Tap-a-Draft Initial impressions (long post)

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Owly055

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I purchased a tap-a-draft system recently and bottled my first brew........ a Nugget Saison .... one of my single hop series I do periodically. In addition to the Tap-a-Draft system, I also purchased a carbonator cap to fit the bottles, and a ball lock female gas fitting to connect to my CO2 bottle. I have a 100 lb CO2 bottle for welding that I used to precharge my Tap-a-Draft bottle.

The 1.5 gallon PET bottles are not impressive to look at, and you can't help but wonder how long they'll last. They are very flexible, and I would be lying if I pretended that I charged them to 20 PSI "fearlessly"........ I actually charged them to 18 PSI fearfully, shaking regularly to get the beer to absorb carbonation. Shaking a 1.5 gallon bottle of beer is not an effortless undertaking. I'm no whimp, but soon got tired of shaking. A "pet shaker" is called for here if you are going to have pet bottles ;-).

The Tap-a-Draft system is intended for bottle conditioning, and the carb cap is an aftermarket addition. It is clearly marked "20 psi maximum" with a warning against using it with glass.

When I was done carbonating, I was worried about the pressure level in the bottle, and having to take the cap off and install the tap. I put it back in the fridge for about 4 hours..... it was chilled when I carbonated.... I then removed the bottle and set it upright in the sink, using a dish towel to remove the cap...... expecting a dramatic disaster. Instead the cap came off with no drama at all, no gush of foam all over....and my reaction was... "Oops.. I perhaps should have used 20 psi and shaken more.". I installed one of the $1.35 each CO2 cartridges specific to the Tap-a-Draft system, and drew a glass of beer.............. It was ALL head..... ;-(. 15 minutes later I drew another, and it was a perfect pour. This morning I drew another for a "breakfast beer". and it also was perfect. A nicely but not excessively carbonated beer.

I think I'm going to brew a low gravity Cascade based beer for a breakfast drink to replace my usual grapefruit juice ;-)

Seriously, I am quite happy with Tap-a-Draft....so far. The bottles lay down on a shelf in the fridge with the tap easily accessible. I don't need a kegerator... which I don't have room for. The carbonation and serving pressure are ideal. Low enough serving pressure that I don’t' have to deal with foaming. The price is right. $70 for everything needed to "keg" 5 gallons. Additional bottles are 3 for $30........ a bit steep if you ask me.
$1.35 each for the special CO2 cartridges.......an odd size is a bit steep, but follows along with the "give the printer away, sell the ink" school of business practice. It adds $4.00 to the cost of a 5 gallon brew......... About what the traffic will bear. A "kit" exists on Ebay that will allow you to connect to a regulator... About $40 including shipping. The idea being that you can use a paintball tank and regulator (with adapter), and connect to two Tap-a-Draft bottles.

The problem is that it does not fit into my 2.5 gallon brewing well..... I typically have a bit over 2 gallons yield, which means I still have to bottle part of a brew....... about 4-5 1/2L bottles. Not the end of the world, and perhaps a good thing. To match the Tap-a-Draft system, the option is reducing my brew size to 2 gallons or a bit less, or increase it to 3.5 gallons or so........... I have absolutely no intent of going to 5.5 gallons, and I don't think I really want to up things to 3.5....... That's too much for my equipment. The other alternative would be use one full bottle, and a part bottle if I have two similar brews. Flush the headspace and set the partial bottle aside for a week, so I can blend. That could be interesting. I would still have to up my brew size slightly (3 gallons). What I see is making different brew sizes.... 2 gallon, 2.5 gallon, and 3 gallon. The 3 gallon brews being designed to mix brews. I seldom do two identical brews, but two brews with an intermediate brew could present an interesting challenge.

Kegs probably make more sense, but the small kegs (1.75 gallon) that would work for me are expensive at $90 plus shipping, and have to sit upright (top shelf). The slightly larger 2.25 gallon kegs would not work in the fridge unless I could lay them down on the second shelf.... a flexible dip tube anybody? It works on chainsaws, why not kegs?

H.W.
 
I purchased a tap-a-draft system recently and bottled my first brew........ a Nugget Saison .... one of my single hop series I do periodically. In addition to the Tap-a-Draft system, I also purchased a carbonator cap to fit the bottles, and a ball lock female gas fitting to connect to my CO2 bottle. I have a 100 lb CO2 bottle for welding that I used to precharge my Tap-a-Draft bottle.

The 1.5 gallon PET bottles are not impressive to look at, and you can't help but wonder how long they'll last. They are very flexible, and I would be lying if I pretended that I charged them to 20 PSI "fearlessly"........ I actually charged them to 18 PSI fearfully, shaking regularly to get the beer to absorb carbonation. Shaking a 1.5 gallon bottle of beer is not an effortless undertaking. I'm no whimp, but soon got tired of shaking. A "pet shaker" is called for here if you are going to have pet bottles ;-).

The Tap-a-Draft system is intended for bottle conditioning, and the carb cap is an aftermarket addition. It is clearly marked "20 psi maximum" with a warning against using it with glass.

When I was done carbonating, I was worried about the pressure level in the bottle, and having to take the cap off and install the tap. I put it back in the fridge for about 4 hours..... it was chilled when I carbonated.... I then removed the bottle and set it upright in the sink, using a dish towel to remove the cap...... expecting a dramatic disaster. Instead the cap came off with no drama at all, no gush of foam all over....and my reaction was... "Oops.. I perhaps should have used 20 psi and shaken more.". I installed one of the $1.35 each CO2 cartridges specific to the Tap-a-Draft system, and drew a glass of beer.............. It was ALL head..... ;-(. 15 minutes later I drew another, and it was a perfect pour. This morning I drew another for a "breakfast beer". and it also was perfect. A nicely but not excessively carbonated beer.

I think I'm going to brew a low gravity Cascade based beer for a breakfast drink to replace my usual grapefruit juice ;-)

Seriously, I am quite happy with Tap-a-Draft....so far. The bottles lay down on a shelf in the fridge with the tap easily accessible. I don't need a kegerator... which I don't have room for. The carbonation and serving pressure are ideal. Low enough serving pressure that I don’t' have to deal with foaming. The price is right. $70 for everything needed to "keg" 5 gallons. Additional bottles are 3 for $30........ a bit steep if you ask me.
$1.35 each for the special CO2 cartridges.......an odd size is a bit steep, but follows along with the "give the printer away, sell the ink" school of business practice. It adds $4.00 to the cost of a 5 gallon brew......... About what the traffic will bear. A "kit" exists on Ebay that will allow you to connect to a regulator... About $40 including shipping. The idea being that you can use a paintball tank and regulator (with adapter), and connect to two Tap-a-Draft bottles.

The problem is that it does not fit into my 2.5 gallon brewing well..... I typically have a bit over 2 gallons yield, which means I still have to bottle part of a brew....... about 4-5 1/2L bottles. Not the end of the world, and perhaps a good thing. To match the Tap-a-Draft system, the option is reducing my brew size to 2 gallons or a bit less, or increase it to 3.5 gallons or so........... I have absolutely no intent of going to 5.5 gallons, and I don't think I really want to up things to 3.5....... That's too much for my equipment. The other alternative would be use one full bottle, and a part bottle if I have two similar brews. Flush the headspace and set the partial bottle aside for a week, so I can blend. That could be interesting. I would still have to up my brew size slightly (3 gallons). What I see is making different brew sizes.... 2 gallon, 2.5 gallon, and 3 gallon. The 3 gallon brews being designed to mix brews. I seldom do two identical brews, but two brews with an intermediate brew could present an interesting challenge.

Kegs probably make more sense, but the small kegs (1.75 gallon) that would work for me are expensive at $90 plus shipping, and have to sit upright (top shelf). The slightly larger 2.25 gallon kegs would not work in the fridge unless I could lay them down on the second shelf.... a flexible dip tube anybody? It works on chainsaws, why not kegs?

H.W.

Good write up. Glad it works for you!I was SO close to ordering one of these. But I compared the investments and effort. and I just started kegging. To me, I just felt like it would be a money pit having to replace the bottles, constantly buy cartidges, etc. It costs more upfront to keg to get everything you need, but now I only have to pay $15 for co2 every couple months rather than constantly buy the cartridges and PET bottles.
 
I don't know what the life expectancy of the PET bottles is........ Hopefully quite a few usages. I will be looking at paintball bottles...... small enough to sit right in the fridge, and the vapor pressure of CO2 is high enough at refrigerator temps to make that workable. That makes this workable for me is being about to lay two bottles down in the fridge on the second shelf.....Mine is a side by side...... With a regular fridge you could have 3 or 4. I simply do not have room for a kegerator.

Here's what I want: Stainless steel mini Corny Kegs designed to lay down. 2.25 gallon capacity, 8" diameter, and 10.5" long should give that capacity. Bumps on one side serve as legs so it will sit on a flat surface. A snap on tap is already available. An ultra compact CO2 regulator to fit on a paint ball cylinder. 5 20 ounce refillable cylinders are $70 (full) at Walmart. Dimensions are 10.5" by 3.25", so one could easily rest one in the V between two of my desired Miny Lay Down Corny kegs.


H.W.
 
Owly055 -- I think you may be onto something there with the flexible dip tube --- maybe have it weighted so that it sinks to the bottom of your keg. Not sure if you'd want the liquid out on the bottom or top. Either way would work. I would tend to want to go with the gas-in on the bottom to make the CO2 bubble up through your beer. But you have a great concept. I think you ought to work on a "proof of concept" and patent it. :) Then sell it to the highest bidder, or just sell a "kit" to upgrade existing kegs (probably more do-able.)
 
