Using bar style kegs for homebrew

[arienjaynes21]

I may be able to get a couple of those bigger bar style kegs the ones you would see at a college party with a hand pump, how would I go about using those for homebrew? Is there a way to wash, fill, carbonate, and tap?

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

I really don't know anything about this, but it seems like I heard that these type of kegs being that they are so easy to steal have fittings on them that can only be realistically refilled with special tools at the manufacturer.

 

[arienjaynes21]

I really don't know anything about this, but it seems like I heard that these type of kegs being that they are so easy to steal have fittings on them that can only be realistically refilled with special tools at the manufacturer.

I will keep doing my research and see if it's worth it, even if I have to naturally carb and use a hand pump to dispense it would be nice to have a big keg of aged beer ready to be tapped, I plan on using it for family get togethers and such so there will be plenty of beer drinkers emptying a keg in a night or 2

 

[JonM]

People use them, sure - but the problem is the Sanke kegs usually belong to someone else. That is, someone paid a $25 deposit on a distributor's or brewery's many hundreds of dollars thing and never returned it.

If they're decommissioned kegs sold by the brewery, or sold by the manufacturer, then have at it. One of the more common uses is to cut the top off and use it as a 15.5 gallon boil kettle.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

There called Sanke kegs

You need no special tools to open them. YouTube "opening a sanke keg" and something will pop up. a screwdriver and pliers is all you need

The problem you will have is if they are large half barrel kegs that holds 15 gallons and only brew and fill it with 5 gallons youll have 10 gallons of airspace you need to fill with co2 and youll waste a ton of co2.
They make sixtel sanke kegs that hold 5 gallons but somehow I don't think that's what your talking about.

Theres a good chance the kegs your looking at were purchased as a deposit and never returned. If there full size half barrel kegs its almost a guarantee. I would ask him where he got them before buying them.

 

[arienjaynes21]

People use them, sure - but the problem is the Sanke kegs usually belong to someone else. That is, someone paid a $25 deposit on a distributor's or brewery's many hundreds of dollars thing and never returned it.

If they're decommissioned kegs sold by the brewery, or sold by the manufacturer, then have at it. One of the more common uses is to cut the top off and use it as a 15.5 gallon boil kettle.

I'm almost positive they are decommissioned

 

[arienjaynes21]

There called Sanke kegs

You need no special tools to open them. YouTube "opening a sanke keg" and something will pop up. a screwdriver and pliers is all you need

The problem you will have is if they are large half barrel kegs that holds 15 gallons and only brew and fill it with 5 gallons youll have 10 gallons of airspace you need to fill with co2 and youll waste a ton of co2.
They make sixtel sanke kegs that hold 5 gallons but somehow I don't think that's what your talking about.

Theres a good chance the kegs your looking at were purchased as a deposit and never returned. If there full size half barrel kegs its almost a guarantee. I would ask him where he got them before buying them.

I'm wanting to be able to have 15 gallons of brew kegged, just seems easier to do it as one batch in one keg vs 3 corny kegs I have seen those videos on YouTube of how to get into any info on how to carb them?

 

[Brentk14]

I keg all my beer in sanke's. I have bought 9 1/6bbl's and 2 15.5's (probably the ones you are talking about). I actually ferment in the 15.5's and serve in the 1/6ths. I have 2 that have the clip that you use a pair of pliars on, but the rest are the threaded sankes and they are great for me. My friends and family have normal sanke tap kegerators, so it's easy to spread the love with them.
Once you figure out how to get them open, they are pretty foolproof.

 

[Brentk14]

Carbing is the same as on a corny as far as I know...I calculate my carb level, set it, and in 3-5 days it's ready to go.

 

[Jorb]

I'm a sanke user too. I've found that when you first get an old keg the retaining ring is pretty hard to get loose. Once you break through the years of gunk holding it in though it will be easy to remove over and over again. I try to line up the end of the ring with one of the notches for ease of removal. I used a bench grinder to make a flat head screwdriver smaller so that it will fit in the notch and grab the end of the ring. I haven't had any issues with sankes otherwise.

 

[arienjaynes21]

Carbing is the same as on a corny as far as I know...I calculate my carb level, set it, and in 3-5 days it's ready to go.

