Mini Keg

[Covrich]

Got myself a mini keg from a local brewery near my girlfriend and I was wondering about reusing it when I emptied the contents!

What is the best /easiest way to re use it? wash and clean it and out and ist rack my batch prime in and use teh tap as normal? I heard/ seen ,amy people use something called a party start tap . not sure whether that is the best / easiest way to go about it.

Thanks in advanced

 

[xozzx]

There are a lot of different types of mini kegs, probably best if you post a photo of the one you have.

 

[Covrich]

Thanks

This is what I got hope that give she clue?

 

[Manners]

Your gf cant be far from me- the Rebellion beer is pretty good, enjoyed a few of them. Halfway between my house and my brother’s place so was handy!

 

[Covrich]

Your gf cant be far from me- the Rebellion beer is pretty good, enjoyed a few of them. Halfway between my house and my brother’s place so was handy!

She lives Loudwater High Wycombe.

I tried a few of their bottles last night and was pretty impressed

 

[yrhendystu]

I've got a few mini kegs, I give them a good rinse out when empty and then add a little bleach and fill up. Then after a good shake I let it drain out through the tap, rinse out then leave to dry. They are a pain to get the drips out of. I bought some bungs for 85p each, they can be a job to get in but they work great. I might try a bit of vaseline next time to make it easier.
https://brew2bottle.co.uk/products/rubber-plug-for-5ltr-mini-keg

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Got myself a mini keg from a local brewery near my girlfriend and I was wondering about reusing it when I emptied the contents!

What is the best /easiest way to re use it? wash and clean it and out and ist rack my batch prime in and use teh tap as normal? I heard/ seen ,amy people use something called a party start tap . not sure whether that is the best / easiest way to go about it.

Thanks in advanced

 

[Covrich]

Thanks I actually watched that video but didn't know whether penning with sugar was best as I heard people buy something called party starr tap with co2

I think I'll try priming first and see how that get on

First job. Empty the contents of this one

 

[Covrich]

I've got a few mini kegs, I give them a good rinse out when empty and then add a little bleach and fill up. Then after a good shake I let it drain out through the tap, rinse out then leave to dry. They are a pain to get the drips out of. I bought some bungs for 85p each, they can be a job to get in but they work great. I might try a bit of vaseline next time to make it easier.
https://brew2bottle.co.uk/products/rubber-plug-for-5ltr-mini-keg

thanks , do you prime the keg too? I heard you should under prime these

 

[trummy]

Just thrown mine - too much trouble, plus some have complained of metallic taste in the beer. Just use 2 ltr pet bottles now

 

[yrhendystu]

I do and have only recently heard about under priming mini kegs. All the ones I've done before I just scaled up and got tons of froth so had to either pop the bungs straight away or just crack the tap a tiny bit. I have a few brown ales in the shed that should be OK as I didn't add much to them. I might try one this week.

I had been put off them to be honest until I read about under priming.

 

[chillipickle]

You been getting beer from my local brewery covrich, didn’t know they delivered to Warwickshire

 

[Covrich]

You been getting beer from my local brewery covrich, didn’t know they delivered to Warwickshire

I dont know if they would, but they delivered to high wycombe for free

 

[chillipickle]

Not had a delivery from them, but £10+ and they deliver locally free which is pretty good.

I used to live 10 mins walk from the brewery, we used to have some fun down their on open nights.

 

[Wynne]

I dont know if they would, but they delivered to high wycombe for free

A Party Star tap uses 12g CO2 capsules for serving carbonated beer - you still need to prime the beer. The type of minicask you pictured is made of tin-plated steel with an internal polymer coating. The were originally designed for single use but, usually, can be used several times if you don’t damage them extracting the bung, when they fail (which they will eventually) the beer becomes tainted and tastes unpleasantly metallic. I have used them in the past but I see them, a stop gap on the route to cornies or stainless steel minikegs which are much more durable.

 

[KGB]

i use this tap and i'm very happy with it:

https://brew2bottle.co.uk/products/party-star-deluxe-co2-dispenser-for-5ltr-mini-kegs
you might have an issue getting the existing bung out though. those hard plastic types are rather sturdy, and i've yet to successfully remove one without damaging the keg. scratching the hole will lead to rust if you're not very careful.
anyone else had more success with these bungs?

these rubber bungs are much easier to remove, you won't need a separate tap:

https://www.brewuk.co.uk/easy-keg-bung.html
if you're using a tap and are worried about overcarbing, you can use these, but they're expensive for what they are:

https://www.home-brew-hopshop.co.uk...g-rubber-bung-with-pressure-relief-valve.html

 

[KGB]

I have used them in the past but I see them, a stop gap on the route to cornies or stainless steel minikegs which are much more durable.

i've used them pretty exclusively for years - i never minded buying from the supermarket when i needed to replace those that had begun to wear out, as they're pretty cheap.

what's finally pushed me to stainless steel minikegs is the difficulty in finding ones that use rubber instead of plastic bungs, but the ss minikegs are comparatively very expensive and don't come full of beer!

 

[Covrich]

INteresting info thanks.. I will give this a go and if it works and I am happy with it I may invest in the tap and a mini keg SS system.. Nice to have some on tap as well as bottles

 

[Darren Jeory]

Do the party star dispensers actually work well...I toyed with the idea a while ago but swerved it..

 

[KGB]

Do the party star dispensers actually work well...I toyed with the idea a while ago but swerved it..

yeah, it's a good quality bit of kit and pours very nicely.
i previously had a far more inferior tap that broke. although i don't think that was because the tap was inferior, more to do with me not securing the thing correctly to an over-carbed minikeg and ending up with a hole in my ceiling...

although i'm using these minikegs less often, they'll always play a part in my brewing. they're cheap, compact and lightweight, and perfect for leaving behind at glastonbury.