TAP-A-DRAFT: first impression...

[kjbatt]

I am now on my third batch using TAD. I added the better caps and still experienced some leakage in one of the bottles after five days. I decided to hook the bottle up to the TAD dispenser and force carb it so that i wouldn't lose very much beer to leakage. The beer was great right away! Good head with good carbonation after standard TAD set-up (two CO2 bottles after chilling).

I have not heard about reducing the priming sugar but that makes sense - I will try that with my next batch.

 

[bergman1118]

TAD ROCKS! I love this lil thing. Fits easily in my fridge, easy to use, and provides good carbonation/head. Has anybody not even needed to use a CO2 when naturally priming? I put the tap on a bottle of my ginger saison the other night, and right after opening the bottle, there was a huge rush of CO2 leaving and immediate bubbling/foaming of the beer inside. After I had secured the tap, it looked and felt (i pressed on the side of the bottle, and it was rock hard) like there was a good bit of CO2 built up already. So I just let the tap loose and started pouring nice foamy beer, perfectly carbonated and with great head. I have still yet to charge a CO2 cartridge into the beer, and 2 days later its still well carbonated and generating good head. Anybody else ever experience this?

 

[brewNdrink]

TAD ROCKS! I love this lil thing. Fits easily in my fridge, easy to use, and provides good carbonation/head. Has anybody not even needed to use a CO2 when naturally priming? I put the tap on a bottle of my ginger saison the other night, and right after opening the bottle, there was a huge rush of CO2 leaving and immediate bubbling/foaming of the beer inside. After I had secured the tap, it looked and felt (i pressed on the side of the bottle, and it was rock hard) like there was a good bit of CO2 built up already. So I just let the tap loose and started pouring nice foamy beer, perfectly carbonated and with great head. I have still yet to charge a CO2 cartridge into the beer, and 2 days later its still well carbonated and generating good head. Anybody else ever experience this?

Wow, sounds like you carbed it good! Did you let the bottle sit in the fridge for 24 hours for the CO2 to absorb into the beer?

That's how I carb my TAD bottles as well; max carbed (except stouts). 15 flat teaspoons per bottle, and I go through 2 CO2s when the pressure dies down to finish it off. Before I was doing the recommended 1/2 amount of priming sugar and I was going through 3 CO2 cartridges. Those things can get costly.

I'm currently experimenting with my stout, the tap-a-draft and nitro cartridges to figure out how to get a nice 25% CO2 / 75% N2O mixture. Also I'm trying to McGyver a restrictor facet to help even more with the head.

I'll update the info on the stout setup after I experiment and drink my way through this.


Tony.

 

[bergman1118]

yeah i let the beer sit in the fridge for about 2 days or so before i put the tap on. that sucker lasted 3 days w/o needing a CO2, and the next bottle I tapped lasted 4 days w/o needing CO2, which is waaaay straight for me. less money needed for the co2 cartridges, more money for makin burr.

 

[brewNdrink]

I'm currently experimenting with my stout, the tap-a-draft and nitro cartridges to figure out how to get a nice 25% CO2 / 75% N2O mixture. Also I'm trying to McGyver a restrictor facet to help even more with the head.

I'll update the info on the stout setup after I experiment and drink my way through this.


Tony.

OK, so my experience using the tap-a-draft with stout beer and the nitro cartridges...

First, if you've naturally primed the stout (I used 10 flat teaspoons of dextrose per bottle) you don't need to use ANY CO2 cartridges; it has plenty of CO2 already. Just use the nitro carts, as you want a mostly nitro stout.

Second, just pouring out of the tap the head was alot more creamy, but had a few large bubbles that kinda spoiled the look. I put a small fine strainer over my stout glass and poured into it. This got rid of the large bubbles and got a much creamier head on the stout.

Still not as good as a true nitro tap system, but it's pretty darn close!

Enjoy those stouts!

Tony.

 

[bkov]

does the beer go flat if you wait the 3-4 or days without adding any co2 carts? or does it still stay fully carbed and you need to add them after the days to keep it dispensing?

 

[degreesplato]

what are the aproximate dimensions of the bottles? I want to make sure they'll fit in my fridge.

