portable dispensing in the 3rd world

[Chachane186]

Dear More knowledgable person than I,

I currently have a approx 5 gal of sweet carbonated apple cider in a 5gal corny keg. I am trying to figure out how to make this cider portable and I've researched a number of things.

1. I could bring my co2 tank with me wherever I go but this a hassle as the tubing is bring run through various holes and fridges etc. and I'd have to detach it from the regulator every time I travelled with it... which is a bit of a pain.

2. I have a spare regulator that is a bit temperamental which I could use while out of the house when I need to be portable... which is another option.

3. I checked up on using a co2 keg charger but I can't find the correct size bulbs where I live and I'm not sure if they are even food grade since they are primarily used for paintball and BB guns. Also, I have no idea how I would use a paintball tank, I don't know where to get them from here and aren't they like 4500 psi?

4. I was debating building a bicycle picnic pump and attaching it to the quick connect ball lock on the corny keg gas tower but I think that there would be an issue with oxidation.

5. I went with option 4 and used regular air to pump into the keg and push out the cider like one would do in college or tailgating... I know there is an issue with oxidation if I didn't finish the cider in a day. But... What if i didn't finish the cider in the keg and instead at the end of the day put the keg back on the co2 and attached it to my bar again? Would I still have an oxidation problem? Would I be able to still drink the cider or would it become nasty apple wine because of the air that I pumped in over the course of that day/night?

6. Are there any other options that I could perhaps consider for this?

Any and all help would be great.

Thanks so much!!

~Me!

 

[IslandLizard]

5. The longer your cider (or beer) is exposed to air the more it oxidizes. Higher temperatures also have a more negative effect. When you come home you should purge the headspace with CO2 a few times to dilute the existing air.

EDIT: It takes quite a few purges to get rid of enough air to prevent further exposure to oxygen (air). Plus the oxygen that dissolved in your cider during the day and transport back is still there doing it's harm.

Perhaps using a smaller (5#), more portable separate CO2 tank for travel purposes would be your best bet.
I understand your dilemma, I have thought about it too for when I want to take a keg of beer to share somewhere. A 20# tank, regulator, chilling bucket, ice, hoses and tap is a lot of schlepping. I may build a jockey box, although that still requires a gas tank and ice.

 

[phug]

Use a BierMuncherBottleFiller and either take 2 litre PET bottles?

Use a BMBF and fill a 1 gallon minikeg?

 

[Chachane186]

Sorry for the delayed response.

Thanks so much for the replies guys, I really do appreciate it!

I decided that risking oxidizing the cider was just too great a risk of off flavours and making people sick so I did some research and I think I can buy some 12g CO2 bulbs here, they aren't food grade (will this be a problem?) and I'm getting one of those keg chargers that I can plug into the gas in port of a corny keg and charge the keg.

Hopefully this will work.

Thanks so much for all your help!!

~Shawn

 

[junic55]

I just saw this on Craigslist.
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/for/4443242156.html

I am building one of these.

 

[tokerlund]

Buy a Carbonator Cap for about $5. Then fill empty 2L pop bottles with your cider. Simple and cheap. You can also fill a Growler from your picnic tapper with a bottle filler wand and a stopper of the correct size. There is also a commercial product that converts the CO2 cartridges from paint ball to Corny Keg connectors.