1 gallon keg

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DharkMeadBrewer

DharkMeadBrewer

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looking for a one gallon keg preferably SS, but I've had no luck, can anyone think of a way I can force carb about one gallon of beer for a reasonable price?
 
You can force carb 1 gallon in a 5 gallon corny. I'd purge the keg with co2 before "filling". Unless you don't have room for a 5 gallon corny, this would likely be the least expensive way to go and you can always use the keg full volume when needed.
 
You could force carbonate in a 5 gallon corny and then fill a 5 liter keg via a counter-pressure filler or a cobra tap with a piece of tubing in the faucet.
 
I made carbonator caps for my growlers by drilling a hole in the cap and putting a tire valve in. I have had no problem going up to 30 PSI in them YRMV. I have only done this with the typical half gallon glass growlers with metal caps.
 
mitch171 said:
I made carbonator caps for my growlers by drilling a hole in the cap and putting a tire valve in. I have had no problem going up to 30 PSI in them YRMV. I have only done this with the typical half gallon glass growlers with metal caps.
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I would not recommend this. Some may take it, but they are not designed to.
 
They are designed to hold beer, which is carbonated. I would not necisarily reccomend going up to 30 PSI. I was able to, but I don't usually. I usually put it back to 10 PSI after I have opened it. I would hope they are designed for this amount and you could force carb at this PSI.
 
mitch171 said:
They are designed to hold beer, which is carbonated. I would not necisarily reccomend going up to 30 PSI. I was able to, but I don't usually. I usually put it back to 10 PSI after I have opened it. I would hope they are designed for this amount and you could force carb at this PSI.
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I would not pressurize a glass growler.
While they are designed to hold beer, unless you modify that design there is no way you are going to fill a growler with beer at even 10psi.
I have heard stories of growlers bursting while just being filled with a counter pressure filler.
 
+1000

One scratch, chip, etc and it could just explode in your hands.

Try the carb caps, they work great. Had a little left over Nutty Brown that would not fit in the keg...carbed it up and cooled it and had a sample before the keg was ready.
 
When you put a beer in a growler you do lose some carbonation, but when I open it there is some there still. The pressure will equalize. I find it very had to believe that the growlers can not stand typical serving PSI. I had four all at 25 PSI that I was taking on a 3 hour drive, they bumpped around in the back of my car and had no problems. Again YRMV but again I would assume that growlers are made to store beer in at at least serving PSI.
 
carbonating and holding carbonated beverages are two different things. Do what you will, but don't recommend using glass vessels for pressures they are not rated for to other people on a public forum.
 
Point taken. Everything I have said is at your own risk if you try it. I have been lucky so far, and will consider the risk and probably won't risk it at 30 PSI again.

Either way if you are using a known safe container the tire valve alteration to caps will give you a great way to pressurize a gallon container that normally doesn't have the hook ups.
 
mitch171 said:
I made carbonator caps for my growlers by drilling a hole in the cap and putting a tire valve in. I have had no problem going up to 30 PSI in them YRMV. I have only done this with the typical half gallon glass growlers with metal caps.
Click to expand...

This is an interesting idea, but quite frankly it scares me. any glass container that explodes would cause massive damage. If I was going to do this I would try to find a plastic growler, and stress test it for initial pressure (putting the pressure to it until something blows (safety first!)), and how well it holds pressure over time, and if it could sustain a saftey factor of 3 or 4 I'd use it (if it could hold 3 to 4 times the pressure I would be using over time). I would also install a pressure relief valve so anytime it came close to a pressure too high it'd let gas out, like the ones on air compressors.

That being said I do like the idea I just wouldn't do it with a glass container.
 
As I have said doing this would be at your own risk. I agree a plastic container would be better. My experience is that I have one about 3/4 full in my fridge with 30 PSI on it and it has been there for 4 weeks. I just opened it as my keg just kicked and it still had a lot of pressure on it. Now this beer was kinda flat and that is why I put the higher PSI, I assume much of the pressure was absorbed by the beer, which was cold when I filled it. So as far as I can see I put 3 times the PSI I would normally use and it did not burst after 4 weeks.

For me I think I will keep doing it. When I put the pressure on I am not touching the glass at all and it is in a basin. So if it was to burst it would be contained and I would not have contact.

As I said before no one should do this, it is dangerous and just because it is working for me does not imply it would work for anyone else.
 
Quick question though, isn't copper not suppose to touch finished beer, If I am reading this right the copper tube touches finished beer, its an easy fix, just replace the copper with Stainless steel.

Also the dip tube is made of flexible clear tubing, I think I just have the stainless go all the way to the bottom with a little clearance like a corny.
 
So investigating this mini keg system, seems nifty and people say you can use the kegs up to 10 times if you take care of them. the problem, I guess, is that the liner wears out. anyone know f a place that makes stainless steel food grade ones. I'd probably start out with the ones with liners anyways but if i kept using it I know as soon as my kegs wore out the first time I'd want a stainless steel one.
 
DharkMeadBrewer said:
Quick question though, isn't copper not suppose to touch finished beer, If I am reading this right the copper tube touches finished beer, its an easy fix, just replace the copper with Stainless steel.

Also the dip tube is made of flexible clear tubing, I think I just have the stainless go all the way to the bottom with a little clearance like a corny.
Click to expand...

If you read through all the posts on that posting others bring up the problem with copper. Someone near the end made on with SS and it looked and worked well. As for the plastic tubing it was said that it was nice having the plastic as to not scratch the lining in the mini keg and extending the life. I however think if you were careful with a SS tube this wouldn't be an issue.

Is there a way to use an old dip tube to make this?
 
DharkMeadBrewer said:
Quick question though, isn't copper not suppose to touch finished beer, If I am reading this right the copper tube touches finished beer, its an easy fix, just replace the copper with Stainless steel.

Also the dip tube is made of flexible clear tubing, I think I just have the stainless go all the way to the bottom with a little clearance like a corny.
Click to expand...

Good point. If I ever get around to doing this I'll use stainless.
 

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