Picnic Tap 2.1 trouble

[KegLand]

Have any of you guys compared this Picnic Tap 2.1 with our own Nukatap Mini. It would be great if one of you guys could do a review. If any of you guys are prepared to upload a video review with both products side by side we would be happy to ship you a sample one of ours to test out but ideally we would want you to already have the Picnic Tap 2.1 already. We are always looking for feedback especially on new products and it would be valuable to us to know how we compare. Please PM me if you are interested.

 

[GoodTruble]

Picnic Tap 2.1 was shipped USPS. Tracking says it will arrive by tomorrow night. If it gets here in time, I'll post my thoughts and some pics this weekend (-but my local USPS misses delivery windows often).

 

[AlexKay]

Have any of you guys compared this Picnic Tap 2.1 with our own Nukatap Mini. It would be great if one of you guys could do a review. If any of you guys are prepared to upload a video review with both products side by side we would be happy to ship you a sample one of ours to test out but ideally we would want you to already have the Picnic Tap 2.1 already. We are always looking for feedback especially on new products and it would be valuable to us to know how we compare. Please PM me if you are interested.

Just curiously…are the products comparable? The 2.1 has that spiral flow restrictor that lets you back with 10+ psi, not use any beer line, and still get a low-foam pour. Does your Mini have anything comparable inside? Can you use it with fully carbonated beer, push it with 10 psi, and still connect it directly to the tank? Can you post a picture of a pour after doing this?

 

[GoodTruble]

Just curiously…are the products comparable? The 2.1 has that spiral flow restrictor that lets you back with 10+ psi, not use any beer line, and still get a low-foam pour. Does your Mini have anything comparable inside? Can you use it with fully carbonated beer, push it with 10 psi, and still connect it directly to the tank? Can you post a picture of a pour after doing this?

In the video, they pair it with a flow control disconnect.

 

[Barleycapable]

Have any of you guys compared this Picnic Tap 2.1 with our own Nukatap Mini. It would be great if one of you guys could do a review. If any of you guys are prepared to upload a video review with both products side by side we would be happy to ship you a sample one of ours to test out but ideally we would want you to already have the Picnic Tap 2.1 already. We are always looking for feedback especially on new products and it would be valuable to us to know how we compare. Please PM me if you are interested.

I'd be more than happy to

 

[moreb33rplz]

Oooh. I'd do a review I use the picnic 2.1 low profile already

 

[fluketamer]

these are totally different products. the 2.1 has a ball lock disconnect needs no beer lines, has built in flow control so you can serve over 10 psi and is low profile i dont see the comparison.

 

[Barleycapable]

these are totally different products. the 2.1 has a ball lock disconnect needs no beer lines, has built in flow control so you can serve over 10 psi and is low profile i dont see the comparison.

The video shows it in combination with a flow control disconnect, which purportedly does a similar thing.

 

[sibelman]

How much does that combo cost? The only prices I saw on Kegland's web site were the naked tap (<$20) and a combo with gas side equipment (>$120) presumably in Aussie dollars.

 

[KegLand]

Oooh. I'd do a review I use the picnic 2.1 low profile already

Can you please send us a PM and we will organize to ship you a unit.

 

[KegLand]

How much does that combo cost? The only prices I saw on Kegland's web site were the naked tap (<$20) and a combo with gas side equipment (>$120) presumably in Aussie dollars.

The cost for the combo is:

Flow Control Ball Lock Disconnect AUD$14.95
POK duotight 8mm x Flow Control Ball Lock Disconnect (Liquid Black + Yellow)

Nukatap Mini AUD$18.95
Nukatap Mini - Tap only

Nukatap Mini Duotight Adaptor AUD$9.95
Nukatap Mini - duotight adaptor - 8mm (5/16")

So the total is AUD$43.85. If you convert this to USD at todays exchange rate then the price would be USD$28.37

 

[SanPancho]

Have any of you guys compared this Picnic Tap 2.1 with our own Nukatap Mini. It would be great if one of you guys could do a review. If any of you guys are prepared to upload a video review with both products side by side we would be happy to ship you a sample one of ours to test out but ideally we would want you to already have the Picnic Tap 2.1 already. We are always looking for feedback especially on new products and it would be valuable to us to know how we compare. Please PM me if you are interested.

i'd be happy to do so. my experience with picnic 2.1 was horrible. damn thing still leaks as soon as you put it on the keg. all i want is just a simple direct tap for a keg so i dont have 20 miles of serving tube making a mess in my keezer. (or 32km for you aussies)

 

[Saunassa]

@KegLand I wish I had seen this earlier.
I have 2 of the picnic 2.1 and they have worked well for me pouring at a small farm fest. Next weekend 9/9/2023 we have our local harvest moon brew fest and I will be serving directly from corny kegs and not growlers. We average 550 to 600 people at the fest so lots of pouring at the club brew tent. I would love to compare these two products and see which works better for outside use.
Short time period to get one to northern Minnesota but if possible a great test.

 

[micraftbeer]

I've used both of these (picnic tap and ball lock flow control nukatap). I think they're best at different things. And depending on what you are looking for in particular, you'll find one more suitable and the other unacceptable.

Picnic Tap 2.0
It's compact so it fits easily in your keezer/fridge on your keg. That's good, because it likes to stay cold (otherwise foams like others have noted). Mine has been drip-free and leak-free, but obviously that's not everyone's experience. So if you have a non-leaky one, you could leave it sitting on your keg in in your keezer to take samples as your beer carbonates and/or matures.

There are two big downsides for my particular usage. 1) Its tiny size is also a downfall. With it sitting on a keg, in a keezer full of other kegs, I couldn't get a cup under it to pour my sample without a lot of hassle. I also tried it in what I consider "picnic mode" where I have a keg in an insulated bag with an ice pack. It was too short to stick out of the bag, making it non-functional as a picnic tap. The other downside for me was the pouring speed. Painfully slow for me. If I were just filling a couple ounces in a glass for a taste or to check carbonation, this obviously wouldn't be an issue. But to try to fill a pint of beer to drink took way longer than my patience cold tolerate.

So if it were called Sample Tap 2.0, and that's how you planned to use it- inside a keezer/beer fridge just to collect small samples, then it's a perfect solution.

Nukatap Flow Control Keg Faucet
I was impressed with how this worked. Having tried the non-flow-control taps attached to a ball lock, I can attest those are a foamy mess directly attached to a keg. (But to a growler with a really skinny dip tube they do work, though.) It's size is smaller than a length of tubing and the standard cobra/picnic taps with all their various troubles, yet big enough to stick out of my insulated keg bag. It is not drip free, it's like any keg faucet. There's always a couple drips to fall after you pull your glass away. So it's not a good solution to sit on your keg in your keezer full time.

It does allow you to fill a full pint glass in a normal amount of time, but you do get a bit more foam. But not huge amounts. See picture below, for beer from my cold keezer (16 ounce glasses). Nukatap flow control adjusted to fill glass in same speed as my keezer (12 seconds):

 

[Barleycapable]

I've used both of these (picnic tap and ball lock flow control nukatap). I think they're best at different things. And depending on what you are looking for in particular, you'll find one more suitable and the other unacceptable.

Awesome review, thanks for the side-by-side pics!

I've since used the PT 2.1 on a few other brews, and it's been leak-free and non-foamy for all of them. I think the problem was that the first beer I tried was an American wheat, so maybe the more foamy nature of the wheat base caused my issues. The rest have been all-barley malt and have come out foam-free and without leaks.

 

[KegLand]

I've used both of these (picnic tap and ball lock flow control nukatap). I think they're best at different things. And depending on what you are looking for in particular, you'll find one more suitable and the other unacceptable.

Picnic Tap 2.0
It's compact so it fits easily in your keezer/fridge on your keg. That's good, because it likes to stay cold (otherwise foams like others have noted). Mine has been drip-free and leak-free, but obviously that's not everyone's experience. So if you have a non-leaky one, you could leave it sitting on your keg in in your keezer to take samples as your beer carbonates and/or matures.

There are two big downsides for my particular usage. 1) Its tiny size is also a downfall. With it sitting on a keg, in a keezer full of other kegs, I couldn't get a cup under it to pour my sample without a lot of hassle. I also tried it in what I consider "picnic mode" where I have a keg in an insulated bag with an ice pack. It was too short to stick out of the bag, making it non-functional as a picnic tap. The other downside for me was the pouring speed. Painfully slow for me. If I were just filling a couple ounces in a glass for a taste or to check carbonation, this obviously wouldn't be an issue. But to try to fill a pint of beer to drink took way longer than my patience cold tolerate.

So if it were called Sample Tap 2.0, and that's how you planned to use it- inside a keezer/beer fridge just to collect small samples, then it's a perfect solution.

Nukatap Flow Control Keg Faucet
I was impressed with how this worked. Having tried the non-flow-control taps attached to a ball lock, I can attest those are a foamy mess directly attached to a keg. (But to a growler with a really skinny dip tube they do work, though.) It's size is smaller than a length of tubing and the standard cobra/picnic taps with all their various troubles, yet big enough to stick out of my insulated keg bag. It is not drip free, it's like any keg faucet. There's always a couple drips to fall after you pull your glass away. So it's not a good solution to sit on your keg in your keezer full time.

It does allow you to fill a full pint glass in a normal amount of time, but you do get a bit more foam. But not huge amounts. See picture below, for beer from my cold keezer (16 ounce glasses). Nukatap flow control adjusted to fill glass in same speed as my keezer (12 seconds):
View attachment 828619

I should also say we have a new design of flow control Nukatap FC model that will also come into stock later this year. The new FC mechanism is even better than the existing one and instead of just relying on two cone (male and female) coming together to create the narrow path and high resistance the new model actually uses the speed and momentum of the fluid to slow itself down. We have found this new method to be even better and give a better flow control effect across a wider range of pressures.

The new Nukatap FC version 2 parts are quite small and they are backwards compatible with the older FC taps too. At even quite high pressures they will create substantially less foam. So this would be something that would also be good for you to compare too if you wanted to do a review down the track.