 

[ChshreCat]

The bottles are 37cm x 17cm.

 

[goodbyebluesky82]

What makes this system better than the Party Keg system? The price seems comparable, and the aluminum party kegs don't have to be replaced like these PET bottles. Plus they look way cooler.

 

[ChshreCat]

Actually, I thought the TAD bottles looked better than the party pigs. Granted, I've only seen the pigs in person so far. One advantage is that one TAD system will hold nearly a full 5 gallon batch of beer while the pigs hold half. And the TAD has 1/3 of the batch in the fridge at a time, so it's less space. And if you screw it up, you only lose 1/3 of your batch instead of half. That's a bit incentive to those of us (those of me) that have and average of 4.5 thumbs on each hand.

One thing I like is that if I find someone nearby who uses a TAD, we can trade bottles of our brew.

 

[schupaul]

How long can you store homebrew in this system? I want to make a few batches right off and pre prime them, so I know a few of the bottles will be sitting for a 3-4 months by the time I get to them. I am just worried about shelf life.

 

[ChshreCat]

Folks I've talked to have kept them for several months without any issues. One even said he's kept them around for up to a year before tapping them without any problems. Of course, YMMV.

 

[goodbyebluesky82]

Actually, I thought the TAD bottles looked better than the party pigs. Granted, I've only seen the pigs in person so far. One advantage is that one TAD system will hold nearly a full 5 gallon batch of beer while the pigs hold half. And the TAD has 1/3 of the batch in the fridge at a time, so it's less space. And if you screw it up, you only lose 1/3 of your batch instead of half. That's a bit incentive to those of us (those of me) that have and average of 4.5 thumbs on each hand.

One thing I like is that if I find someone nearby who uses a TAD, we can trade bottles of our brew.

No, not the party pigs.... those things look kinda generic (though functional). I was referring to this:
5 Liter Party Keg with tap - Kegging by Stomp Them Grapes and the tap: Party Star Tap - Kegging by Stomp Them Grapes

You can find thm a lil cheaper on other sites but those links are one of the few to show pics.

 

[ChshreCat]

That looks like it'd take up more room in my fridge.

 

[brewNdrink]

What makes this system better than the Party Keg system? The price seems comparable, and the aluminum party kegs don't have to be replaced like these PET bottles. Plus they look way cooler.

The aluminum min-kegs are very difficult to clean, and if over-primed they will buldge and must be discarded. The tap-a-draft PET bottles are more thicker than regular plastic pop bottles and will last longer than the mini-kegs.

Also, I've heard many complaints with the taps that are used for the mini-kegs; many breaking after a few uses. The tap-a-draft dispenser may not look as sturdy, but it really is. I've been going nuts with mine ever since I got it and it's working perfectly after 30 bottles. Plus I got the repair kit for it when the time comes to change the tubing and gaskets.

Also the mini-kegs when hooked up with the tap takes a heck of alot of space in the fridge, especially compared to the tap-a-draft.

The tap-a-draft "looks" cheaper, but it's very sturdy and reliable.

Cheers
Tony.

 

[kendrid]

Sorry about reviving an old thread but my question is related.

I've read on other forums that people were not happy with the tap-a-draft because the tube was placed right where the trub was on the bottom and it sucked it up. Do any of you run into this issue or do you use gelatin/cold crashing to remove most before going into the TAD?

Thanks

 

[jkarp]

Sorry about reviving an old thread but my question is related.

I've read on other forums that people were not happy with the tap-a-draft because the tube was placed right where the trub was on the bottom and it sucked it up. Do any of you run into this issue or do you use gelatin/cold crashing to remove most before going into the TAD?

Thanks

Use a secondary or cold-crash the primary for a few days prior to bottling to settle out as much stuff as possible. I'll still get a cloudy pour on the first glass or two but it's no biggie. You're going to have that problem with any kegging system as the pickup tubes go to the bottom.

 

[kendrid]

Use a secondary or cold-crash the primary for a few days prior to bottling to settle out as much stuff as possible. I'll still get a cloudy pour on the first glass or two but it's no biggie. You're going to have that problem with any kegging system as the pickup tubes go to the bottom.

Thanks for the info. I cold crashed before I bottled into the TAD. In two more days they will be two weeks old but I am going to wait another week before chilling one and giving it a try.

 

[mjm1]

Just wondering does Anybody know where to get TAD in Canada, (Any where in Saskatchewan would be Great!)

 

[kenche]

I have ordered TAD kits from both morebeer.com and breworganic.com

These are both US sites, but I could not find anything locally. The kits came to around $100 us including shipping. If you buy from the US make sure you choose the USPS shipping option otherwise you will be surprised by a nasty customs brokerage surcharge from UPS when it is delivered.

 

[ChshreCat]

I got mine from MoreBeer. Mainly because they had something else I wanted at the same time. Just "bottled" with it for the first time on April fools day so I'll give it it's first try at the end of the month.

 

[Cheeto]

I got mine from MoreBeer. Mainly because they had something else I wanted at the same time. Just "bottled" with it for the first time on April fools day so I'll give it it's first try at the end of the month.

what did you put in it ?

I use mine for cider ! it works great, cold cider always on hand !

 

[Cheeto]

Folks I've talked to have kept them for several months without any issues. One even said he's kept them around for up to a year before tapping them without any problems. Of course, YMMV.

I have had my system for over a year now and yes it is easy to store your brew with it !

all that I can reccomend is that you store them with the caps pointed upward !!

I had one on its side for about 2 weeks and it leaked out, on that note buy new caps often ! it is worth it. even the smallest scratch inside of it will cause a leak, from my what I have learned the hard way.

takes up about the same shelf space as to gallons of milk, but about 2/3 as tall


Hope this info helps


-Jason

 

[Cheeto]

Sorry about reviving an old thread but my question is related.

I've read on other forums that people were not happy with the tap-a-draft because the tube was placed right where the trub was on the bottom and it sucked it up. Do any of you run into this issue or do you use gelatin/cold crashing to remove most before going into the TAD?

Thanks

no real need too.

there is a weight on the bottom of the draw tube that you can adjust.

I give myself about 1/2" in after the weight to keep the tip out of the mess

-Jason


sorry about multi-posts I was reading the thread backwards !

 

[kenche]

all that I can reccomend is that you store them with the caps pointed upward !!

I had one on its side for about 2 weeks and it leaked out, on that note buy new caps often ! it is worth it. even the smallest scratch inside of it will cause a leak, from my what I have learned the hard way.

I bought a different style of cap from my LHBS that are used for wine jugs (38mm I think). They have a thick plastic seal inside. Using these, I never had an issue with leaking. I suggest having a look for them.

 

[ChshreCat]

what did you put in it ?

I use mine for cider ! it works great, cold cider always on hand !

I filled a bottle with my Brown Biscuit. I just did one bottle from the batch. I have a double chocolate stout in primary I'll fill a bottle with next month.

 

[mlanoue]

TAD is easy to use, that's a big plus.

Using Teflon tape is a big help when priming, too. It seems there's always a bottle or two that don't carb right.

A couple of times recently, the tap popped open during the night and drained half the bottle into my mini-fridge, which really sucked.

But, overall, I think they're great, and for an inexpensive no-brainer alternative to cornies, they're really worth it.

You can get 8 gram cartridges off eBay for a great price, too.

 

[limulus]

I'm reviving this old thread again. I'm getting back into brewing after about 16yrs. I had a bar with a 2-tap tower, 4 corny kegs for serving and 4 for fermenting when I was brewing in the early 90s. I don't want all the big stuff this time. Simple mash/extract brewing is what I plan to do this time. I don't want a ton of bottles around either so this looks like the perfect solution for me. Are you guys still happy with this system?

 

[kendrid]

I'm still happy with it. I've been brewing for almost a year now and I am very tired of bottling so today I am ordering 4 more bottles.

The way I have used them is to only use 1 CO2 cartridge at a time. If you use two it over carbs and you get too much head. Besides that I've had no issues.

 

[ChshreCat]

I haven't had any issues with overcarbing when using 2 CO2 carts at at time.

I just lucked into a kegging system recently, so when I get that set up I may relegate my TAD system to making sodas for the wife and kid. Not sure yet.