Do people keg small (2 gallon) batches? How is it done?

[Elysium82]

hey guys,

This is a newbie question. I am thinking of brewing a 2-gallon batch and kegging it after fermentation.

How would one start (or learn about) it? I am totally new to kegging, but would like to give it a go.

Could I just keep such a small keg in the fridge and hook it up to an extremely small system in order to serve the beer?

Thank you.

UPDATE: I have just found a few videos on YT (like this one: ). It looks like it can be done easier than I thought.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I am not sure I would recommend using those 5L mini-kegs. It looks like the guy in the video is just using his as a cask type serving setup...without adding CO2 and just pumping air into the keg. That might work okay if you take it to a party or drink it all in a few days. I had one of the Party Tap setups that used small CO2 cartridges and it was a frustrating experience.

There are small kegging setups that work either off cartridges, small CO2 tanks, or full CO2 tanks. I have a pair of 2.5 gal Torpedo kegs and they also make 1.5 gal kegs. I have a full CO2 tank and regulator myself.

Kegland makes an array of small kegs that appear to be good quality. These might fit your needs: KegLand Mini Kegs

 

[Yooper]

If you want to do it, you absolutely can. You need "real" kegs, though. They make 2.5 and 3 gallon kegs, so you can do it. I have several myself.

https://www.kegconnection.com/2-1-2-gallon-kegs/

 

[Elysium82]

I am not sure I would recommend using those 5L mini-kegs. It looks like the guy in the video is just using his as a cask type serving setup...without adding CO2 and just pumping air into the keg. That might work okay if you take it to a party or drink it all in a few days. I had one of the Party Tap setups that used small CO2 cartridges and it was a frustrating experience.

There are small kegging setups that work either off cartridges, small CO2 tanks, or full CO2 tanks. I have a pair of 2.5 gal Torpedo kegs and they also make 1.5 gal kegs. I have a full CO2 tank and regulator myself.

Kegland makes an array of small kegs that appear to be good quality. These might fit your needs: KegLand Mini Kegs

He says in the video that he added some priming sugar. So, it looks like he literally swapped his bottles for that party keg. In theory it makes perfect sense, but god knows if it is any good. I still don't get anything he said after the priming sugar part about keeping the pressure at god know what level...etc...I am still too new to this.

Thank you mate.

 

[DuncB]

These look like the answer to me.
https://www.kegland.com.au/8l-oxebar-mono-polymer-keg-with-cap.html
Soon to be available, planet wide?

 

[Elysium82]

These look like the answer to me.
https://www.kegland.com.au/8l-oxebar-mono-polymer-keg-with-cap.html
Soon to be available, planet wide?

I have been considering just reusing 2L beer bottles (glass ones). They sell massive bottles of commerical beer in Spain. It has a screw-cap on. I assume it could be easily sanitised and priming in it wouldn't be an issue.

 

[DuncB]

I'd say you would be better off with 2 litre coke bottles much less dangerous.

But as you are in spain you might find that you can get hold of Magnum sized champagne bottles from a bar after use etc. These are very strong but you would need a different crown capper head as they are bigger 31mm I think.

 

[Elysium82]

I'd say you would be better off with 2 litre coke bottles much less dangerous.

But as you are in spain you might find that you can get hold of Magnum sized champagne bottles from a bar after use etc. These are very strong but you would need a different crown capper head as they are bigger 31mm I think.

Right. I hear you. Good idea. Yeah...they have some big cava bottles here. I can get 31mm caps. That is not an issue. Bottle cappers are also available in different sizes.

Why did you say that it would be dangerous?

 

[Barbarossa]

I have a 1.6 gallon corny (they come in 2.5 gallon also) that I carbonate with my main tank. I use it for when I brew 6 gallon batches, to put in the extra.

If I have to take it outside, I get the portable CO2 cartridges thingy to help push the beer out. Once fully carbonated, you can serve many drinks without needing CO2. When you need more pressure, you just put pull the trigger. I guess you could naturally carbonate your keg and use that.

You can also buy a SodaStream adapter and regulator. That way you could both carconate your beer and serve it.

