can get two of these, side by side, into. If you can figure out a way to cut holes into the sides for the taps, you've got a fairly easily, transportable, 3 gallons of cold homebrew!
I have an ice chest in the garage that I am going to see if I can get two of these, side by side, into. If you can figure out a way to cut holes into the sides for the taps, you've got a fairly easily, transportable, 3 gallons of cold homebrew!
GrantH
Well-Known Member
So you guys are using the 16g CO2 tanks from walmart and similar...correct? At 3 cartridges for 10 bucks....isn't that a bit expensive over time if reusing this system?
HSM
Well-Known Member
Way too expensive.
Not affiliated but I buy my CO2 here:
http://www.redrockminnesota.com/servlet/StoreFront
The 16g threaded cartridges seem to be the best match but are a little bigger and it's a tight fit into the cartridge housing.
buckeyejb
Active Member
I use the 16g cartridges from Midwest Supply with no problems. No MacGeyverin' needed.
Looks like these are discontinued at midwest, any alternatives?
Wingfan13
Well-Known Member
HSM
Well-Known Member
A drip caught my eye and I found the miller lite 'keg' had leaked out about half of the starsan solution. I put a fresh co2 cartridge in and the tap leaks like crap with solution coming out all around the edges of the tap handle.
I'll have to buy a new one, but perhaps one use only is all they will be good for.
I'll have to buy a new one, but perhaps one use only is all they will be good for.
kellynm
Well-Known Member
Not looking to be a d_ck here or anything, but here's a little homebrewer education tip...
Carbon Dioxide(g) is CO2;
Nitrogen(g) is N2, not N20.
Cheers!
HSM
Well-Known Member
The threaded ones work fine. Tight fit but not a problem.
jkarp
Well-Known Member
Not looking to be a d_ck here or anything, but here's a little homebrewer education tip...
Carbon Dioxide(g) is CO2;
Nitrogen(g) is N2, not N20.
Cheers!
N2O (laughing gas) is what's used in beer, whipped cream chargers, etc. not pure nitrogen gas.
I should add, as I know someone will take this out of context, I am specifically referring to Tap-a-Draft (which the Coors Light system is). "Real" beer gas is of course CO2 and N2. N2 doesn't come in cartridge form so TaD uses N20 for pushing low-carbonation beers.
kellynm
Well-Known Member
ericw
Well-Known Member
Last night was the first time I've used one of the Coors/Miller kegs with homebrew. I had a batch of choconut porter that had been in there for ~6+ weeks. I put it in the fridge yesterday morning and last night I removed the top to relieve pressure, added the Co2, and poured a pint. The beer came out very foamy, almost like a milkshake. In a standard pint glass, all but the bottom 1/2inch was foam. Most of the foam died down, but the beer tasted flat. I poured that glass out and got another, making sure to open the tap all the way, and got the same with the next 2. Are porters too "thick" for the Coors keg? I left it in the fridge last night and I'll see if another day in the cold will help. I have a batch of pal ale in another, and I hope it's not the same as this. Any ideas on what, if anything, went wrong?
johnboy1313
Well-Known Member
Not sure, it worked fine for me.
Mine did that too it took about a day to settle down, but now it's pouring out perfect pints every time.
brew2enjoy
Well-Known Member
Silly question, but would it be ok to fill the homedraft with homebrew that has already bottle conditioned and carbed. Just pour it in and add a C02 cartridge?
RogerMcAllen
Well-Known Member
If you do that, the headspace will equilibrate with the beer, and it will actually pressurize itself initially. Draw off beer until the flow really starts to slow down and the bottle gets soft before twisting the cartridge in. If you don't, you will end up venting a lot of CO2 since your headspace will already be pressurized and the CO2 from the cartridge will have nowhere to go but out the safety release valve.
So, I bought a pair of threaded cartridges from a local bike shop. I unscrewed the tap to let out the natural carb, then screwed in the co2. It punctured and filled the jug with air, but when I screwed in the last 1/8" or so, the plastic piece that holds the canister sort of jumped out of its threads. It still seems to be holding a seal, but it looks precarious. I'm going to gently put it in the fridge and hope it holds until I can drink the whole thing. Very worst case, I have another tap I can use. I just hope beer doesn't come pouring out if it doesn't hold...
brew2enjoy
Well-Known Member
Can you use those cartridges from bike shops? I thought they needed to be food grade?
johnboy1313
Well-Known Member
I've got two of these filled and carbing in a cupboard. I put 3/16 cup of priming sugar in each one on Sunday, today is Friday. Both "kegs" are rock hard after five days. Tap-A-Draft instructions state to carb for a week and then add a cart. My plan is to save one for Christmas eve night with the in-laws. Should I keep it in the cupboard until a few days before Christmas refrigerate and add a cart the day before to allow it to settle down? Or, should I put it in the fridge after a week, and insert a cart the day before?
OP
OP
ThreeRatBastards
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't insert the cart until you are ready to dispense (just in case there is a leak). Put them in the fridge a couple of days before you intend to use them so that the beer can absorb the CO2. Then add the cart when you are ready to dispense.
johnboy1313
Well-Known Member
So, I'm a little confused. When you say "Put them in the fridge a couple of days before you intend to use them so that the beer can absorb the CO2. Then add the cart when you are ready to dispense" what CO2 would they be absorbing if there's no cart in?
EDIT*** Nevermind, I think I get it. Put them in the fridge, so they're able to absorb CO2.
OP
OP
ThreeRatBastards
Well-Known Member
You said that you had primed them with sugar, and that they were already "rock hard". The CO2 produced from the yeast eating the priming sugar is what made them that way. Putting the draft systems in the fridge will cause the beer to absorb that CO2, making the beer carbonated. You will then just need to insert a cartridge to push out the already carbonated beer.
Wingfan13
Well-Known Member
Finally got around to tapping mine and it works perfectly. I am now wondering how many times I can re-use it because it is so much better than having a bunch of bottles floating around.
Beerbeque
Well-Known Member
I just finished off my first refill of a Coors light home draft. All went as planned. I wondered if the yeast sediment would come out in the first glass,the last glass or evenly throughout the keg, well I know now that the yeast comes out at the end of the keg. All of my drafts were clear till the end. When the last of the keg was pouring sluggishly, I unscrewed the tapper and poured the last of it into a glass and man was it ultra cloudy! (about 12oz). This system works so well that I am going to buy another one. I highly recommend it.
sudsmcgee
Well-Known Member
Same here. Thumbs up all around. The only modification I needed was three small rubber o-rings to go over the co2 cartridge. Costs about 30 cents.
raf1919
Well-Known Member
awesome to hear. sudsmcgee which co2 cart did you use. did you order orings online ?
Beerbeque
Well-Known Member
It's curious to me that several of you guys have mentioned o rings because my CLHD came with a rubber cup thing instead of an o ring. the cup is larger on the cartridge side and smaller on the other side. It's hard to describe the part. Maybe Coors experimented with different types of seals for the CO2 cartridge.