There's another thread on laying kegs on their side, I think between others and myself we came up with the idea of using the liquid-in float from the CaskWidge system ($19 at UKbrewing.com) to connect a hose to a gas dip tube on the liquid-out side, and just use a regular liquid or gas dip tube on the gas-in side.

A simple cradle for the keg would stop it rolling around in the fridge. 2.5 gal cornies are fairly common, but not as cheap as 5 gal secondhand ones (e.g. Adventures in Homebrewing - they also have secondhand 3 gal kegs, which would work fine with 2.25-2.5 gal batches), and you don't need to completely fill the keg, after all, as long as you purge the headspace with CO2. AiH also have a pretty compact paintball regulator.

I also have a tap-a-draft system, but I had to give up using it, as I found that when I attached a second CO2 cylinder to run the second half of the bottle, the tap would open under the pressure and spray beer all over the inside of the fridge, even though the lock tab that's supposed to prevent that was firmly in place (confirmed on multiple tests, with water after the first couple of failures with beer). I think others have reported this problem as well. Using a regulator and paintball CO2 tank might be enough to save you from that, but be warned...

(If you are anywhere near Boston, I have three PET Tap-a-draft bottles you could have)
 
There's another thread on laying kegs on their side, I think between others and myself we came up with the idea of using the liquid-in float from the CaskWidge system ($19 at UKbrewing.com) to connect a hose to a gas dip tube on the liquid-out side, and just use a regular liquid or gas dip tube on the gas-in side.

A simple cradle for the keg would stop it rolling around in the fridge. 2.5 gal cornies are fairly common, but not as cheap as 5 gal secondhand ones (e.g. Adventures in Homebrewing - they also have secondhand 3 gal kegs, which would work fine with 2.25-2.5 gal batches), and you don't need to completely fill the keg, after all, as long as you purge the headspace with CO2. AiH also have a pretty compact paintball regulator.

I also have a tap-a-draft system, but I had to give up using it, as I found that when I attached a second CO2 cylinder to run the second half of the bottle, the tap would open under the pressure and spray beer all over the inside of the fridge, even though the lock tab that's supposed to prevent that was firmly in place (confirmed on multiple tests, with water after the first couple of failures with beer). I think others have reported this problem as well. Using a regulator and paintball CO2 tank might be enough to save you from that, but be warned...

(If you are anywhere near Boston, I have three PET Tap-a-draft bottles you could have)

Thanks for the warning....... I didn't realize that two CO2 bottles were required to dispense one bottle of beer.......... Unfortunately I live about as far away from Boston as you can get..... well not quite (Montana).

H.W.
 
Thanks for the warning....... I didn't realize that two CO2 bottles were required to dispense one bottle of beer.......... Unfortunately I live about as far away from Boston as you can get..... well not quite (Montana).

Maybe if I fill the bottles with helium and find a shipper that will charge by weight? ;)

I suspect that you might only need two bottles if the beer isn't as carbed as it wants to be under the CO2 pressure at fridge temperatures, and if you take long enough to drink it so that it comes in to equilibrium. If you take a long time to drink I guess you are also vulnerable to small leaks of CO2.
 
There's another thread on laying kegs on their side, I think between others and myself we came up with the idea of using the liquid-in float from the CaskWidge system ($19 at UKbrewing.com) to connect a hose to a gas dip tube on the liquid-out side, and just use a regular liquid or gas dip tube on the gas-in side.

A simple cradle for the keg would stop it rolling around in the fridge. 2.5 gal cornies are fairly common, but not as cheap as 5 gal secondhand ones (e.g. Adventures in Homebrewing - they also have secondhand 3 gal kegs, which would work fine with 2.25-2.5 gal batches), and you don't need to completely fill the keg, after all, as long as you purge the headspace with CO2. AiH also have a pretty compact paintball regulator.

I also have a tap-a-draft system, but I had to give up using it, as I found that when I attached a second CO2 cylinder to run the second half of the bottle, the tap would open under the pressure and spray beer all over the inside of the fridge, even though the lock tab that's supposed to prevent that was firmly in place (confirmed on multiple tests, with water after the first couple of failures with beer). I think others have reported this problem as well. Using a regulator and paintball CO2 tank might be enough to save you from that, but be warned...

(If you are anywhere near Boston, I have three PET Tap-a-draft bottles you could have)

There are several iterations of the Tap-a-Draft system. The earlier ones used smaller capacity CO2 cartridges, and some had the capacity to use 2 cartridges... one CO2 and one nitrogen...... or 2 CO2 cartridges. Mine uses the 16 gram cartridges. One mistake I made was getting nervous about the pressure on that thin bottle when I was using the carbonation cap...... which I don't think is a Tap-a-Draft item. I was pressurizing at 18 psi, and I could have shaken it more and gotten more CO2 absorption, but chickened out. Next time around I'm going to maximum pressure (20 psi). That thin plastic makes me nervous...... I really don't want a bath in beer. I was also concerned that I might have a geyser when I pulled the carb cap off and put the tap on........ As it turns out that concern was misplaced.

H.W.
 

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