Kegs with tops cut out?

[dmbnpj]

I keep seeing what look like kegs with the tops cut out while searching for info. Are these used as the boilers for full boil recipes?

 

[woollybugger2]

They are called Keggles

 

[ShortSnoutBrewing]

Boil kettles, HLT, and some use them for direct fire MLT's. A LOT cheaper then buying an actual 15.5 SS pot.

 

[dmbnpj]

Is the HLT a mash tun?

 

[dmbnpj]

.........................

 

[dmbnpj]

Where are full kegs even found? Even at the local stores the largest I have seen is a half keg. Will the wort boil over on a 1/2 keg?

 

[flyfisher4est]

HLT = Hot Liquor Tank, that is used to heat up the water going into the MLT=Mash Lauter Tun.
There is a lot of talk about how to acquire kegs.
To be completely legal you should buy the keg from somewhere like Sabco etc.
Others "find" kegs at junk yards or other places.

 

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

Best place is a local scrapyard, for me it's a recycling center. Some breweries will sell the old decommisioned (aka damaged) kegs to the scrapyard, where you can pick them up for 25-35 bucks. Some are not in good shape and may have holes and/or dents, but you can usually find a couple that just need to be beaten back into shape. Add a weldless ball valve kit and you've got a nice 15 gallon SS kettle for cheap.

 

[dmbnpj]

So will a 15 gallon keg fit on a stand that comes with a turkey frier (already have a turkey frier, hoping the burner would work)?

 

[dmbnpj]

I am now confused on what a half keg is? I always get kegs from Total Wine near my home and what I always get is the largest they have which is called a half keg. For a party we normally get Miller lite and the half keg comes to $150 including the deposit so when we turn the shell back in the beer normally costs about $100. Is this "half keg" that I am referring to the 15.5 gallon keg that is needed?

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

That "half keg" is a half barrel. 2 kegs make a barrel. An actual half keg or poney keg, iss 7.5 US gallons.

To confuse you more. European and Canadian kegs are usually 50 Liters which is about 13 US gallons. Standard US kegs are 55L or 15.5 USG.

 

[dmbnpj]

So the "half barrel" is actually a keg which is 15.5 gallons?


...my Miller Lite was 15.5 gallons?

 

[chefmike]

I really hope the $150 for MILLER LITE included a tap deposit, as that should be a $60 keg of beer... or you really need to get out of the college town to buy beer!!!!! (or start brewing 10 gallon batches in that new keggle quick... you could make a fortune in the "tip" jar...)

 

[magnj]

Yea a 1/2 Keg of Coors Light here was like $60.
On the keg procurement issue, this particular place I have gotten a keg from had something like a $30 deposit for the keg. When I asked them when I should bring it back they said, whenever you want your money. What if I don't ever bring it back...is that against the "rules". Who would that hurt, etc?

 

[dmbnpj]

Yeah, its overpriced around here. $50 deposit and $100 for the actual beer inside. Just got one for the superbowl this year, and I thought the price had gone way up since last year.

 

[yeasty]

so what if someone accidentally took the keg home after the party ? its just easier for them to return it to their local beer distributor....BUT if you found one at the scrap yard how would you go about modifying it ? hack saws and drills, or torches and gas ? anyone got pics of how to modify a half keg into a keggle ???

 

[dmbnpj]

sure, check the link in the second post of this thread

 

[yeasty]

nice...im going to be up all nite now working my new keggle out !

 

[dmbnpj]

So the keggle then will boil the beer without boilover. After that, it is transferred to an MLT. Anyone have a good link to this process? I am wondering how long the wort stays in the MLT? And another million questions, so a link would be great. Thanks

 

[chefmike]

You need to go read in the all grain brewing section or hit how to brew on the web at How to Brew - By John Palmer

generally it is 60 minutes in the MLT and it will open up a whole new world of obsession for you!

 

[dontman]

So the keggle then will boil the beer without boilover. After that, it is transferred to an MLT. Anyone have a good link to this process? I am wondering how long the wort stays in the MLT? And another million questions, so a link would be great. Thanks

Pretty sure you're confusing a bunch of terms here.

