But is it safe? I think that has been the main crux of this.
The cost of kegging is not all that expensive. A Regulator, a few Kegs, and a party tap. Not much dough.
One doesn't need a 4 tap kegerator when just starting out. A few kegs can fit in a spare fridge with the regulator & party tap.
The current idea of the epoxy/plastic idea really isn't safe,...
... All I'm saying is keep trying, make it safer, avoid loss of extremities, and a future idea might just pan out. Oh, and don't use glue on the outside of anything to hold a pressurized fitting. I don't want to be picking fingers off my windshield in Kansas.
Insco2 sells kegs here on HBT for like 17 or 18 bucks... I bought from him, as have about 100 other members. $35 for a kegs is robbery, it is easy to find them for much less.
According to insco2 on his thread here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f16/cornelius-kegs-sale-46176/ He is selling them for $17.50 each, plus shipping, plus you have to buy 4 at a time. So I would have to spend $100 to start out with, and that doesn't include the regulators or co2 tank...I'm sure this is a great deal for all you rich folk out there, but it's not very tempting at all for us lowely college students.
I'm still searching for small enough hose clamps in my off time...been busy with school and work..
Look into the thread where someone converted a garden sprayer into a keg.
You've already bought most the parts and you can buy a new sprayer( 2-3 gallon ) for about 20.00 buck dollars. Then install your tire valve and a cheap tap and your good to go.
It's already been done ,so it's a proven system.
For anyone who missed my other posts....I'm not using glue/epoxy/cement/anything of the sort. I've tried every hardware and auto parts store in my area and haven't found a hose clamp to fit the 1/8 vinyl tubing...my last resort will be a plumber supply shop down the road. Still just waiting on the clamps before I can do any testing....
The 5L kegs are such a brilliant solution to you. Convenient size (1.3 gallons) so easy to drain, reusable (buy good beer in mini-keg, disassemble and sanitize, rack and prime, dispense via gravity tap). While I haven't been using them long nor as my sole dispensing option, there are a couple members here who have been using them for a LONG time. I use mine to do cask-conditioned real ale (gently carbonated). If one goes south, I buy another 5L keg from my distributor, invite a friend over to quaff with me, and I've got another one in the rotation.
Consider it. Seriously.
You're bound to find some cornies if you look hard enough at a price you can afford. Just takes patience and some investigative skill.
Good luck!
I'm assuming the bottom-tapped gravity fed mini-kegs are what I want to go with...also assuming that as long as I keep it pressurized with co2 oxygenation won't be a problem and the beer won't go flat.
Well...not really. If you are using the gravity-tap, oxygen will be introduced so the beer will slowly oxidize - but we're talking 1.3 gallons and that beer should be well and gone before you'd even taste a touch of oxidation.
There's a vent that needs to be opened on top for the tap to dispense freely. You know how tough it is to pour a glass of milk from a freshly opened gallon? Same principle.How is air going to get into a gravity fed tap?
I'll be using the bottom tap when appropriate(parties, bbq's), by hooking up a co2 regulator to the top to keep pressure and prevent any air from entering the tap. I'll also use a picnic-tap (similar to this setup: The Northern Brewer Homebrew Forum • View topic - New design for DIY 5L mini keg taps (Lots of Pics)) at other times(golfing, tubing) when the mini-kegs will be stored in a cooler and the bottom tap won't work as well.
Again, I do understand that if I were to use only the bottom tap without any co2 system, oxidation would occur, but as long as I keep the keg pressurized with co2 there should be no way for air to ever touch the beer.
It's going to have to be one or the other - not both. The design you have linked is applying pressure via an external CO2, so it can't use the gravity tap. Those kegs pictured need either that DIY solution or the Phil tap system I linked earlier to dispense. The gravity tap kegs are best consumed in one or two days, because there's no way that I can see to avoid oxygen contact. You need air going in to let the beer out, just like the pony pump for Sanke kegs.
You're talking about a hybrid situation in that it's a keg/tap design that is meant for a gravity drain where ambient air replaces the beer. However, you're modifying the original design to pressurize the keg with CO2 to make up for the missing beer. In this use, it really don't matter if the tap is on the bottom or if it were on the top with a dip tube connected.
You're talking about a hybrid situation in that it's a keg/tap design that is meant for a gravity drain where ambient air replaces the beer. However, you're modifying the original design to pressurize the keg with CO2 to make up for the missing beer. In this use, it really don't matter if the tap is on the bottom or if it were on the top with a dip tube connected.
So as long as co2 is connected, whether I'm using the bottom tap or a dip-tube top tap, the co2 will keep everything pressurized and out of harms way, preventing any oxidation. Sounds like a plan to me. :rockin:
Just remember that these kegs aren't designed to take the pressure of force carbing, so you'll have to use an appropriate amount of priming sugar and rack the beer into them as you would a bottle.
True story. Is there any reason doing a bulk prime using 3/4 cup of corn sugar for 5 gallons wouldn't work for bottling a 5L? Or should I just bottle the 5L separately and use the recommended 1 Tablespoon priming sugar in it?
I know you are in SA, what pet stores have you seen these in. $30 is pretty reasonable, especially when you consider some of the co2 bottles cost that much. As for the brew fund, yes I know how that is. Good luck.
Have you started building your top co2 valve? By the way, I know Harbor Freight carries those paintball regulators for like brad nailers and such. Similiar to the Lowes one. I used the lowes one this weekend. I know the pressure dial is hard to calibrate, but I was able to keep it below 5psi on my 3 gal cornies.
Damn... I can't find it there anymore. It was about 40 bucks. Looked like this :
Enter your email address to join: