Portable Keg Setup w/ CO2 Cartridges

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cd2448

cd2448

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Hi - I'm looking to move into kegging, but due to limited space I'm considering one of those portable setups, like this one:

Genuine Innovations Portable Keg Charger

With a picnic tap for the beer. Does anyone have experience with these? On the one hand it's easy - on the other it seems like yet another false economy on the road to a fully-fledged kegging setup!
 
Many, many people use these. Just remember that it's not cost effective to carbonate your beer with one of these -- it's pretty much just for dispensing.

So basically, if you want to force carb, you'll need a real CO2 tank someday. If you just want to dispense, and you're OK using sugar to prime your kegs, this thing will work wonders for ya.

Nothin' wrong with the picnic tap, either, many people go years on picnic taps before they finally get the time/money/SWMBO's approval to move to faucets + shanks.
 
Chriso said:
Many, many people use these. Just remember that it's not cost effective to carbonate your beer with one of these -- it's pretty much just for dispensing.

So basically, if you want to force carb, you'll need a real CO2 tank someday. If you just want to dispense, and you're OK using sugar to prime your kegs, this thing will work wonders for ya.

Nothin' wrong with the picnic tap, either, many people go years on picnic taps before they finally get the time/money/SWMBO's approval to move to faucets + shanks.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'll need to carb with corn sugar, and (I guess) waste a bit of beer while I draw off the settled yeast from the keg. At a later stage, I could force carb with CO2 and still use the portable system to dispense, no?
 
Correct on both accounts. And don't worry too much about the sediment, it'll blast out in the first pint or two, then be gone for yer. :)
 
Plus, yeast is good for you.

Lots of micro nutrients in yeast. And, it adds flavor to wheat beers.
 
I've got one of the chargers. It works great for bringing beer to a party, but from a cost perspective, it's not going to take too many batches before you're better off getting a 5# tank and a regulator. I've never left the charger hooked up to the tank for a terribly long time, but I'm pretty sure mine leaks CO2, so you may end up going through a fair number of the bulbs.
 
the_bird said:
I've got one of the chargers. It works great for bringing beer to a party, but from a cost perspective, it's not going to take too many batches before you're better off getting a 5# tank and a regulator. I've never left the charger hooked up to the tank for a terribly long time, but I'm pretty sure mine leaks CO2, so you may end up going through a fair number of the bulbs.
Click to expand...

As long as it's not wasted cash - if I can get use out of this kit down the line for one-off party events (and the kegs are good either way), then I think I'll take the baby step. So far, most of my HB purchases get superceded really quickly - like the 23qt boil pot, the 2 gallon MLT...
 
I've just bought a couple of 9 litre cornies purely for ease of portability and intend purchasing one of these along with a picnic tap. I have the added bomus of having a 15lb CO2 bottle at home so can carbonate it then when ready, pop round to the mates and drink. :)
 

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