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 dont' 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.
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 dont' 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.