 

[MikeCo]

I have a couple of these and really like them. Shipping is free on the 2.5 gallon and smaller sizes. They offer a 1.75 gallon, but it's the same price as the 2.5.

https://www.homebrewing.org/AIH-New-Double-Rubber-Handle-25-Gal-Keg_p_5101.html

 

[DuncB]

@Elysium82
It's only dangerous if the beer hasn't finished fermenting fully and you then add priming sugar in the bottle as well ( of if finished and too much priming sugar) then it builds up more gas and you can get bottle bombs. I've never had a beer bottle bomb only a ginger beer bottle bomb when I made this as a child. You get a bit of a chain reaction if you have 12 bottles in a box and one goes pop. It's messy!! Large glass beer bottles will not be as strong as Champagne type bottles which can take up to 6 vols of CO2 ( a lot of pressure in laymans terms ) .
I use the normal size champagne bottles when I bottle as they are a bit different.
I have a 5 litre keg which is good for visiting with. I'm awaiting the constantly unavailable Kegland new mini regulator and have a sodastream cylinder adapter to go on it already. Also have the adapter that allows me to refill the sodastream gas from my main CO2 bottle so it's " free " to refill.
But as Barbarossa says most of a small keg serves itself with the pressure in the beer and you could just pour the last out if you wanted to finish it at your party.

 

[Jim R]

I almost always keg my 5 gal batches in two 2.5 gal kegs. They fit in my refrigerator better and make it easier to transport to gatherings, etc.. I don't usually even leave my CO2 tank connected to them all of the time. For the first week I apply 12 psi or so every other day as I carbonate the beer (which takes me 30 sec or so) and then reapply pressure after I drink a couple beers.

 

[bwible]

I agree 5L minikegs are basically crap. They are very thin and the slightest amount of overcarbonation is going to cause them to bulge out and be damaged and unusable after that. They have an inner coating that gets destroyed. They are also very difficult to clean. Plus, nobody to date has made a decent tap system for these things.

MoreBeer sells their kegs, called Torpedo kegs, in varying sizes. They have 1.5 gallon, 2.5 gallon and 5 gallon. I don’t own any of these, but they look great:

https://www.morebeer.com/products/t...MIiLi046yL8AIVkWxvBB1Ahgn3EAAYASAAEgJfqvD_BwE
I brew 3 gallon batches, which is a small step up from 2.5 gallons. I use a 5 gallon carboy to ferment and they make 3 gallon carboys if you want to secondary, settle, or age. If you bottle, it works out to a case plus a 6 pack - which is not awful. You can occasionally find used 3 gallon cornelius kegs, but they are getting harder to find and they cost more than 5 gallon cornelius kegs. I have 7 of them and I’m not parting with any of them any time soon.

 

[bwible]

These look like the answer to me.
https://www.kegland.com.au/8l-oxebar-mono-polymer-keg-with-cap.html
Soon to be available, planet wide?

That looks, really intersting. I’m an American, so of course I had to use a calculator to figure out that 8L is just a smidge over 2 gallons. That’s a nice size.

 

[bwible]

I am not sure I would recommend using those 5L mini-kegs. It looks like the guy in the video is just using his as a cask type serving setup...without adding CO2 and just pumping air into the keg. That might work okay if you take it to a party or drink it all in a few days. I had one of the Party Tap setups that used small CO2 cartridges and it was a frustrating experience.

There are small kegging setups that work either off cartridges, small CO2 tanks, or full CO2 tanks. I have a pair of 2.5 gal Torpedo kegs and they also make 1.5 gal kegs. I have a full CO2 tank and regulator myself.

Kegland makes an array of small kegs that appear to be good quality. These might fit your needs: KegLand Mini Kegs

You’d need the right lid that goes with those kegland kegs - I think they are the same as the “man cans”.

https://www.williamsbrewing.com/Gif...fts-Under-6000/KegLand-Mini-Keg-Ball-Lock-Lid
This adds 39.99 to the cost of the keg, so a 2 gallon keg is going to cost you $80 total. And I’m not crazy about that plastic hose for a dip tube. These things come rolled up in shipping and they NEVER want to stay straight like you’d need for this.

 

[Wolffie]

hey guys,

This is a newbie question. I am thinking of brewing a 2-gallon batch and kegging it after fermentation.

How would one start (or learn about) it? I am totally new to kegging, but would like to give it a go.

Could I just keep such a small keg in the fridge and hook it up to an extremely small system in order to serve the beer?

Thank you.

UPDATE: I have just found a few videos on YT (like this one: ). It looks like it can be done easier than I thought.

Home Brewing Supplies and Home Brewing Kits (williamsbrewing.com)

good deal pick a size!

 

[madscientist451]

I like the more beer torpedo kegs, sometimes they'll have a sale that includes them.

 

[bracconiere]

I have a 1.6 gallon corny (they come in 2.5 gallon also) that I carbonate with my main tank. I use it for when I brew 6 gallon batches, to put in the extra.

