Easy Keg 5L

[Brew_DD2]

20g seems to be the sweet spot for me. Could probably go less but with the nature of these, it suits me to overcarb slightly.

 

[MyQul]

That's a good point actually. Does anybody have any good tips on removal of bungs with a minimal amount of destruction? I should've bought a few spares because I don't really order from BrewUK and geterbrewed and hbc don't seem to stock them

What I normally do is get a butterknife/blunt knife and lever the first red bit of the bung off. Then push the second red bit into the keg. Now comes the harder part - Getting the main body of the bung (the black bit out). I get a piece of parcel string, then using the blung knife lever up the edges of the black bit and push the string underneath. Go round as much as you can. You need a peice of string long enough to go round the bung/black bit then wrap round your fist. Once you've wrapped the string around your fist give it an almighty tug. Usually the bung pops out an flys across the room. But it get the bung out without damaging it.

 

[Leon103]

Went with 14g for the Porter

 

[pms67]

Wow. Brave. Only went 20g for a Pilsner

On one brew I batch primed my FV and bottled half my brew then filled a minikeg,think i used 130g for 22l of a hoppy ale!!!!
Believe it or not,it turned out fine, yes,the first pint was lively and i didnt need to open the bung until about pint four but it was delicious.

 

[Leon103]

Seen this company advertised a lot on Facebook. Not sure what they are like. They have a number of different ales in the 5l kegs and only £2.87 postage. https://www.saveur-biere.co.uk/4-kegs#/type_of_keg-5l_standard

 

[Dutto]

..............

2. Thanks for the Hobgoblin reference but I was hoping to buy mini-kegs in France where the majority of the mini-kegs seem to come equipped like this ...

http://www.carrefour.fr/search/site/bier 5L/7

I don't know whether the tap is a part of the mini-keg or a reusable bit that you buy as a separate item If it comes as a separate item then I will probably go the "buy fill and re-use" route with at least three kegs.

............

Hi there,

Just back from France and whilst there I discovered that inside the illustrated kegs there was a hard plastic bottle of CO2 about the size of a 25cl bottle glued to the bottom of the keg!!

I found it impossible to remove as it was too big for the hole in the top and even if it had been smashed up there would still have been the residue of the glue at the bottom of the keg.

I looked for other models but EVERY mini-keg I saw in the supermarkets, regardless of the beer inside, was of the same design. (I tried three different types before being convinced! Doh!! :whistle:)

Anyway, just about to order some for the next brew.

Thanks for everyone's input. :thumb:

Dutto

 

[SwissBrew]

Hi

So I just bought an easy keg of Speckled Henn and I'm a bit disappointed to be honest. The beer is almost flat. It this normal? I checked and it's in date. There was pressure on when i opened it but the pint in the glass is pretty flat now and it's not how i remember a Speckled Henn :-(

 

[MyQul]

Hi

So I just bought an easy keg of Speckled Henn and I'm a bit disappointed to be honest. The beer is almost flat. It this normal? I checked and it's in date. There was pressure on when i opened it but the pint in the glass is pretty flat now and it's not how i remember a Speckled Henn :-(

How many days between opening it and the last pint? Ideally you want to drink a tapped MK in about 3 days max if you want nicely carbed pints

 

[SwissBrew]

How many days between opening it and the last pint? Ideally you want to drink a tapped MK in about 3 days max if you want nicely carbed pints

That's the thing, it was the first pint! I'm a bit in a carbonation dilemma these days and thought I get this OSH MK to remind myself how a nicely carbed pint is like. So I started wondering if MK pints are generally flatter as in "not bubbling in the glas"?

 

[pms67]

That's the thing, it was the first pint! I'm a bit in a carbonation dilemma these days and thought I get this OSH MK to remind myself how a nicely carbed pint is like. So I started wondering if MK pints are generally flatter as in "not bubbling in the glas"?

Imo the pints from the minikegs are a world away from a bottled beer,both are good in their own way.
Sometimes i like a beer with fizz.
Sometimes i like a nice smooth pint.
The beer should have a head on it but it wont taste carbonated like you may be used to?
My beer from the kegs dont bubble in the glass anyway.
A party star tap may help (others will tell you as i dont have one)

 

[Brew_DD2]

With 20g of Sugar mine was pretty crazy out of the Easy Keg.

 

[pms67]

Yes,it will pour crazy,my first four pints were crazy fizz but the beer is a lot smoother/flatter than a bittle version

 

[MickDundee]

With 20g of Sugar mine was pretty crazy out of the Easy Keg.

I used 23g for my Steam Beer (purely because I couldn't be arsed trying to tip 3G back off my spoon scale), I wonder how it'll be when I open it!

 

[MyQul]

I used 23g for my Steam Beer (purely because I couldn't be arsed trying to tip 3G back off my spoon scale), I wonder how it'll be when I open it!

You'll be fine. I prime my MK's 20g per keg

 

[SwissBrew]

Thanks for all the comments. I think I'll buy another MK with a different beer and compare, then fill the 2 kegs with my own and compare again :whistle:

Still getting used to all this.

 

[nicowk]

I reused two mini kegs for the first time last weekend. I purchased some reusable mini bungs, like this one: http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Mini-Keg-Bung.html

So in the shop bought kegs the bung has a little twisty release to allow air in and the beer to flow, which you can close back up. These reusable bungs have a plastic centre which you can poke out to make a hole. Is that the idea? When you are ready to drink it, poke the centre through, but then it floats in your beer and you can't seal it back up? I realise it will only last a few days once the air is in.

 

[MickDundee]

I reused two mini kegs for the first time last weekend. I purchased some reusable mini bungs, like this one: http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Mini-Keg-Bung.html

So in the shop bought kegs the bung has a little twisty release to allow air in and the beer to flow, which you can close back up. These reusable bungs have a plastic centre which you can poke out to make a hole. Is that the idea? When you are ready to drink it, poke the centre through, but then it floats in your beer and you can't seal it back up? I realise it will only last a few days once the air is in.

The bung you've bought is really intended for mini kegs and a Party Star tap rather than an easy keg with integrated tap, so yeah once it's open you'll need to drink it quick!

You do get reusable vented bungs. Brew UK have them, and I'm assuming the likes of Leyland Homebrew probably do too:
http://www.brewuk.co.uk/easy-keg-bung.html

 

[Dutto]

The mini-kegs have arrived complete with a very fancy bit of kit that includes a top tap and introduces CO2 under pressure control. :thumb:

However, all of the kegs have a "pull and turn" tap at the bottom. This surprised me because not one of the photographs in the advert shows the presence of this tap!

See http://www.leyland-home-brew.co.uk/mini-keg-system-with-co2-tap-717-p.asp

I am reassured by the supplier that:

1. Every mini keg comes supplied with a tap like this, and,

2. The tap cannot be removed.

This raises two questions:

1. Does every mini keg really have a "pull and turn" tap at the bottom? The reason I ask is that in France I couldn't find a single mini keg with a tap at the bottom. They were all like this ...

http://www.ooshop.com/courses-en-ligne/ContentNavigation.aspx?NOEUD_IDFO=70248

... and had an internal plastic CO2 system that was impossible to remove.

2. Can the "pull and turn" tap really not be removed? If not then how do I manage to clean and sterilise the tap before refilling? (Having had 2 x 23 litre batches turn to vinegar I am now a maniac for sterilising stuff! )

As usual, all advice gratefully received. :thumb: :thumb:

 

[Dutto]

Just discovered that there are "Easy Kegs" (as per the heading of this Thread) and "Mini Kegs"; and I have bought three Easy Kegs when I thought I was buying three Mini Kegs!

The questions still stand though! i.e.

1. Can I remove the "pull and turn" tap? (If only to clean it.)

2. How do I make sure that everything is sterilised if I can't remove the tap?

Experience is a great teacher eh? It gives you the Test first and the Lesson afterwards!

 

[nicowk]

The bung you've bought is really intended for mini kegs and a Party Star tap rather than an easy keg with integrated tap, so yeah once it's open you'll need to drink it quick!

You do get reusable vented bungs. Brew UK have them, and I'm assuming the likes of Leyland Homebrew probably do too:
http://www.brewuk.co.uk/easy-keg-bung.html

Cheers mate... Guess I'm going to have to get a Party Star now.. :whistle: