mini corny kegs with regulators and CO2 capsules

[Braufather]

Being fed up with bottling 40 bottles I was considering mini kegs as thought corny kegs a step to far at the moment.... but then came across these.

https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=768


does anyone use them and can you carbonate via the capsules( expensive no doubt). it does look better than a minikeg though and means good carbonation levels.

could you maybe use a bottle of CO2 to force carb then use the capsules to maintain pressure making it mobile? and also allowing different pressures on different kegs?

i would intend to bottle half and put half in one of these. i have little or no knowledge about corny kegs so please excuse any stupid questions!

 

[Dads_Ale]

Firstly the only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask :)

I have a full corny set up (kegerator and storage fridge) but also have some 4 litre growlers that I use the mini regulator and 16oz cartridges to dispense (they are carbed using large CO2 bottle).

This method of dispense works well and is pretty mobile. One cartridge will dispense the full 4 litre with a little bit of gas left over.

They would work on a corny but you would need a couple more cartridges because of the extra volume.

I reckon it would take a few of cartridges to force carb a corny. (less for the 10litre version).

I have adapted a Midget Widget cylinder (Sodastream) for portable dispense which also works well.

 

[mr_bridger]

I use the little 9L kegs. i started off using sodastream bottle with an adaptor and regulator. force carbing will use a reasonable amount of co2, so force carbing with the little bulbs would be really expensive way of doing it. sodastream bottles are about £12 a refill.

i have now got a 10kg co2 tank for force carbing, it's only about £20 a refill but in no way portable. If i do take the keg round someones house i take the soda stream bottle. you could however use bulbs purely as a dispensing option.

 

[JapanBrew]

They work but like Dad said, it’ll take a bunch. I use it for BBQs and camping.
If your switching to full keg drinking then you might as well just take the full step. In the long run, with time and items you try and fail at, you’d have spent the same amount of money. It’s worth going corny and having a proper gas tank and such.

 

[Fil]

For the odd occasion your taking a keg out a simple tho quite bulky solution to providing co2 for serving is to use a 2nd keg to contain 20-30psi(extra pressure than your serving pressure) of co2 you can tap as needed to push out your beer. not the solution for a picnic half way up a mountain, but if you have an unused keg and a bit of extra boot space its bulky but not a back breaker to lug around like a full co2 bottle would be.

 

[Braufather]

i dont think i am ready for kegerators yet, or even that scale! the growlers look interesting though- can you use them as mini kegs themselves and carbonate direct? I will definitely consider a combination of a bottle for carbing then capsules for dispensing.

i liked the idea of keeping it simple having maybe a couple of 9l cornies sitting out in the kitchen for when people come round, with the chrome tap attached direct, , so keeping it all quite neat( and more likely the wife letting them sit there in the kitchen) I would probably get a regular set up in brew room to carbonate the 9L kegs from from a 10kg bottle as suggested, but would prefer then switching to the capsules for the above reasons plus i would still like to have option bottle half my brews. so looks like that could work then?

only issue with that set up, reading further into it, is will there be foaming issues , by not having enough lead length ( the taps attach direct to corney)? ( quite a lot of lead in that pick)

 

[peebee]

... I have adapted a Midget Widget cylinder (Sodastream) for portable dispense which also works well.

It appears refills for "Midget Widget" cylinders have become non-existent (again). You might have to switch to Sodastream for your "portable" rig.

Unless anyone can tell me different?

I've given up with my "Midget Widget" cylinders, looked at Sodastream but got diverted to aluminium 6.35Kg Pub bottles (lighter, but still not "portable"), 3.15 and 1.5Kg cylinders (if I could find anyone local doing them).

 

[peebee]

I'm slightly worried by the "hints" of using capsules with Corney kegs. Cornies really require a bottle and regulator - capsules are just an "inject the whole thing when needed" solution. Trouble with using them with Cornies is not just that the beer stops coming out when the gas runs out, but tap the lid when the gas has run out and the seal breaks. The lid's retaining clip is probably adequate to keep bugs and oxygen out, but it's a bit of a risk having to rely on that.

 

[Dads_Ale]

It appears refills for "Midget Widget" cylinders have become non-existent (again). You might have to switch to Sodastream for your "portable" rig.

Unless anyone can tell me different?

I've given up with my "Midget Widget" cylinders, looked at Sodastream but got diverted to aluminium 6.35Kg Pub bottles (lighter, but still not "portable"), 3.15 and 1.5Kg cylinders (if I could find anyone local doing them).

I have 2 full Midget Widget cylinders but am fully expecting not to find any refills when they are empty

 

[Braufather]

I'm slightly worried by the "hints" of using capsules with Corney kegs. Cornies really require a bottle and regulator - capsules are just an "inject the whole thing when needed" solution. Trouble with using them with Cornies is not just that the beer stops coming out when the gas runs out, but tap the lid when the gas has run out and the seal breaks. The lid's retaining clip is probably adequate to keep bugs and oxygen out, but it's a bit of a risk having to rely on that.

