CO2 for those who don't keg

I just got back from the MicroCenter computer store and saw something there that I thought might be of interest to those who don't keg and don't have a large CO2 bottle, but would like a little CO2 for filling the carboy or bottling bucket headspace after racking to protect against oxygenation. It's sold for dusting electronics - product name is CleanDRx - CO2 Air Duster. It's a hand held case with a trigger - insert a 16 gram CO2 cartridge into the unit and press the trigger to squirt CO2. It says on the package "oil-free" and comes with 2 16 gram CO2 cartridges for $13.99. No idea how many carboy/bottling bucket top-offs you could do with that, but might be worth a try for someone who only needs it occasionally and doesn't want to invest in a 5 lb. or larger CO2 bottle. I didn't get one because I have a keg kit coming next week from KegConnection. but would have liked to have had something like that in the past.

 

Thats like $20 an ounce, $250 a pound for CO2...ouch! Might be handy, not a big purger w/ CO2 myself, none of my beer lasts long enough to oxidize anyhow.

 

The price listed includes the dispenser, which is a one-time buy. Even if you attribute all the cost to the 2 CO2 cartridges, its "only" $12.41/oz. Replacement cartridges are cheaper. My local LHBS has a 10 pack of 16 gram cartridges for $21.95, which works out to $3.89/oz. and you could probably find them cheaper elsewhere. Of course it's more expensive than using a 5,10, or 20 pound bottle, but I can see how some people might find it useful.

 

That is exactly what I did many years ago when I got into wine making. O² in the carboy headspace could kill a fine wine in short order. A few bucks to protect a multi $ brew is well worth it.

IMHO

Thanks for posting the suggestion. It really works very well especially for racked and long aged brews.