If I have to take it outside, I get the portable CO2 cartridges thingy to help push the beer out. Once fully carbonated, you can serve many drinks without needing CO2. When you need more pressure, you just put pull the trigger. I guess you could naturally carbonate your keg and use that.

You can also buy a SodaStream adapter and regulator. That way you could both carconate your beer and serve it.
View attachment 726295

ok i have to ask.....why are you using a bev QD for the gas?

 

[Barbarossa]

ok i have to ask.....why are you using a bev QD for the gas?

Good question! It came like that. And I also wondered, are they that different? It seems to be working fine for now, but I'm not sure I can tell. Should I change it? I have many gray QD.

 

[bracconiere]

Good question! It came like that. And I also wondered, are they that different? It seems to be working fine for now, but I'm not sure I can tell. Should I change it? I have many gray QD.

maybe they used a bev post for the gas too? i forget how to tell the posts apart.....i think one or the other has a ridge where it locks, i have two empty ball lock kegs and an almost empty glass of beer that needs filling, i'll take a look and update.....

 

[bwible]

They ARE that different. If you put the wrong one on the wrong side, first it will be really hard to smash it on there, and second it will be really really really hard to get it back off. Don’t ask me how I know this.

 

[bracconiere]

Don’t ask me how I know this.

can i take a guess though? carbing with the bev side? lol

UPDATE: just looked the bev post has a ridge before the locking groove, gas does not.....

 

[TenaCJed]

I have the kegland 5L mini keg and have no issues at all with it. Yes the pickup tube it comes with is not stainless, but you cut it to size and I have had no issues with it not picking up to the bottom. It is on you to ensure the length is good though. I use it mostly for travel and share, have a mini regulator hooked up that takes the small CO2 cartridges that are threaded.

With that said, unless you find a good deal like I did when I purchased everything to include the regulator, it might be cheaper to just buy a 1.75 or 2.5 gallon keg. I have now done both when there was a good sale on a 1.75 gallon keg last Christmas time frame.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

This adds 39.99 to the cost of the keg, so a 2 gallon keg is going to cost you $80 total. And I’m not crazy about that plastic hose for a dip tube. These things come rolled up in shipping and they NEVER want to stay straight like you’d need for this.

Yeah, the cost of the ball lock adaptor is an issue with the mini-kegs (and a big reason why I got a pair of Torpedo kegs myself). The "can" type kegs might be a cost effective solution in a model where you had several cans (maybe 6, maybe a mix of sizes) and just 1 or 2 of the adaptors. I am not sure if it would be possible to naturally carbonate a batch in the can and then swap in an adaptor when ready to serve. The cans are also available in smaller sizes that might fit better in a fridge.

One of these days I need to pick up one of the Kegland Tee-Adaptors and a few carb caps and see how it works for small batches. It would be awesome if I could track down 4L bottles...some of the dollar stores around might sell 3L soda bottles. PCO 1881 Carbonation Cap Tee Piece

 

[Elric]

One of these days I need to pick up one of the Kegland Tee-Adaptors and a few carb caps and see how it works for small batches. It would be awesome if I could track down 4L bottles...some of the dollar stores around might sell 3L soda bottles. PCO 1881 Carbonation Cap Tee Piece

I have the cap tee piece. My last fruited sour I was planning on getting around 2 gallons out of. Figured I would keg one gallon and bottle the other. There was a lot of waste from the fruit so I had more like 1.5 gallons instead and couldn’t be bothered with bottling so few beers so grabbed a 2l pop bottle and the tee piece and setup a mini keg with it. Worked pretty well. Have gone through that one already and am serving from the regular 1 gallon keg now. Would use again in a pinch again or transfer out to a 2l to easily bring a bit of draft on the go for a small gathering or picnic.

 

[Elysium82]

I am not sure I would recommend using those 5L mini-kegs. It looks like the guy in the video is just using his as a cask type serving setup...without adding CO2 and just pumping air into the keg. That might work okay if you take it to a party or drink it all in a few days. I had one of the Party Tap setups that used small CO2 cartridges and it was a frustrating experience.

There are small kegging setups that work either off cartridges, small CO2 tanks, or full CO2 tanks. I have a pair of 2.5 gal Torpedo kegs and they also make 1.5 gal kegs. I have a full CO2 tank and regulator myself.

Kegland makes an array of small kegs that appear to be good quality. These might fit your needs: KegLand Mini Kegs

If I understand it correctly...he uses priming sugar and that is how he carbonates it. That is all.
In terms of the pressure inside: no idea how he deals with that.: D