425SS vs 525ss?

What is the difference between the two perlick faucets?

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OK, the serious answer... in a nutshell, the removable spout of the 4xx vs. non-removable for the 5xx.

and that in turn leads to what? what does the removable spout give you?

there really is no difference at all, except the 525ss can be bought with a creamer head, which will make a difference. but standard 425 vs 525 are the same

so what are the choices for spout type and what does each spout dO?

425 = removable spout, no creamer
525 = non-removable spout, no creamer
575 = non-removable spout, WITH creamer

the creamer is a option where you push BACK on the handle after pulling your pint to dispense foam to make the "perfect head"

Removable vs. non-removable spout is a questionable debate at best. Theoretically, removable spout is easier to clean. In reality, it doesn't really matter.

that's pretty interesting.

now the 425, I've seen a video on youtube where he installs what seems to be a thinner tube at the end of the faucet. like a thinner spout (8mm). what is the purpose of that/

elmetal said:

that's pretty interesting.

now the 425, I've seen a video on youtube where he installs what seems to be a thinner tube at the end of the faucet. like a thinner spout (8mm). what is the purpose of that/

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Honestly, it's not the size of the spout that matters...it's more about how you use it.







Sorry, couldn't resist....honestly I have no clue.

so then 525 is the way to go. right? maybe I'll get one 425 but then my set of 4 would look stupid....

This is what the 8mm spout is for.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/8-mm-spouts-129072/

McKBrew said:

This is what the 8mm spout is for.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/8-mm-spouts-129072/

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...in a nutshell, it's to prevent a "hollow" pour. Since many homebrewers use 3/16" tubing, the volume through the tap is a bit less than a standard pub's pour. A smaller spout will supposedly give a better pour.

That said, I use about 8' of 3/16" tubing and have no problem with the standard Perlick spout. I do like the fact that they are removable, though, since one member (likely the same dude who offers the 8 mm spouts) offers a replacement fitting to attach a piece of tubing for bottling.

The 525 also allows you to replace the standard with an extended Euro-style spout.


EDIT: that should have said 425, the older, pricier model

Funny you posted this as I was wondering this last night! Why would the 425's be more expensive than the newer 525's? Harder to find since they are no longer in production maybe?

I'm guessing the 425's are still in production. AHS told me a couple weeks ago that they were expecting a new shipment.

Hmmmm...so why would they be more expensive?

ODP said:

Hmmmm...so why would they be more expensive?

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They are a 2 piece design, instead of a 1 piece design, (the 425s have a removable spout). A more complicated design costs more, but also allows for easier cleaning, (debatable), and the ability to swap out spouts for the 8mm or euro or whatever, (whether this is worth the extra $$ is up to you).

I only have experience with the 4 each Perlick 425s I have but with all of them I can just barely pull the tap forward and I get quasi-creamer-faucet-action. Probably not the creamy-quality of the real thing but works in a pinch. In any case, it seems starting the pour just right leads to the creamiest/bestest head. I'm using 12' of 3/16" Bev-line.

shortyjacobs said:

They are a 2 piece design, instead of a 1 piece design, (the 425s have a removable spout). A more complicated design costs more, but also allows for easier cleaning, (debatable), and the ability to swap out spouts for the 8mm or euro or whatever, (whether this is worth the extra $$ is up to you).

Click to expand...

Hmmmm....I am brand brand BRAND new to kegging- how do I know which to go for? I will have a 4 tap setup and the price difference is quite a bit. What's a fellow to do?

$36 vs $29 is not much of a difference in the grand scheme of things.

Ah! You're right! I was under the impression they were more than that...just had a look at AHS and the difference in price isn't too big...I'm still confused on which to get though!

ODP said:

Hmmmm....I am brand brand BRAND new to kegging- how do I know which to go for? I will have a 4 tap setup and the price difference is quite a bit. What's a fellow to do?

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Ask yourself a question... Are you going to be bottling from the taps (for instance, to bring a growler to a friend's card game)? If so, the removable spout is nice to have. That said, you could probably just slide a length of tubing over the 5xxx tap as well.

The decision for me was easy-- I bought mine before the 5xxx series came out, and have no reason to change them out.

Why- yes. Yes I will be lol

I think you just might have made my decision- can anyone else attest to how handy the removable spout is? Also, What makes it so handy with bottling from the keg? Dumb question, I'm sure...but I said I'm BRAND new to kegging!

I switch out hoses to a party tap with a bottling wand attached when I bottle so the removable spout is not necessary. They're right $36 is not much more than $29 but I am very happy with my 525s.

what do you mean dontman? you put a picnic tap on it then a tube from the picnic to a bottling wand? and that works ok?

how do you keep carbonation in the bottle?

elmetal said:

what do you mean dontman? you put a picnic tap on it then a tube from the picnic to a bottling wand? and that works ok?

how do you keep carbonation in the bottle?

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This is my bottling wand:



It is the standard bottling wand that I got with my first kit which fits perfectly into the spout of a party tap and then it has a standard carboy stopper slid upside down on the wand. I push the stopper down on top of the bottle as it fills to provide some counter pressure.



This works really well for me.

Dontman:

Thanks for posting your bottling wand set up. Great set up. About to pull the trigger on perlicks and this helped with the bottling from keg dilemma. I'll save a little money on the 525ss. Thanks

I don't get the reasoning for the counter pressure. won't the pressure all go away when you take it off to cap it anyway?

The counter-pressure just keeps the foam down during filling, and you're burping the pressure the whole time otherwise the flow will stop. Depending on the CO2 level and how cold the beer/bottles are when you bottle this way, you sometimes can get away with just using the counter-pressure only when just starting to fill each bottle, once the level is above the tip of the wand I often just let it flow with no counter-pressure at all and it usually works fine. But I try to bottle with both the beer and bottles as cold as possible (obv not freezing though), which helps with foaming.

Yes, what Spanish said. To add to that, as beer is pouring, whether from a tap or through a bottling wand, whatever, the agitation of the beer will shake loose a lot of co2 from solution. This is good for pouring a pint of beer with a nice head but not good at all for filling a bottle. Providing some counterpressure will reduce this loss of co2 from solution. Not eliminate for sure, but reduce it a little. This will not make too much difference in final product in the bottle but it may be the difference between a Blue ribbon and an honorable mention in a competition.

In browsing through the section, I came across this thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-taps-perlick-owners-129101/

which features a handy little device you can screw into the threads of the 425's to bottle straight from the tap- you can't do this with the 525's. Doh! Just bought 4 of 'em...oh well.

ODP said:

In browsing through the section, I came across this thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-taps-perlick-owners-129101/

which features a handy little device you can screw into the threads of the 425's to bottle straight from the tap- you can't do this with the 525's. Doh! Just bought 4 of 'em...oh well.

Click to expand...

This was in fact discussed pretty thoroughly already, IN THIS THREAD. Like 2 pages ago.

Anyway, while it is true that you might wish to bottle directly from the tap on occasion it is usually more convenient for me to swap out that QD hose for a party tap attached hose and bottling from that. The reason? It is easier and neater for me to bring the bottling wand to the bottles sitting on a tray and fill all at once rather than to bring the bottles one by one to the tap.

Doh! That's what I get for doing some half assed reading on the night shift...I need sleep.