cornelius keg hand pump

The latest giveaway from keg connections got me thinking about getting a small keg with a party/picnic type dispenser. Up until now I have only bottled, but it would be nice to bring a small keg or two to parties and such.

But here is my question. If I were to carbonate in the keg with priming sugar, like I do with bottles, would i need to use a CO2 tank to keep the pressure in the keg as i dispense the beer, or could I use a hand pump like I did back in college? I think it would be easier with the hand pump, like the one at the link below.

http://www.homebrewing.org/Cornelius-Keg-Hand-Pump_p_109.html

Please let me know if anyone has tried this and how it worked out.

Thanks.

 

Or you can just put one of these on a gas (MFL) QD and put CO2 back in as you serve from the keg... At ~$22 it's almost half the price of the hand pump.

Pushing ambient air into the keg WILL stale/oxidize the beer FAST. You'll need to kick it within a day, two tops. Also, you'll need to be sure no one pumps it at a bad angle, breaking part of it (bending the pump or breaking it off at the QD).

 

The lids of corny kegs need pressure to seal. So even if you are going to natually carb in the keg, you still need an initial burst of CO2 (or argon or nitrogen) to seal the it. After that, you could use the hand pump like in your college days. This also assumes you and finishing the beer quickly because you are oxidizing the beer and it won't last long.

 

+1

Is your beer worth that little to you to oxygenate it with every serving? Buy some CO2.

 

If people could see ALL the CO2 sources, and regulators, I have they'd think I'm more than a bit nuts. I have two for paintball gun bottles, a single body and a dual body for regular tanks too. I'm also looking to get another regulator that I'll be able to put onto either CO2 source (I have the adapter).

You can get a standard regulator (like from KC) and use the adapter to use paintball gun bottles, if you wish.

 

Well, I had not considered the oxygenation factor. I have never kegged, so it never even crossed my mind. that is definately a fatal flaw in my thought process.

I posted this question because I do value my beer, and wanted input. Thanks all for the comments.

 

I ended up getting a 3 gallon kit from rebel brewer. thanks for all the help.