Mini Keg Usage, Maintenance & Party Star Deluxe Part 1

[Motorhomebrew]

Well them 40 pints wont last you as long as the tap will lol. And I couldn't answer that question. I wouldn't imagine you'd get the same quality head on your pint? The party star deluxe tap just finishes off the look of the keg as well as pouring a great pint. So if not bothered about either don't get one :)

 

[wheazy_joe]

Rob, one more question:

- did I read correctly that you prime each keg with just one tea spoon of sugar? I normally add that to each 500ml bottle so doesn't seem like a lot! Multiplying what I use up would be 10 tea spoons (Carol Vorderman here!), or around 40g which, as I understand is way too much as the kegs can't hold as much pressure as bottles. So I added 12g (around 3 tea spoons).

 

[Motorhomebrew]

Rob, one more question:

- did I read correctly that you prime each keg with just one tea spoon of sugar? I normally add that to each 500ml bottle so doesn't seem like a lot! Multiplying what I use up would be 10 tea spoons (Carol Vorderman here!), or around 40g which, as I understand is way too much as the kegs can't hold as much pressure as bottles. So I added 12g (around 3 tea spoons).

I do lagers and I put 3 heaped measured tea spoons in. I get good results

 

[wheazy_joe]

I do lagers and I put 3 heaped measured tea spoons in. I get good results

Perfect that's what I added to mine, albeit an IPA but I like them as fizzy as my lagers :thumb:

 

[Wardy]

I'd love one on corny kegs. Just got 3 but have no idea how to fit taps etc.

 

[Leon103]

Would love to know how to fit the party star to a Hobgoblin keg. For the life of me I just can't get it into the keg.

 

[Wardy]

Would love to know how to fit the party star to a Hobgoblin keg. For the life of me I just can't get it into the keg.

I managed to do mine. It was surprisingly easy once I bought the regulator and read specs then bought the hose and ball stop quick release gas and liquid fittings. Just need to get a brew in the keg now.

 

[Leon103]

I managed to do mine. It was surprisingly easy once I bought the regulator and read specs then bought the hose and ball stop quick release gas and liquid fittings. Just need to get a brew in the keg now.

Only want to install the party star tap lol.

 

[Jimjam1973]

Been using these for a year or 2 now and what I do is
Removing the red / black bungs..pull red flappy bit off push the middle through ( this comes out if you fill it with water ,turn up side down and open the tap as it causes a vortex)and then get a piece of string and wrap in around twice the Bung between the Bung and keg ( if that makes sense ) , then pull the string gently And the Bung comes out , I use the grey 2 piece bungs and they just pull off , I don't use Vaseline with these I simply twist them on and never had an issue in about 50/60 kegs this year
I use a Cooler for these from Germany and a party star , you can use the red black bungs with these easy enough, hob goblin have started to do a different Bung now and they are a pain to get off .still working out how to do them with out damage , done 4 with cutting bits of it with side cutters although I buggerd one up and had to throw it
I prime with 13/14 g of sugar per 5 litre kegs and it is gassy for the 1st pint or 2 ( I like fizz though) but I don't use co2 for the 1st few , I put the co2 in when it starts to slow , I also use 8 g co2 in a 16g Home made holder as I find it easier to get 8g .
Hope that helps someone

 

[Hops_and_Dreams]

Excellent threads, thanks Rob. The vaseline wouldn't have occurred to me either. Going to fill my first three tomorrow, so not long til I can start using the party star tap. I've just ordered another six from Ebay for free (well for Nectar points, but don't tell anyone...).

How long do the red/black bungs last? The first three I got were full of beer and the red tab looks like it may break soon. Must get a load of the grey ones.

 

[Motorhomebrew]

Excellent threads, thanks Rob. The vaseline wouldn't have occurred to me either. Going to fill my first three tomorrow, so not long til I can start using the party star tap. I've just ordered another six from Ebay for free (well for Nectar points, but don't tell anyone...).

How long do the red/black bungs last? The first three I got were full of beer and the red tab looks like it may break soon. Must get a load of the grey ones.

The bungs will last a long time as long as you look after them and be careful when removing them from kegs. Also the bungs will perish if you leave a little beer in a keg for a few weeks. So remove ha ha

 

[VillageBrew]

I've ordered a starter kit from Leyland Home Brew. Not only is Julie really helpful, but I paid for it yesterday at which point they were waiting for supplies to arrive (with a backlog of 50 ordered!) Totally impressed that they were delivered today. :-D I am now just waiting for my Cereal Beer to finish in the FV so I can test out the Party Star...

 

[Hops_and_Dreams]

The bungs will last a long time as long as you look after them and be careful when removing them from kegs. Also the bungs will perish if you leave a little beer in a keg for a few weeks. So remove ha ha

Yeah I've been emptying and rinsing the kegs as I go. Just filled my first batch! Star san foam made it a bit tricky to tell how full they were.

 

[Motorhomebrew]

I use my little finger as a measure. I put my little finger in and against the rim of the keg up to the first joint and when I feel the beer touch the tip of my finger the kegs full and ready to prime

 

[Halfacrem]

I've just tapped my first mini keg with a Party Star tap.

I managed to lose the contents of the first CO2 cartridge when I screwed it into the tap without turning the CO2 knob off!!

First thoughts are positive. I didn't get much flow after tapping and had to turn the CO2 on a little bit. I primed with 12g of sugar, so perhaps this is a little low, but the beer itself is nicely carbonated.

The one downside of the mini keg is it's the Beer equivalent of a Wine box! Very difficult to gauge consumption! I also don't like drinking the same thing all night, so having a few mini kegs and taps going at the same time might get a bit pricey with the taps at ���£40

I can perhaps see myself using the mini keg/Party Star for light and pale ales for get-togethers, and bottles for normal consumption.

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
Thanks for a very useful series - I'm tempted to have a go, but haven't gone down the CO2 cartridge route.
I notice that there is an adapter to add gas from a regulated cylinder: http://www.leylandhomebrew.com/item3030.htm
The beer will be dispensed from the keg's own tap.
Colin

 

[Robin54]

Excellent post with sound advice. I have just used these kegs for my Christmas Brew and primed with 80gms of dark candy crystals and praying that it all works out well..(fingers crossed)

 

[Leon103]

Is that one keg for 80g? Don't expect it to survive

 

[Robin54]

Is that one keg for 80g? Don't expect it to survive

Im pretty sure that was the amount per keg...
By survive, do you mean the keg or the beer?:-o

 

[MyQul]

Im pretty sure that was the amount per keg...
By survive, do you mean the keg or the beer?:-o

The keg. Its probably going to distend with that much sugar in it, perhaps (trying not to sound too dramatic) even explode. If you've got a garage or some such I'd put them in there or may ber a carboard box with plenty of newspaper underneath if not