What kind of setup is needed to carb though?

 

[arienjaynes21]

I'm a sanke user too. I've found that when you first get an old keg the retaining ring is pretty hard to get loose. Once you break through the years of gunk holding it in though it will be easy to remove over and over again. I try to line up the end of the ring with one of the notches for ease of removal. I used a bench grinder to make a flat head screwdriver smaller so that it will fit in the notch and grab the end of the ring. I haven't had any issues with sankes otherwise.

What do you use for carbonating? What's your tap set up like?

 

[Jorb]

I carb with the same CO2 that I use to serve. Either leave it on gas for a week or push the pressure up to about 30 psi for 24 hours then back down to serving pressure. The same as a corny keg user.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

What kind of setup is needed to carb though?

CO2 tank, a regulator, and appropriate fittings for the "Sanke" style coupler, and a place to cool said large keg.......

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

I carb with the same CO2 that I use to serve. Either leave it on gas for a week or push the pressure up to about 30 psi for 24 hours then back down to serving pressure. The same as a corny keg user.

Everything is exactly the same...just get a sanke tap and swap

 

[arienjaynes21]

CO2 tank, a regulator, and appropriate fittings for the "Sanke" style coupler, and a place to cool said large keg.......

I should have worded that better, I realize the co2 is the same it was the coupler I was wondering about

 

[arienjaynes21]

CO2 tank, a regulator, and appropriate fittings for the "Sanke" style coupler, and a place to cool said large keg.......

Do you know where to the proper fittings needed ?

 

[Stealthcruiser]

http://www.homebrewing.org/American-Sanke-D-Coupler_p_764.html

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TTM6L0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

https://www.morebeer.com/products/stainless-steel-style-sanke-tap-coupler.html

I don't use them, but methinks it's known as the "D" style, "Googled" here......

 

[Jorb]

D style is correct for the most common US kegs. I use low profile ones for ease of fitting them in my kegerator.

http://www.kegconnection.com/twist-...anke-coupler-low-profile-with-mfl-tailpieces/

I've got two sankes in a small kegerator as shown in this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showpost.php?p=7933928&postcount=46

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

D style is correct for the most common US kegs. I use low profile ones for ease of fitting them in my kegerator.

http://www.kegconnection.com/twist-...anke-coupler-low-profile-with-mfl-tailpieces/

I've got two sankes in a small kegerator as shown in this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showpost.php?p=7933928&postcount=46

I use Perlick low profile...I think they go even lower but I'm not positive...I do like the black handle on these though

 

[arienjaynes21]

http://www.homebrewing.org/American-Sanke-D-Coupler_p_764.html

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TTM6L0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

https://www.morebeer.com/products/stainless-steel-style-sanke-tap-coupler.html

I don't use them, but methinks it's known as the "D" style, "Googled" here......

Awesome thanks for the links, that's not very difficult at all, why does everyone say the sanke kegs are harder to use? Seems fairly easy to me

 

[Stealthcruiser]

Most I've heard, is harder to clean for a homebrewer, being as they are harder to see inside of.

 

[arienjaynes21]

Most I've heard, is harder to clean for a homebrewer, being as they are harder to see inside of.

That part I get I find it quite simple to do just as simple as a corny keg less things to take apart and less places for leaks I think I'm going to order myself one of those couplers and give it a go

 

[Stealthcruiser]

Go for it then!

 

[arienjaynes21]

Go for it then!

I like the idea of having 15 gals of brew in one spot

 

[arienjaynes21]

I like the idea of having 15 gals of brew in one spot

Once tapped how long would the beer last for?

 

[Yooper]

Once tapped how long would the beer last for?

As long as any other bottled/kegged beer.

 

[arienjaynes21]

As long as any other bottled/kegged beer.

That's kind of what I had thought, I've never really had a keg for more than a few weeks at a time before its empty, what would you say the max time you could have a keg tapped for ?

 

[Jim311]

I've never really had a keg for more than a few weeks at a time before its empty

Which sounds like it makes you a prime candidate for a 15 gallon keg

 

[arienjaynes21]

Which sounds like it makes you a prime candidate for a 15 gallon keg

That is what I've been thinking instead of doing multiple corny kegs I might aswell do one big keg thanks for all the help