I have the Cheap & Cheer bottle filler and it works fine. It's on his website (Home - Homebrewer LAB). Well it used to be and that's where I bought mine from. Don't see it there right now
Picnic Tap 2.1 trouble
- Thread starter Barleycapable
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Seems the opening is about 6mm. This 6.3mm tubing might work. I don't have that size to try, unfortunately.
Ha. As @Barleycapable said, I don't see for sale stateside, but that's definitely what I was picturing. I may try to rig up something similar (if I can get my tap to work correctly in then first place).
It's in drop down menus for the 2.1.
The only drop down menu I see if for ball lock or pin lock disconnect.
I checked it out last night. I have tubing that fits snug over the mouth of the tap, but side area is so small/limited that there is no good way to keep the tube snug. Not enough room for a clamp (or even a zip tie), and the friction from the tube itself is not enough to hold in place even when the tube is empty. So I will focus on trying to locate and purchase a proper one.
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Sweet. Ordered one. Thank you.Try here for the filler (with another tap)
Terrific. Let us know how it works.
OP
OP
An update for anyone interested:
I noticed that the foam only started coming out when I opened the tap all the way, but if I twisted just short of the tactile click—say 90% of the twist tap's throw—it pours perfectly.
The leak continues, but much slower with the partial twist method. It seems like the problem is with those OEM taps Trong uses, so hopefully the replacement kit he sent me fixes that.
I noticed that the foam only started coming out when I opened the tap all the way, but if I twisted just short of the tactile click—say 90% of the twist tap's throw—it pours perfectly.
The leak continues, but much slower with the partial twist method. It seems like the problem is with those OEM taps Trong uses, so hopefully the replacement kit he sent me fixes that.
Okay, tried it out tonight with cold beer and a cold tap, and it worked great. This was from a fermzilla all-rounder that had been spunding at 10 PSI for about 10 days....
The beer was plenty carbed, but no foaming issues at all. And no leaks, though I did not turn it all the way to the "locked" position.
My bottle filler version arrives Saturday, and I will trying it out this weekend when I keg and bottle these two beers. I'll update with my thoughts of the Picnic Tap 2.1 as a bottle filler.
The beer was plenty carbed, but no foaming issues at all. And no leaks, though I did not turn it all the way to the "locked" position.
My bottle filler version arrives Saturday, and I will trying it out this weekend when I keg and bottle these two beers. I'll update with my thoughts of the Picnic Tap 2.1 as a bottle filler.
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.
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).
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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.
OP
OP
I'd be more than happy to
moreb33rplz
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Oooh. I'd do a review I use the picnic 2.1 low profile already
fluketamer
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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.
OP
OP
The video shows it in combination with a flow control disconnect, which purportedly does a similar thing.
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.
Can you please send us a PM and we will organize to ship you a unit.
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
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)
@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.
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.
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):
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):
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OP
OP
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.
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.
OP
OP
Awesome, I’m very interested! All four of my taps are Nuka FC
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.
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!
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.
If the Nukatap performs well, will order another kit.