I think it comes with a regulator for capsules if that makes a difference.

 

[bigbud78]

Firstly the only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask :)

I have a full corny set up (kegerator and storage fridge) but also have some 4 litre growlers that I use the mini regulator and 16oz cartridges to dispense (they are carbed using large CO2 bottle).

This method of dispense works well and is pretty mobile. One cartridge will dispense the full 4 litre with a little bit of gas left over.

They would work on a corny but you would need a couple more cartridges because of the extra volume.

I reckon it would take a few of cartridges to force carb a corny. (less for the 10litre version).

I have adapted a Midget Widget cylinder (Sodastream) for portable dispense which also works well.

How do u transfer from keg to growler ?

 

[Dads_Ale]

How do u transfer from keg to growler ?

The process I use is as follows:

Keg (fully carbonated) kept in beer fridge at 9c
Growler put in fridge to cool down prior to filling to reduce any foaming.

Keg pressure reduced to about 2psi

Standard party tap (with a length of 3/16th in the line) and a short piece (enough to reach the bottom of the growler/vessel) of 3/8th beer line pushes in to the spout on the party tap (the grey beer line is a snug fit.).

Then simply fill the growler slowly keeping the beer line under the beer level.

Depending on how long the beer will be in the growler then I sometimes put a squirt of CO2 in before filling.

I also use this method for filling bottles from the corny.

I suppose I could use my Blichman beer gun which hasn't been out of the box yet :lol:

 

[bigbud78]

The process I use is as follows:



Keg (fully carbonated) kept in beer fridge at 9c

Growler put in fridge to cool down prior to filling to reduce any foaming.



Keg pressure reduced to about 2psi



Standard party tap (with a length of 3/16th in the line) and a short piece (enough to reach the bottom of the growler/vessel) of 3/8th beer line pushes in to the spout on the party tap (the grey beer line is a snug fit.).



Then simply fill the growler slowly keeping the beer line under the beer level.



Depending on how long the beer will be in the growler then I sometimes put a squirt of CO2 in before filling.



I also use this method for filling bottles from the corny.



I suppose I could use my Blichman beer gun which hasn't been out of the box yet :lol:

Ahh right, can you not do a closed transfer using a jumper from your keg ? I assumed it would be like transferring beer from one corny to another


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[Dads_Ale]

Ahh right, can you not do a closed transfer using a jumper from your keg ? I assumed it would be like transferring beer from one corny to another


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I certainly could do it that way.

The potential issues as I see them are:
Knowing when the growler is full without it coming out the gas in post (if using as a vent). Possible to use a set of scales?
Flow control. Would need to put some sort of tap in the fill line otherwise would have to remove the quick disconnect to stop the flow.
Cleaning. I re-use the party tap to serve from the growler and then clean both when it is empty.

Saying that I may look into trying it in the future.

 

[Braufather]

Just wondered if anyone can confirm experience from attaching a chrome tap directly to the 9 litre corny. Does that work ok?

 

[Steved53]

Just wondered if anyone can confirm experience from attaching a chrome tap directly to the 9 litre corny. Does that work ok?

I don't have the 9 litre cornies, but I use taps directly onto the standard size corny. It's probably worth buying the flow control tap, as it is still usable even if the carbonation isn't perfect. They are just a bit of a faff to clean, in comparison to the standard ones - and they cost more!

I think the key is keeping the cornies at a stable temperature. I gas up and store in the fridge, and I also gas up and store in the cellar. In each case I have no problems. However, if you gas up and store in the fridge, and then bring the corny into warmer temperatures, you will potentially have major foaming issues.

 

[Braufather]

Ok, I might look at the standard mini kegs again then, with a kliensen dispenser( that chills as well) My initial reservation with that was carbonation limits, but seems that could still be an issue with this type of corny set up.

 

[Braufather]

I don't have the 9 litre cornies, but I use taps directly onto the standard size corny. It's probably worth buying the flow control tap, as it is still usable even if the carbonation isn't perfect. They are just a bit of a faff to clean, in comparison to the standard ones - and they cost more!

I think the key is keeping the cornies at a stable temperature. I gas up and store in the fridge, and I also gas up and store in the cellar. In each case I have no problems. However, if you gas up and store in the fridge, and then bring the corny into warmer temperatures, you will potentially have major foaming issues.

After ringing around today that seems to be the issue, removing the corny from fridge to room temp will cause foaming issues for well carbonated beers. What I take from this is that for well carbed beers, your only option is a kegetator so mobile corny kegs aren't really an option. For lesser carbed beers, you may as well use the regular primed 5litre party mini kegs.

Shame that as I liked the look of those 9litre cornies.

 

[mr_bridger]

9L of liquid stays cold for quite a long time, how long are you thinking of? You can get neoprene insulated sleeves for them too.

 

[Braufather]

I guess to have sitting out for an evening when people come round ( and also when they don't). Was also thinking 9 litres when full but as it gets used it will regain heat quicker.

So looking at again at the 5litre mini kegs with a chilled dispenser and C02.