BeerTender

My wife, GOD love her, bought me a BeerTender for my new hobby. I don't have the heart to tell her I can't use it. Has anyone tried these with homebrew?

search for mini-kegs.. people use them and you should be able to get it to work with the beertender.. i'm assuming its the heineken mini-keg kegerator correct?

Yes, you are correct. In my neighborhood we've got floating card game every 2-3 wks. Apparently all the hubbies got one of these for X-Mas. I'd be the shiznit if I brought a DFH 90 min IPA clone to one of these games.

Do a search for mini kegs then. There's a few really informative posts.

I hate to burst your bubble, but I believe you are out of luck. The Heineken kegs are internally pressurized with CO2 and keep them pressurized until empty. The problem is that the BeerTender uses the internal pressure to dispense because the spout is at the top of the keg. There would be no way to get the beer out with a standard mini keg in there. I hate to say it, but you should return it (they are expensive) and get yourself a real keg kit.

I'm sure you could mod it up so you could use a Co2 charger system to dispense the beer, may not work right out of the box though, as mentioned about heineken kegs.

conpewter said:

I'm sure you could mod it up so you could use a Co2 charger system to dispense the beer, may not work right out of the box though, as mentioned about heineken kegs.

Click to expand...

Ditto, Nothing is impossible. There is always a work around. The question just becomes, "Is the work and financial input worth the final result?"

Avanti mini pub is same deal but has CO2 hook up (via catridges; $$$$$).

+1 on being apologetic in selling it and spending money on other setup.

Unfortunately I am in the same situation as it was given as a gift and I am unable to return it. If anyone comes up with a solution please share as I'm sure we aren't the only two with this problem!

If all else fails, I'll buy it for an insultingly low price.

fyi for all those who are stuck with one, bed bath and beyond will take it back no questions, but youll wind up with store credit.

Just got one on clearance and was wondering what conversion kit everyone is using. Are there any online stores that allow importation of the other ones from Europe?

I see they now have a conversion kit (depending on the type of beer tender you have) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001NFTFSY/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Tap Conversion Kit for Other 5-Liter Mini Kegs by Edgestar

I am on a quest to solve this problem. Currently thinking about the party pig carbing packet as a possible solution. Thoughts?

No experience to add, but this was my thought exactly!

So nobody ever got a BeerTender working for anything but Heineken kegs? I've just picked one up on the cheap and would love to use it for bringing homebrew to friend's homes.

This guide on instructables seems to be working for some home brewers.
And this video also seems to work.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbLjPP7W5Q4[/ame]
The above techniques work for homebrewers that add carboniation to the beer while in the keg.(I don't understand this process entirely as I am not a home brewer)

I am not a home brewer, but I do have access to many craft breweries in my area that I get growlers from, only problem is that the carbonation in the growler doesn't last very long... Is it possible to fill a mini keg with a couple of growlers? I know nothing about the chemistry or physics of brewing and bottling but something tells me this would not work so well.
Can anyone confirm this for me?...
If I filled a non-pressurized 5L keg with a couple of growlers, and pressurized the keg with something like the EdgeStar kit would the beer be ruined by the added CO2 or would it oxidize?