Help choosing a tap please...

[Nashbrew]

Ultratap Twist has finally landed in the @brewuk
https://www.brewuk.co.uk/keg-king-'...teel.html?mc_cid=f0ec39ff4f&mc_eid=b2ad8c3947

 

[DocAnna]

Somebody had a birthday, so there's a bit of an upgrade planned for the taps on the kegerator at some stage . I have to say.... I do like their style, there's a deliciousness in the unboxing of these :

 

[Clint]

Somebody had a birthday, so there's a bit of an upgrade planned for the taps on the kegerator at some stage . I have to say.... I do like their style, there's a deliciousness in the unboxing of these :
View attachment 77799

Crikey you're easily pleased! My Mrs likes dogs and cats as presents!

 

[Nashbrew]

I have 2 waiting for me in the USA
Been waiting ages for these to arrive in the UK only for the price to be way higher than expected so bought them in States and will collect them at Xmas.

 

[MrJay83]

I have 3 black nukataps and whilst they work faultlessly and deliver nice beer, the finish is very easily damaged so go stainless…. If you don’t mind the shank extending into the fridge just go with the long shank and it saves worrying about cutting the fridge away etc..,

I was interested in them but noted that it says that about them on BKT. Think I'll stay clear now. Cheers.

 

[Jordang]

Probably a good choice! I also ended up stripping them down and deep cleaning as bits of black finish started appear in my beer!

I was interested in them but noted that it says that about them on BKT. Think I'll stay clear now. Cheers

 

[MrJay83]

That sounds really poor. I didn't think it would actually be that bad.

 

[Jordang]

That sounds really poor. I didn't think it would actually be that bad.

They look like they’re anodised but it’s really just a thin coat of mat coating… they’re faultless now, but not as tidy looking as I would have liked. Had I bought them in the UK instead of AliExpress I might have returned them… but then again, stainless taps would look rubbish on my keezer!

 

[DocAnna]

One of the kegs finished tonight during a canning session so I’ve upgraded one of the taps to the Ultratap twist from an intertap . They don’t look much different but notably on closing there’s a soft ’squidgy’ close rather than the solid stop. I’m sure I’ll get used to it but it’s a bit odd right now.

 

[gyurmaember]

@DocAnna how are these? I'm getting fed up, as my 2nd nukatap laying on my desk, awaiting for repair. I wouldn't complain, if their marketing video doesn't say, their seals lasts for a lifetime....

 

[DocAnna]

@DocAnna how are these? I'm getting fed up, as my 2nd nukatap laying on my desk, awaiting for repair. I wouldn't complain, if their marketing video doesn't say, their seals lasts for a lifetime....

I've hardly used them yet, so will comment more fully later in the weekend. I have though shortened my lines as I don't need the length for flow control anymore, and you really can slow the flow right down with the twist function. I'm relieved that the slow flow also isn't foaming as it is poured which is excellent. I've been using my taps to fill bottles and cans with a piece of 5/8 line used as an extension to fill from the bottom of the bottle, which works really well providing I don't want to do counter pressure filling.

 

[MrJay83]

I've been using my taps to fill bottles .

I'm still getting bits and pieces together for my kegerator and was interested in doing this to bring a few bottles for my dad. Do you notice any degradation in taste and carbonation?

 

[DocAnna]

I'm still getting bits and pieces together for my kegerator and was interested in doing this to bring a few bottles for my dad. Do you notice any degradation in taste and carbonation?

I purge the bottle/can first with CO2 using my bottle filler, and make sure the beer is chilled to the lowest temp the fridge will go. Importantly I turn off the gas supply before chilling them down this far as otherwise they over carbonate. So timeline for bottling /canning is

• Turn off the gas supply to the keg
• Turn up the fridge to max the day before
• unscrew the tap nozzle to soak in sanitiser, and spray the rest of the tap with sanitiser.
• Run off about 100ml or more to chill the tap and empty the lines.
• Insert a length of sanitised 5/8 line into the tap - it fits rather nicely
• Sanitise the can/bottle
• purge with CO2
• Fill from the tap
• Cap/seal the container

I can also ad hoc fill straight from the tap without the extra chilling step but the carbonation can be an issue with more highly carbonated beers. So far I've not noticed any degradation with cans but I cap directly onto liquid or foam so the air space is absolutely minimal. For bottles my preference is to counterpressure fill.

Bringing the temp down to -1 or lower means a 2.3 carbonation volume only requires about 5psi, so at that temperature it's really stable without foaming or losing CO2. There is also the risk of absorbing O2 but that is minimised by purging the bottle or can first.

 

[MrJay83]

Wow. That was a lot more detailed than I was expecting. Cheers.