Mini Kegs

[Galena]

@Fireside Ales Homebrewery I thought I would take this off the other thread as perhaps it detracts.
A quick question re those 5 litre mini kegs if I may, how long does a 16oz CO2 cartridge last?

 

[Fireside Ales Homebrewery]

@Fireside Ales Homebrewery I thought I would take this off the other thread as perhaps it detracts.
A quick question re those 5 litre mini kegs if I may, how long does a 16oz CO2 cartridge last?

Morning,
Yeah good idea.
Well it sort of depends on how you decide to carbonate the beer. If you decide to naturally carbonate with sugar, then you can use one bulb to just help with each dispense. This is my preference as the bulbs of Co2 will last you a lot longer.
If you go for the ‘set and forget’ method. You may go through up to 2 bulbs just carbonating your beer. That depends on how carbonated you want your beer to be of course. I think people tend to prefer the ‘set and forget’ method because you can more accurately carbonate your beer depending on what style of beer you have brewed. Using sugar can often lead to a random level of carbonation as I am sure you know.
I have been looking at setting myself up with the big pub style gas cylinders. This is a very popular option I think. They look quite expensive to begin with, but I think they are more economical in the long run.
Having said that the 16 gram bulbs are not too expensive and they are easy to use. I get mine in packs of 3 boxes 10x bulbs from the link bellow and they do last a while. One bulb to dispense one 5-10 litres of beer, naturally carbonated.
https://www.co2cartridges.co.uk/mosa-co2-16g-threaded-box-of-30

 

[Pavros]

I agree with Fireside.
I use the Dark Farm style 5 litre mini kegs and I batch prime the beer in a bottling bucket then bottle half and keg half. I leave the keg for 2 to 3 weeks (as you would with a bottle) and only use the CO2 bulbs for dispensing. I manage to use 1 16g bulb for each 5l keg but I am still learning the best way to use the kegs/regulator etc. Sometimes the beer is over carbonated at the beginning of the keg so I have to play around with the regulator to get the right serving pressure but the bulb usually is running out or has just run out by the time the keg is emptying.

Fireside's link for CO2 bulbs is cheap (thanks for the link, Fireside ) as I usually pay about £10 for a pack of 10 and get discounts for buying more than 1 at a time. You can also buy sodastream adaptors for the regulators so you can use sodastream bottles instead of bulbs or adaptors to use a big gas bottle which is the cheapest option.

 

[Galena]

Interesting information, thanks both.
When batch priming with sugar does the dip tube not suck the sediment through?
What sort of pressure are you using when using natural carbonation?

 

[Pavros]

I find that I get very little sediment in bottles any way as I use a mesh bag over the end of the syphon tube when transferring from fv to bottling bucket and another syphon tube with bag when bottling. I have noticed that the very first half pint I serve from a keg has a little sediment in it but not much.

I'm not sure what pressure I use to dispense. I have the mini regulators fitted to my kegs so the method may be different if you use a bigger one (ie one used for cornies). I think (I'm not at home so can't check) that the regulator scale goes up to 10 or so. I turn the regulator on to about 2 on the scale and when this is reached, I turn the gas off and serve. Probably not the right way to do it but it works for me. This method lets me serve about a pint before the gas pressure is too low. I would have to repeat the process if I was pouring 2 pints at the same time.

Initially, I was keeping the gas on when serving but found that this produced too much foam and I had to wait for this to clear to top up the glass. I've found that it's very much horses for courses and I've found a method that works for me so . I was also using much more gas if I kept the regulator on when serving.

 

[Begbie]

I'm looking at mini kegs at the moment...daft question time:

- if batch priming, do you need to connect the tap and regulator straight after filling the keg, and they need to remain connected at all times? I assume that if don't, the minute you connect the tap or regulator, gas will escape and you would need to top up the pressure again?
- Also, if force carbonating, can you remove the regulator once pressurised? Or will that result in loss of pressure too? Do you need a check valve in the line then? Is that what a spunding valve is?

I just like the idea of having a mini keg in the fridge (or in a bag if I'm visiting friends/family), ready to connect a tap and regulator when I want to pour a beer, and not have attachments taking up room.

Sorry for hijacking the thread and asking potentially stupid questions!

 

[Fireside Ales Homebrewery]

I agree with Fireside.
I use the Dark Farm style 5 litre mini kegs and I batch prime the beer in a bottling bucket then bottle half and keg half. I leave the keg for 2 to 3 weeks (as you would with a bottle) and only use the CO2 bulbs for dispensing. I manage to use 1 16g bulb for each 5l keg but I am still learning the best way to use the kegs/regulator etc. Sometimes the beer is over carbonated at the beginning of the keg so I have to play around with the regulator to get the right serving pressure but the bulb usually is running out or has just run out by the time the keg is emptying.

Fireside's link for CO2 bulbs is cheap (thanks for the link, Fireside ) as I usually pay about £10 for a pack of 10 and get discounts for buying more than 1 at a time. You can also buy sodastream adaptors for the regulators so you can use sodastream bottles instead of bulbs or adaptors to use a big gas bottle which is the cheapest option.

Your welcome with the link

 

[Fireside Ales Homebrewery]

Interesting information, thanks both.
When batch priming with sugar does the dip tube not suck the sediment through?
What sort of pressure are you using when using natural carbonation?

I have not had a problem with this. The way that the kegs are formed at the bottom, a bit like a wine bottle, with an indentation (called the Punt on a wine bottle) I find the sediment, if any, settles around the indentation. When I naturally carb, again it depends on the beer that I have brewed. I use about 50grams sugar for 10litres, less if I want less carbonation. Not sure what PSI this would give me. Probably around 15 I would say. I dispense each time at 10 psi. I have a flow regulator on my tap though, so I tend to use that to dial the head back a bit so I don’t get a pint of foam.

 

[Begbie]

quick check online and I found that you can get a check valve on a gas disconnect. I could live with that. Fairly cheap too.

https://brewkegtap.co.uk/products/b...-with-check-valve?_pos=3&_sid=178a1e330&_ss=r

 

[Fireside Ales Homebrewery]

I'm looking at mini kegs at the moment...daft question time:

- if batch priming, do you need to connect the tap and regulator straight after filling the keg, and they need to remain connected at all times? I assume that if don't, the minute you connect the tap or regulator, gas will escape and you would need to top up the pressure again?
- Also, if force carbonating, can you remove the regulator once pressurised? Or will that result in loss of pressure too? Do you need a check valve in the line then? Is that what a spunding valve is?

I just like the idea of having a mini keg in the fridge (or in a bag if I'm visiting friends/family), ready to connect a tap and regulator when I want to pour a beer, and not have attachments taking up room.

Sorry for hijacking the thread and asking potentially stupid questions!

No such thing as stupid questions here mate when you are learning.
Firstly, I don’t connect the tap and regulator until I am ready to serve that Keg. The disconnects are clever enough to allow you to connect and disconnect taps and gas lines without loosing pressure in the keg. So no worries there.
Second, again you can remove a regulator without this effecting the internal pressure of the keg. A spunding valve carefully controls the release of CO2 This is often used on pressure fermenters too.
You will love a mini keg they do just what you are wanting

 

[Fireside Ales Homebrewery]

quick check online and I found that you can get a check valve on a gas disconnect. I could live with that. Fairly cheap too.

https://brewkegtap.co.uk/products/b...-with-check-valve?_pos=3&_sid=178a1e330&_ss=r

The check valve is a good thing to have. I have never had this happen, but the check valve stops beer from coming up the gas line and trashing your regulator.

 

[Begbie]

No such thing as stupid questions here mate when you are learning.
Firstly, I don’t connect the tap and regulator until I am ready to serve that Keg. The disconnects are clever enough to allow you to connect and disconnect taps and gas lines without loosing pressure in the keg. So no worries there.
Second, again you can remove a regulator without this effecting the internal pressure of the keg. A spunding valve carefully controls the release of CO2 This is often used on pressure fermenters too.
You will love a mini keg they do just what you are wanting

Nice one thanks for that! Mini keg, here I come! Just need to decide which one...I do like the Dark Farm double walled ones, but their bundle is sold out at the moment!

 

[Fireside Ales Homebrewery]

Nice one thanks for that! Mini keg, here I come! Just need to decide which one...I do like the Dark Farm double walled ones, but their bundle is sold out at the moment!

No problem.
I have the 10litre Dark farms keg . They are very nice. Good quality paint job too. Doesn’t chip easily. Definitely more expensive than others out there. I also have ones embossed with the Mangrove Jacks logo. Again great quality. @Brew2bottle Homebrew sell a fantastic range of kegs. I got my last two from them and the service was great.

 

[Fireside Ales Homebrewery]

A bit of keg porn..

 

[Begbie]

Ooft, some tasty looking kegs there!

Yeah, I might look at cheaper solutions and then buy Dark Farm once they're back in stock...and they've provided a discount code on this forum!

Thanks @Fireside Ales Homebrewery

 

[Galena]

5 litre is the way forward for me I think but Malt Miller is out of stock and so are Brew 2 bottle
There is somebody called U-Flow || The perfect Pour Uflow keg. selling them but there is not much info about the actual taps/regulators that I can see and you have to get them to call you back it seems and not sure as they actually have them in stock.

A couple of Amazon options
This One seems cheap but on checking the reviews sound a bit nasty.

This one may or may not be better but no reviews so I am somewhat doubtful.

I like the look of some of the Malt Miller options with a decent regulator with flow control (which I think is probably a good idea)

 

[Covrich]

https://www.geterbrewed.com/mini-keg-starters-kit-by-brewferm-get-er-brewed/
What about these?

 

[Galena]

https://www.geterbrewed.com/mini-keg-starters-kit-by-brewferm-get-er-brewed/
What about these?

I think they are the same kegs as the supermarket beer kegs aren't they?

 

[Covrich]

I think they are the same kegs as the supermarket beer kegs aren't they?

Apologies I linked teh wrong thing

I meant, well these

 

[Galena]

Apologies I linked teh wrong thing

I meant, well these

View attachment 43427

No link just a too small image