Earlier in the year, I decided I had enough of bottling and wanted to start kegging. I didn't have the money to start a kegerator or keezer build, so I started researching five liter kegs. I found the Brewferm Mini Keg starter pack with the posh picnic tap to be the one I wanted (two sites sold the same package, each with different tap set ups). Just my luck that the one I wanted was not in stock, so I had to play the patience game. I'd planned to take a keg camping with me but this wasn't going to be. So, I went to the supermarket and purchased an Easy Keg of something to everyone's liking. I found the use easy, and it didn't take too long to settle down after a three hour drive. My first thought was refilling it. After all, why let a perfectly good keg go to waste? So when I got home, I started researching.
The Easy Keg and the Mini Keg
There was plenty of information on the web, and everyone seemed to have a few useful snippets here and there, but I was still left scratching my head. I thought I'd put this article together, as it combines a lot of the information I gathered and a bit of my own, which I think makes things a bit easier.
The differences:
As from the pictures, it's easy to see the physical differences. The Easy Keg has a pressure relief valve and a tap at the bottom for dispensing. There's no additional equipment needed. You release the pressure and pour the beer using gravity. However this does introduce oxygen into your beer so the recommended time to drink is 3 days.
The Mini Keg
The Mini Keg is basically just a tin with a hole big enough for a bung in the top. If you don't have a tap with it, you can't get to your beer. The tap unit comes with a holder for a 16 gram CO2 bulb which allows for pressure adjustment, so you can get the pour you prefer. I've read that one bulb can last 3 kegs, however I have yet to see that and find I'm changing midway through the second keg.
The Mini Keg with tap set up
The unit comes in three pieces, not including the handle. The screw threads on the dip tube and spout are plastic so over tightening will damage the unit. Once together and pushed into keg, your beer is ready to serve. As you pour, the beer removed is replaced with CO2 so the keg will last longer.
Filling time!!
Filling both kegs is basically the same but the first issue we have is getting into the Easy Keg. The pressure relief valve was a bugger to remove, until now! I saw a video of someone going at it with a pair of pliers, people prying them out with knives. Don't bother trying with your fingers as you'll rip your nails off. The rubber grommet is made of a hardened rubber which helps it to hold its shape and keep a good air tight seal. This bung is made of three pieces: the rubber grommet and two pieces of plastic that make up the pressure relief valve.
To remove:
1. Pull hard on the plastic tab on the pressure relief valve so it comes away.
2. Using a blunt object of the right size, push down on the remaining part of the pressure relief so it falls into the keg.
3. Gently remove the bung.
Easy Keg bung removal
Simple and no damaged finger nails! You could spend ages trying to fish or shake the plastic part out of the keg, or you can fill it with cleaning solution and let it either float out (if you're lucky), or let it fall out when emptying the solution.
The Mini Keg is a bit simpler because the plastic stopper was pushed in when inserting the tap unit. Just gently remove the bung and its ready to clean.
Mini Keg bung removal
I'm not going to tell you how to clean and sanitize, as you all have your own methods. As I said, filling is basically the same. Mix your priming solution into the keg and siphon your beer on top. Fill to the top of the first ring from the top, leaving about an inch of headspace. The kegs can't take a lot of pressure, and will buckle if the pressure builds up too much. I've read fifteen grams of sugar is the max and I haven't tried more than this. Ten grams seems to be enough for the styles I've put in them. Put the bungs back together and rest the Mini Keg bung on top until I've finished filling everything else to allow the air to be pushed out. The Easy Keg can have the bung pushed fully home and just leave the pressure relief valve set on open for a while to do the same job. It may not be necessary, but it's something I do.
Patience as always!!
It's the worst part of brewing in my eyes: waiting those few weeks for the beer to condition. But it's always worth it!
Serving from the Easy Keg is the easier of the two; pull the tap out, pour a squirt of beer to release some of the pressure and open the pressure relief valve. There may be a small amount of foaming. Hopefully, the first squirt would have cleared the sediment so the beer is ready to go. If not, pull off a small amount and discard. Remember to close the pressure relief once you've finished drinking from it.
Serving from the Easy Keg (I'm not advertising here)
The Mini Keg has a bit more to it, as the tap unit needs to be cleaned and sanitized before the beer can be tapped. I also put a small bit of sanitizer on the bung as the plastic part in the center also comes in contact with the beer and will be for as long as you pour from the keg. I only have the dip tube connected at this point as it makes it easier to push. The idea is to put the dip tube on the center of the grommet and then push the dip tube in in one swift motion. I learned the hard way, or should I say the wet way, to do it this way as I once briefly paused during the push and beer came out of a small hole in the dip tube (red arrow) and went all over my shirt. I've read people using lube to make the motion easier, but the hole in the grommet is tight enough that it will remove the majority of the lube so I've not bothered. Other then a bit of resistance, I have had no issues getting the tap unit in.
Tapping the Mini keg
Once the tap is fully home and the latches on the tap are locked on to the keg, you're ready to go. Screw the spout in and push on the handle. Screw in the CO2 bulb and set the pressure. I slowly increase the pressure during the pour until I'm getting a good balance of beer pour and foam and leave it at that. Too much pressure makes for a great ice beer sundae! The handle takes a few pours to get used to, but once it's all right, it pours a great beer.
Serving from the Mini Keg
Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but I'll take one of those over bottling any time. I've seen some crazy setups with people hooking them up to CO2 bottles for force carbonating, but that seems a bit much in my eyes. They're great for taking around to a mate's, on camping trips and picnics, or just sitting in your fridge for your pleasure. The handles from the Easy Kegs fit the Mini Kegs making transport easy and you haven't got to worry about taking CO2 bottles and pipes for the larger corny keg setup. In my eyes, this is a great little piece for the homebrew set up.
This isn't a comprehensive be-all and end-all method so please share if you feel like I've missed something or want to add something of your own.
Thanks for reading and happy brewing!!
The Easy Keg and the Mini Keg
There was plenty of information on the web, and everyone seemed to have a few useful snippets here and there, but I was still left scratching my head. I thought I'd put this article together, as it combines a lot of the information I gathered and a bit of my own, which I think makes things a bit easier.
The differences:
As from the pictures, it's easy to see the physical differences. The Easy Keg has a pressure relief valve and a tap at the bottom for dispensing. There's no additional equipment needed. You release the pressure and pour the beer using gravity. However this does introduce oxygen into your beer so the recommended time to drink is 3 days.
The Mini Keg
The Mini Keg is basically just a tin with a hole big enough for a bung in the top. If you don't have a tap with it, you can't get to your beer. The tap unit comes with a holder for a 16 gram CO2 bulb which allows for pressure adjustment, so you can get the pour you prefer. I've read that one bulb can last 3 kegs, however I have yet to see that and find I'm changing midway through the second keg.
The Mini Keg with tap set up
The unit comes in three pieces, not including the handle. The screw threads on the dip tube and spout are plastic so over tightening will damage the unit. Once together and pushed into keg, your beer is ready to serve. As you pour, the beer removed is replaced with CO2 so the keg will last longer.
Filling time!!
Filling both kegs is basically the same but the first issue we have is getting into the Easy Keg. The pressure relief valve was a bugger to remove, until now! I saw a video of someone going at it with a pair of pliers, people prying them out with knives. Don't bother trying with your fingers as you'll rip your nails off. The rubber grommet is made of a hardened rubber which helps it to hold its shape and keep a good air tight seal. This bung is made of three pieces: the rubber grommet and two pieces of plastic that make up the pressure relief valve.
To remove:
1. Pull hard on the plastic tab on the pressure relief valve so it comes away.
2. Using a blunt object of the right size, push down on the remaining part of the pressure relief so it falls into the keg.
3. Gently remove the bung.
Easy Keg bung removal
Simple and no damaged finger nails! You could spend ages trying to fish or shake the plastic part out of the keg, or you can fill it with cleaning solution and let it either float out (if you're lucky), or let it fall out when emptying the solution.
The Mini Keg is a bit simpler because the plastic stopper was pushed in when inserting the tap unit. Just gently remove the bung and its ready to clean.
Mini Keg bung removal
I'm not going to tell you how to clean and sanitize, as you all have your own methods. As I said, filling is basically the same. Mix your priming solution into the keg and siphon your beer on top. Fill to the top of the first ring from the top, leaving about an inch of headspace. The kegs can't take a lot of pressure, and will buckle if the pressure builds up too much. I've read fifteen grams of sugar is the max and I haven't tried more than this. Ten grams seems to be enough for the styles I've put in them. Put the bungs back together and rest the Mini Keg bung on top until I've finished filling everything else to allow the air to be pushed out. The Easy Keg can have the bung pushed fully home and just leave the pressure relief valve set on open for a while to do the same job. It may not be necessary, but it's something I do.
Patience as always!!
It's the worst part of brewing in my eyes: waiting those few weeks for the beer to condition. But it's always worth it!
Serving from the Easy Keg is the easier of the two; pull the tap out, pour a squirt of beer to release some of the pressure and open the pressure relief valve. There may be a small amount of foaming. Hopefully, the first squirt would have cleared the sediment so the beer is ready to go. If not, pull off a small amount and discard. Remember to close the pressure relief once you've finished drinking from it.
Serving from the Easy Keg (I'm not advertising here)
The Mini Keg has a bit more to it, as the tap unit needs to be cleaned and sanitized before the beer can be tapped. I also put a small bit of sanitizer on the bung as the plastic part in the center also comes in contact with the beer and will be for as long as you pour from the keg. I only have the dip tube connected at this point as it makes it easier to push. The idea is to put the dip tube on the center of the grommet and then push the dip tube in in one swift motion. I learned the hard way, or should I say the wet way, to do it this way as I once briefly paused during the push and beer came out of a small hole in the dip tube (red arrow) and went all over my shirt. I've read people using lube to make the motion easier, but the hole in the grommet is tight enough that it will remove the majority of the lube so I've not bothered. Other then a bit of resistance, I have had no issues getting the tap unit in.
Tapping the Mini keg
Once the tap is fully home and the latches on the tap are locked on to the keg, you're ready to go. Screw the spout in and push on the handle. Screw in the CO2 bulb and set the pressure. I slowly increase the pressure during the pour until I'm getting a good balance of beer pour and foam and leave it at that. Too much pressure makes for a great ice beer sundae! The handle takes a few pours to get used to, but once it's all right, it pours a great beer.
Serving from the Mini Keg
Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but I'll take one of those over bottling any time. I've seen some crazy setups with people hooking them up to CO2 bottles for force carbonating, but that seems a bit much in my eyes. They're great for taking around to a mate's, on camping trips and picnics, or just sitting in your fridge for your pleasure. The handles from the Easy Kegs fit the Mini Kegs making transport easy and you haven't got to worry about taking CO2 bottles and pipes for the larger corny keg setup. In my eyes, this is a great little piece for the homebrew set up.
This isn't a comprehensive be-all and end-all method so please share if you feel like I've missed something or want to add something of your own.
Thanks for reading and happy brewing!!
