Easy Keg 5L

[Bevvied]

ARG!

how do you guys get the taps and bulbs past SWMBO? She moans when I shoot the pigeons on the veg garden. (My only excuse for co2 bulbs ;-) )

I've been championing these kegs for a while as the easy solution to the hassle of bottling day.

I've got two empty (old) supermarket kegs here and I'm thinking how can I buy a tap and get away with it.

How do they work? Can you make one?

I've seen a few different taps that can be used with the 5L kegs. They work by inserting the prong through the centre of a two piece bung. The bungs are different to the ones you get on supermarket kegs, but cost less than a quid each. They all work on the same principle of injecting co2 to pressurise and preserve the beer simultaneously. After that it's simply a matter of opening the tap to pour your beer. I've also seen one which is hand pump operated, so that obviously negates the need for co2 canisters. I wouldn't know how to make one, they all seem designed for purpose, not modded from something else.
I have to agree with MyQul, the ease of sterilising and filling with beer make them a cracking bit of kit. I can't wait to get stuck into them come Christmas.

 

[Spapro]

How do those of you using minikegs and easykegs store them between brews. I am recycling an old speckled hen easykeg.

I have rinsed out well with warm water when the beer was finished and sterilised with a little starsan but am not sure if to try and store dry (could be tricky to dry out entirely) or to pop a little starsan solution in there and leave like that until ready to refil with home brew.

What do you guys do ?

 

[brumbrew]

I leave star San in the keg then rinse again before use. No getting away with just one rinse I'm affraid. The last bit of water doesn't seem to want to come out, so I end up cleaning them again on bottle day

 

[Spapro]

I leave star San in the keg then rinse again before use. No getting away with just one rinse I'm affraid. The last bit of water doesn't seem to want to come out, so I end up cleaning them again on bottle day

Thanks, will use starsan while the easy kegs are sat between brews.

 

[Bevvied]

Can someone confirm please that the party star deluxe tap can be used with supermarket kegs.
I filled a couple with beer, used the correct two part bung, but I'm not sure if the tap mechanisms at the bottom of supermarket kegs stop the 'prong' of the party star deluxe from inserting fully.
If not, it'll be a swift swap of the bungs back to the original vent bungs.
Ta.

 

[Spapro]

Can someone confirm please that the party star deluxe tap can be used with supermarket kegs.
I filled a couple with beer, used the correct two part bung, but I'm not sure if the tap mechanisms at the bottom of supermarket kegs stop the 'prong' of the party star deluxe from inserting fully.
If not, it'll be a swift swap of the bungs back to the original vent bungs.
Ta.

The old speckled hen easy keg (from Morrisons) I have just emptied and cleaned to recycle looks identical to the easy kegs Leyland Homebrew have supplied me with to use with the party star deluxe tap (not cut them open to compare the innards to be fair). The easykegs from Leyland have the pull out tap and also came with both the 2 piece push out stoppers and the turn to let in air type the supermarket kegs are fitted with. Honestly think they are identical in every way !

As long as your recycled supermarket kegs didn't have widgets then I am sure you will be fine. The ones with widgets can't be recycled any which way I believe.

Noticed the Tesco near us in Leeds stocks a minikeg from Rudgate Brewery - think it was 'Viking' which is a decent brew. Maybe the Tescos have some flexibility to stock a local ale easy keg ?

 

[Bevvied]

Thanks, you've put my mind at rest.
If the missus hadn't wrapped my party star tap for chrimbo, I would have tested it out on an empty one.
Ta again.

 

[ManseMasher]

http://www.geterbrewed.com/5-litre-maturing-barrel/

How about these?!

 

[ManseMasher]

You would have to enquire about fittings etc but at that price looks a good deal.

 

[Spapro]

http://www.geterbrewed.com/5-litre-maturing-barrel/

How about these?!

Good spot that, and a very good price from geterbrewed I think - don't forget the forum discount code on top.

That keg is exactly the same as the Easy Kegs Leyland Homebrew sent me as part of my partystar tap kit, and the same as the old speckled hen one I am recycling.

Morrisons still have the old speckled hen on 'special' at £14 - a massive £1 off the normal price :lol: I think of that as £1 a pint and £5 for the keg to re-use (if you like O-Speck-H)

 

[rodabod]

Got some Hobgoblin Gold for £7.50 in Tesco.

 

[Spapro]

Got some Hobgoblin Gold for £7.50 in Tesco.

When was that rodabod ? Seen this floating around but our nearest large Tesco in Scarcroft Leeds was still at £15 when I tried there last week when other were reporting this deal was on at their Tescos

 

[Halfacrem]

I'm only just catching up with this monster thread, having picked up a couple of easy kegs.

Forgive me if I've got the wrong end of the stick, but can the easy kegs with the pull out tap at the bottom also be used with the CO2 taps used for Mini Kegs (with a change of bung)??

 

[Bevvied]

I'm only just catching up with this monster thread, having picked up a couple of easy kegs.

Forgive me if I've got the wrong end of the stick, but can the easy kegs with the pull out tap at the bottom also be used with the CO2 taps used for Mini Kegs (with a change of bung)??

Apparently so and hopefully so!
I've filled two old speckled hen's with an ale and intend using a party star deluxe tap with them at Christmas.

 

[Halfacrem]

Apparently so and hopefully so!
I've filled two old speckled hen's with an ale and intend using a party star deluxe tap with them at Christmas.

Nice one. I did a bit of digging and came up with this thread from a couple of years ago. There's a picture on page two of the thread showing easy kegs with mini kegs taps attached! Would be very useful if they worked well!.

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=29751&page=2

 

[rodabod]

When was that rodabod ? Seen this floating around but our nearest large Tesco in Scarcroft Leeds was still at �£15 when I tried there last week when other were reporting this deal was on at their Tescos

Yesterday! You need to scan to check the price.

 

[Spapro]

Yesterday! You need to scan to check the price.

Thanks, I did scan the hobgob gold keg at the checkout last week but it was still scanning at £15 in ours. May have to pop back and try again - its 20 mins way so may have to wait until the weekend.

 

[Leon103]

I have told the wife to get me the party star tap kit from Leyland, anything else I should add to the order? I thought a couple more bungs and some hops to get free postage...

 

[Spapro]

I have told the wife to get me the party star tap kit from Leyland, anything else I should add to the order? I thought a couple more bungs and some hops to get free postage...

My kit from Leyland came with 4 grey bungs with the punchable stopper for the party tap, plus 3 of the red/black, air intake bungs (like the ones on the kegs in the shops). Plus 3 of the dust stopper plugs for storing the empty kegs.

Extra bungs wouldn't be a bad thing but all the bungs can be recycled. Just starting out with my kit, still waiting for beer to condition before using the tap for the first time - waiting is hard !

Maybe some extra 16g CO2 bulbs would be a useful thing to have in the back of the cupboard - you do get a pack with the kit though.

 

[GlentoranMark]

I drove up to Geterbrewed and got 2 mini kegs but then I spotted 2 x Hobgoblin Gold on Amazon for �£28 with free delivery. Not a saving over Tesco but you can't buy these anywhere in NI (that I'm aware of). I've now 4 of these kegs to try out. Fortunately I've a brew ready to bottle so I'll try out the 2 that I bought in Geterbrewed.

I'd still love to find a tap that can take 8gm bulbs so I can inject Nitrogen.