Tap-A-Keg Another tested smaller keg setup

[Fbrews]

So after a few batches since Dec, im tired of bottling. I am able to run (2) 2.5 batches as well as a 1 gallon batch. Limit of my ferment chamber. I prolly will never make 5 gal batch cause I cant drink/give away that much beer. (Probablly:cross I am looking for a system in between.

Reasons for not going all grain/bigger batches

-space, all my equip only allows 2.5 max gal, even burner
-amount of beer, Just me drinking
-money no need for co2 or them nice kegs for $75 cause i dont brew 5 gal

I am looking for a reusable system that has been tried and tested, can keg about 2-5 gallons, in different containers, at a time, prolly 3-4 beers in smaller quantities. This is what I have found. Any online place or recommended system would be great. Not interested in a full 5 gal setup, or re purposing a Heineken keg can.

This is what i found

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0064ODDOG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/beerbox-portable-homebrew-dispenser.html

Please steer me in the right direction>

 

[lazarwolf]

They're ok. Not great. I prefer my 1 gallon kegs. They're cheaper, easier to take with you to a game, party, work... I also like the brew box.

I recommend natural carbonation with the small kegs, tapadraft, brewbox, etc. The 16 gram cartridges can get pricey for forced carbination.

 

[dude3516]

Yea, there are 2.5 Gallons kegs as well. I even have a bunch of 3 gallon kegs that I sometimes use when I've split a batch for doing dry hop tests. Here's a link for 2.5 gallon ball locks. Cheaper than the boxes, and the same price as those weird plastic thing you linked.

http://www.homebrewing.org/AIH-New-Double-Rubber-Handle-25-Gal-Keg_p_5101.html

 

[monkeyman1000]

I started using 2.5 gallon kegs about 5 batches ago along with a paintball tank with a regulator. I naturally prime in the keg with corn sugar. So far I am still on the original paintball tank full of CO2. The whole thing fits pretty well in my fridge. I have one in the fridge for serving while one is out of the fridge carbonating.

 

[Fbrews]

They're ok. Not great. I prefer my 1 gallon kegs. They're cheaper, easier to take with you to a game, party, work... I also like the brew box.

I recommend natural carbonation with the small kegs, tapadraft, brewbox, etc. The 16 gram cartridges can get pricey for forced carbination.

Sorry i was going to still natural carb, then use the little co2 for pouring . Is this correct. One gallon kegs? Can you show me a link.
Thanks

 

[McKnuckle]

I have two 5 gallon cornies in a kegerator, and 8 Tap-a-Draft containers. I use the big kegs for tried and true beers that I want on tap in greater quantity, which I'll brew in 5 gallon batches.

I use the TADs for everything else. I'll brew 2-3 gallons at a time. I usually fill one TAD and force carb it, then put the remainder into bottles with carb drops. Sometimes I'll fill two TAD, tap one, and cellar the other, leaving it still until it's time to tap it. They are quite flexible this way.

I like the convenience of force carbing in the TAD. One cartridge will carb it up in about 5 days, and it will be exhausted. You then replace it with a second cartridge, and that will push the beer for the duration. Each TAD holds about 1.625 gallons or 17 bottles of beer.

If you naturally carb, you can save one cartridge per unit. Perfectly fine. I haven't done that only because I'm impatient to try my new brews, and the TAD allows that to be done in about 5 days or so.

They are portable and can be taken to parties, but the one time I did that, it stirred up the sediment and my beautifully clear red ale poured a bit cloudy. Still got lots of compliments but it bothered me, so I probably won't do that again unless it's a witbier or something.

 

[Fbrews]

I have two 5 gallon cornies in a kegerator, and 8 Tap-a-Draft containers. I use the big kegs for tried and true beers that I want on tap in greater quantity, which I'll brew in 5 gallon batches.

I use the TADs for everything else. I'll brew 2-3 gallons at a time. I usually fill one TAD and force carb it, then put the remainder into bottles with carb drops. Sometimes I'll fill two TAD, tap one, and cellar the other, leaving it still until it's time to tap it. They are quite flexible this way.

I like the convenience of force carbing in the TAD. One cartridge will carb it up in about 5 days, and it will be exhausted. You then replace it with a second cartridge, and that will push the beer for the duration. Each TAD holds about 1.625 gallons or 17 bottles of beer.

If you naturally carb, you can save one cartridge per unit. Perfectly fine. I haven't done that only because I'm impatient to try my new brews, and the TAD allows that to be done in about 5 days or so.

They are portable and can be taken to parties, but the one time I did that, it stirred up the sediment and my beautifully clear red ale poured a bit cloudy. Still got lots of compliments but it bothered me, so I probably won't do that again unless it's a witbier or something.

Thanks so much
Where do you buy refill co2 cartridges

 

[McKnuckle]

This is the link I keep in my bookmarks for re-ordering:

CO2 cartridges

Use the 16 gram threadless ones.

 

[lazarwolf]

Sorry i was going to still natural carb, then use the little co2 for pouring . Is this correct. One gallon kegs? Can you show me a link.
Thanks

http://byo.com/hops/item/588-easy-cheap-and-portable-mini-kegs

great article, to help you make an informed decision. The reason i like 1 gallons is that they are so cheap. you can find them online for a steal.

BUT

 

[lazarwolf]

http://byo.com/hops/item/588-easy-cheap-and-portable-mini-kegs

great article on this very topic.

I do use my TADs and my brew boxes. and McKnuckles point is very valid about their great ability for forced carb.

 

[MacOne]

I have about a dozen of the 5L/1Gallon kegs now and use them a lot. Although I do make 5G batches I often do 2.5 or less just because of space and the fact that I enjoy brewing on my day off and don't want 5G all the time. There are good and bad points to the kegs and some info that is good to know,

INFO - the manufacturer of the mini kegs in Germany States that you should use the Oxy type cleaners only as other sterilisers can damage the inside of the can lining.

NEVER prime them to the same amount as you would a bottle. Manufacturer states 5g a litre. However, I have found the best is about 13-15grams a keg. If you batch prime to same amount as bottles the cans don't explode they just buckle out of shape and are no longer usable.

Cleaning can be a pain to reach all areas so as soon as keg is done fill it with water straight away to make that process much easier otherwise deposits are hard to remove. Draining all out can take a bit of time.

They are advertised as being portable but as the kegs are used as a secondary to prime carbonation you will obviously get some yeast fall out which as said above can make you beer cloudy. Best yeast I have found to cope wi this is the Nottingham yeast which goes to a hardish jelly like substance at the bottom. You may get a bit in first pint or two but after that you're usually ok.

I like using those kegs and have the better quality metal tap to go with them although quite expensive it will last with proper use. They are compact and tuck away nicely that keeps the wife happy. So I fill a keg and bottle the rest. When I'm happy with how the beer is in bottles I'll have friends over and crack the keg. With the CO2 dispenser it gives a great head to stouts/porters also.

 

[Fbrews]

I have about a dozen of the 5L/1Gallon kegs now and use them a lot. Although I do make 5G batches I often do 2.5 or less just because of space and the fact that I enjoy brewing on my day off and don't want 5G all the time. There are good and bad points to the kegs and some info that is good to know,

INFO - the manufacturer of the mini kegs in Germany States that you should use the Oxy type cleaners only as other sterilisers can damage the inside of the can lining.

NEVER prime them to the same amount as you would a bottle. Manufacturer states 5g a litre. However, I have found the best is about 13-15grams a keg. If you batch prime to same amount as bottles the cans don't explode they just buckle out of shape and are no longer usable.

Cleaning can be a pain to reach all areas so as soon as keg is done fill it with water straight away to make that process much easier otherwise deposits are hard to remove. Draining all out can take a bit of time.

They are advertised as being portable but as the kegs are used as a secondary to prime carbonation you will obviously get some yeast fall out which as said above can make you beer cloudy. Best yeast I have found to cope wi this is the Nottingham yeast which goes to a hardish jelly like substance at the bottom. You may get a bit in first pint or two but after that you're usually ok.

I like using those kegs and have the better quality metal tap to go with them although quite expensive it will last with proper use. They are compact and tuck away nicely that keeps the wife happy. So I fill a keg and bottle the rest. When I'm happy with how the beer is in bottles I'll have friends over and crack the keg. With the CO2 dispenser it gives a great head to stouts/porters also.

So the 1 gallon kegs from northern/midwest?

 

[MacOne]

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/mini-keg.html

If this is what you are looking at then yes. Although I have to say for once, because it's usually the other way around, yiu are paying more for them than I am.

The manufacturer is in Germany so Germany to UK is a lot less shipping than Germany to USA. I'd pay under 10USD for one of these easily.

That may well influence if its worth it. What I mean by this is that x6 of these combined with looking at the offers on the sites you mentioned it may be more viable to go down the route of a 2.5 gallon or less "corni" type keg. That way you could force carb which you can't in the minikegs.

Because I like to have a variety of beers, brew often in small batches to achieve this I don't want to be tied to only affording one keg. Minikegs work for me but more robust longer lasting keg is something perhaps you should consider with the price you pay in the US depending on how and what your brewing schedule is.

Hope the advice helps rather than just confuses your decision making even more

 

[MacOne]

FBrews, I posted as I was having my breakfast leaving work. On the drive home I've had a few thoughts so I'll post again.

The kegs, going by the picture, are the old type. What I mean by this is that they are the steel plate design. Now these are more prone to rust when scratched and have been known to start to rust on the inside as time goes on especially if stored empty for awhile as they are hard to dry out completely. The newer type look like the link below and are now the ones used by the commercial breweries.

http://www.leylandhomebrew.com/item2991.htm

As you can see they have a lacquer to protect the longevity of the cask. As long as you don't use the can tap you can reuse a lot longer as there is a seal over it on the inside which makes cleaning a heck of a lot easier. Also while you are looking note the price, admittedly in pounds, but see the difference. These are cans rather than kegs and won't last for ever. Over prime one and it's buckled out of shape, drop one and it'll dent easily, in effect they have a limited life span especially the older type. Now, if that happens to me and I'm not made of money but replacing them at 5.99 a time won't break the bank. I fact even if I get 6 uses it costs me a pound to use the keg and is taken into the price of the brew. I'm not convinced I'd be that aloof about it if I were paying the price that they are being asked for in the US. It seems to be about double what I'm paying. Like I say its usually the other way round I used to import all sorts from the US.

Remember you have to prime with these. The CO2 is only for dispensing. You can't force carb as the tins won't take the pressure. So with what I have said above, the costs involved and your original question I'm not convinced its the setup I would recommend to you in the States.

In fact if its just you drinking I'd use Grolsch flip top bottles, buy once and use time and time again. Spend the money on grains for more beer lol

 

[Fbrews]

Thanks for your reply. Really appreciate your time as cost/benefit is making me nuts


The grolsh flip top bottles.

-tired of bottling.
-notoriously leaky even after the new seals, plus the clip and glass dont have longevity when you get one not leaking
-dont know you got a ****ty bactch till after you bottle all
-Ive only used 2 (free) but threw them out as soon as the didnt carb. All the pet bottles were fine.

Good if they are open today ill call. for a shipping quote.

Thanks