HLT = Hot Liquor Tank = fancy name for water boiling tank (don't confuse Liquor here with beer, it actually means water)

Hot water goes into Mash/Lauter Tun with grains to make wort

Wort goes into Keggle to boil with hops for boil

Then that goes into Fermenter.

 

[dmbnpj]

upon googling the past couple hours i am starting to get it. so the mash tun is a cooler drilled with a spigot on it? you can heat the water to add to the grains in the mash tun in the keggle? after you add the heated water into the mash tun (cooler with spigot) and wait and hour and drain (after vorlaufing), you add back to the keggle, add hops and start to boil?

 

[dontman]

upon googling the past couple hours i am starting to get it. so the mash tun is a cooler drilled with a spigot on it? you can heat the water to add to the grains in the mash tun in the keggle? after you add the heated water into the mash tun (cooler with spigot) and wait and hour and drain (after vorlaufing), you add back to the keggle, add hops and start to boil?

Yes you are starting to get it but there is the sparging which comes between the mash and the boil. This is why you really need three vessels. Ideally 2 keggles and a cooler serving as mash tun. (Could be 3 keggles.)

 

[woollybugger2]

here this guy has a pretty simple setup...

and explains the process fairly well

Part one of two....
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk6d1dy9jOc]YouTube - All Grain Homebrewing from Grain to Glass, part 1[/ame]

Part two

 

[dmbnpj]

good link. thanks.

 

[tolip_ck1]

My converted scrap yard kegs. (20$ a piece I think in 2001) U bolted to 145,00 BTU propane.

Good times.

 

[dmbnpj]

Doing the full boils with propane tanks, approx. how many brews can you get out of one propane tank? The brewing process takes a while and at propane refills close to $25 in my area, I am concerned about the cost before building a rig.

My home has natural gas. Is there a way to tap into that somehow instead? Would that be cheaper?

 

[tolip_ck1]

I can’t give an accurate assessment of how many tanks I go through, as I have only brewed one, on this system. It does not seem to be much to be honest. The burners do not have to be propane you can easily switch them out to natural or buy them that way. I want the portability of the propane, but am tossing around the idea of buying some natural gas burners to switch out if I am planning on brewing at home. Tapping into the gas line is not a problem as you can usually tap of the top of the gas meter and use flexible gas tubing to run the line.

Not really an answer, but both ways are easy.

 

[dmbnpj]

Does anyone have a measurement of where exactly the hole for the spigot drain will need to be drilled in the keg? Or do you just eyeball it to get it as low as possible with enough room for the fittings to fit inside the keg?

What sort of bit will I need to drill through the keg to install the spigot drains?

 

[tolip_ck1]

I just guessed on where, both times it went well. For drilling I used a little oil, a small bit about 1/4in and then a large graduated bit. (not sure of the name.) It steps up in size the further you drill in, that will give you the perfect size hole.

Drill it SLOW!!! you should see shavings coming off, it will be very easy, but do it SLOW. You should be able to watch the bit turn around, use as much pressure as you can without breaking your bit. I used a hole punch to make a ding to mark the drilling point and give something for the drill bit to fall into.

 

[nallanrex]

Like the guy before me said it is VERY important to do it slow and use a lot of pressure. Make sure to use lots of lubricant.

Stainless will work harden if it gets to hot or if there's a lot of chatter.(slow speed and pushing hard will make sure you don't get chatter.) If you work harden stainless it is very difficult near impossible to machine.



-Nick

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

Use lots of oil!

 

[tolip_ck1]

I have tried with lots of oil and I have tried with nothing more than a drop. If you are making a hole in a keg (1/4 in), I think it is more important to have the bit rotate at the slowest speed you can get on a variable speed drill. If you think it will break the bit then step up the size a little. You should be able to make the hole in only a few min. You are just trying to peal the steal away. If it is taking a little longer than that SLOW down, and let the bit cool off.

The oil will help with the cooling, especially if you use a lot, I just hate trying to contain and clean up the oil afterwards. I have drilled most of the 14+ holes in my kegs with just a drop of oil.

Good luck!