 

[Barleycapable]

I should also say we have a new design of flow control Nukatap FC model that will also come into stock later this year.

Awesome, I’m very interested! All four of my taps are Nuka FC

 

[vmaxept]

Well, a bit old thread but, I wanted come back after my #19 post... I have 4 of these going OK, BUT now 3 failed leaking . I tried to rebuild but they failed after a few pints.
Sorry but I am now giving up. I just ordered the new Nukatap Mini with the flow control keg post and the return spring. So hoping for a better on keg tap.

 

[Closet Fermenter]

Sorry but I am now giving up. I just ordered the new Nukatap Mini with the flow control keg post and the return spring. So hoping for a better on keg tap.

By all means, let us know how this works for you. I have a couple of the tapits that seem to be working fine, but I am very interested in how these new ones perform. It certainly has a better look.
Cheers!

 

[vmaxept]

Put the new mini tap on a keg. Took a few try's to get it setup, tinker the CO2 PSI and adjust the flow control keg post. Had to drop CO2 down to 5 or less. Pouring almost foam free. So far better then tapit2.1. Too bad I did like them. With the 5 I have, will use them until they start leaking.
If the Nukatap performs well, will order another kit.

 

[quantumguy]

Put the new mini tap on a keg. Took a few try's to get it setup, tinker the CO2 PSI and adjust the flow control keg post. Had to drop CO2 down to 5 or less. Pouring almost foam free. So far better then tapit2.1. Too bad I did like them. With the 5 I have, will use them until they start leaking.
If the Nukatap performs well, will order another kit.

I'm curious about one thing - when you have to decrease the CO2 down to 5 psi or less to get a good pour, don't you then have to afterwards increase it back to your normal carbonation level, e.g., 10 psi or so? Otherwise I would think your beer in the keg will eventually lose its original carbonation level. Seems a bit of a PITA to have to fiddle with the CO2 with each pour.

 

[mac_1103]

Isn't the flow control QD supposed to take care of the foam without having to turn down the pressure?

 

[vmaxept]

So far its good. I carb in the keg with sugar added when filling keg, Set CO2 to 20psi for 3 weeks Bleed off excess as needed to keep at 20 psi. I normally drop to 10 psi or lower to serve, ( when I used the tapit2). I quit the hose and picnic tap long ago.. Tried the large flow control taps, they worked OK. But too big for my small kegs and the fridge
I am still working on the best settings between psi and the QD adjustment. It is not a major issue for me to drop to 5 then increase to 10. I have 2.5g kegs with paint ball tanks and on tank regulator. I am sure I will get it working better. Only took 2 pints out of the keg. Its a learning thing

 

[quantumguy]

wow, 20 psi, that's some serious carbonation.

 

[tracer bullet]

I keep my serving pressure at 12psi all day every day. The Picnic tap was hit and miss for me, some beers it worked, some it didn't. Customer service was outstanding though. The Nukatap FC's have been better overall. I think that they too vary with the beer, but the worst performance of the Nukatap is better than the worst performance of the Picnic tap, if that makes sense. When they both work well then they are identical. I've been wondering if there's a property to the beer that creates this variation. My last lager was a bit troublesome, my current English better is overall pouring well, and my Imperial Stout has no problems at all even at a higher pour speed. Beer gravity might actually be a factor as to if they "want" to foam up or not?

Super interested in what this V2 Nukatap FC is about. I'm ready to buy a conversion kit any time. @KegLand if you have a moment please give us an update!

 

[mac_1103]

wow, 20 psi, that's some serious carbonation.

It's also the upper limit for the picnic tap 2.1, so if your regulator is off just a little then you'd be asking the device to do something that the manufacturer tells you it isn't capable of.

 

[vmaxept]

I let the beer naturally carb in the keg at 20 psi. After a 2 to 3 week condition phase I drop to 10 psi with the tapit2, maybe a little lower close to 6 then back up to 10. As others indicated not all beers pour the same. The nuk tap is getting dialed in. Pulled a pint today psi at 8 a bit of foam 1/4 of the glass , let it sit for bit then topped off. Working OK for me

 

[vmaxept]

Another followup. I have the new NUK Tap working great. Just tinker with CO2 and the adjustable OD. I found the tap closer spring (add on) does not work, never get a full close when I let off the tap. will pull the tap off keg and remove it. Easy enough to make sure to push the tap closed

 

[tracer bullet]

Interesting, mine close completely, and are strong enough I start to wonder if I'm putting too much stress on the disconnect when I have them open.

 

[tracer bullet]

I should also say we have a new design of flow control Nukatap FC model that will also come into stock later this year. The new FC mechanism is even better than the existing one and instead of just relying on two cone (male and female) coming together to create the narrow path and high resistance the new model actually uses the speed and momentum of the fluid to slow itself down. We have found this new method to be even better and give a better flow control effect across a wider range of pressures.

The new Nukatap FC version 2 parts are quite small and they are backwards compatible with the older FC taps too. At even quite high pressures they will create substantially less foam. So this would be something that would also be good for you to compare too if you wanted to do a review down the track.

@KegLand - I wanted to try again to see if you'd be able to share any more info, even if it's just a new target date.