5 litre minikeg

hoppyscotty · Apr 27, 2022

I've got one of those supermarket 5 litre mini kegs sat in my fridge from Christmas which I need to crack open and enjoy. Never used one before so wondered if it is possible to hook up to my kegarator so I can draw from the tap. I assume you'd need some form of attachment to connect to a beer line and another to a gas line? and could it be re-used?

Ta

The-Engineer-That-Brews · Apr 27, 2022

If it's one of the ones with a black bung in the top with a red 'core', then I found a while back that if you push the core out, you can jam in a 1/4" to 1/4" elbow and connect the gas that way. As for the beer-out connection, maybe a bit of silicone hose stretched over the tap?

As for re-using them, in my personal experience it's not worth the bother as they are just mild steel with a lacquer coating on the inside. If this coating gets a scratch or pinhole in it then you get a nasty metallic taste in the beer.

Jim Brewster · Apr 27, 2022

Some rust worse than others. I've had some stay ok inside whereas others have a film of rust inside after rinsing out. Best to check inside with a torch before refiling them.

The-Engineer-That-Brews · Apr 27, 2022

Jim Brewster said:
Some rust worth than others. I've had some stay ok inside whereas others have a film of rust inside after rinsing out. Best to check inside with a torch before refiling them.

I agree @Jim Brewster - when I started out I had some that seemed OK, but some didn't - and after I had one or two spoiled brews I gave up on them and moved to SS kegs

hoppyscotty · Apr 27, 2022

Fair enough, wont bother then. Just seems a waste but at least they can be recycled.

CaptAwol · May 1, 2022

I also had mini kegs for homebrew but only used them for transporting, brilliant for music festivals etc, occasionally had some duff batches which was probably due to a breakdown in the coating as previously mentioned. The other issue is cleaning they are difficult to drain completely.