Mini Kegs

[Galena]

I have a mini CO2 bulb regulator to make the 5L keg portable and use that combined with a mini tap to dispense away from home.

Sounds just like what I want to do, so when transferring you use a tube with a ball lock disconnect on each end, liquid out on the corny and gas in on the mini keg, then open the tap on the mini keg to allow it to flow?
Presumably you need to leave a little headroom to pressurise the mini keg, how do you achieve that?

 

[muppix]

Sounds like a foot in the door to me!

Just be warned that you might end up getting another fridge along with those Cornelius kegs, cos there's no way those are fitting into your kitchen fridge without leaving marks in the butter. In my naivety I thought I could use a brew fridge for temperature controlled fermentation / cold crashing and for keeping my kegs cool, but the timing hasn't worked out, so now I'm looking to buy a second dedicated fridge for my little brewing operation. Slippery slope, those kegs ...

 

[Galena]

Sounds like a foot in the door to me!

Just be warned that you might end up getting another fridge along with those Cornelius kegs, cos there's no way those are fitting into your kitchen fridge without leaving marks in the butter. In my naivety I thought I could use a brew fridge for temperature controlled fermentation / cold crashing and for keeping my kegs cool, but the timing hasn't worked out, so now I'm looking to buy a second dedicated fridge for my little brewing operation. Slippery slope, those kegs ...

Oh I am fully aware of the slippery slope, I already have 2 tall fermentation fridges and a dedicated yeast fridge haha

 

[muppix]

I already have 2 tall fermentation fridges and a dedicated yeast fridge

Crikey! Suddenly I feel more normal.

I'll pick your brains about that yeast fridge in another thread if I may. Never really seen the point in harvesting the stuff when I can just buy a new packet for a couple of quid, but I've just spent £15 on WLP001 for a single 23 litre batch so I'm coming round to the idea.

 

[Galena]

Crikey! Suddenly I feel more normal.

I'll pick your brains about that yeast fridge in another thread if I may. Never really seen the point in harvesting the stuff when I can just buy a new packet for a couple of quid, but I've just spent £15 on WLP001 for a single 23 litre batch so I'm coming round to the idea.

Yep, no problem

 

[Regfixit]

Sounds just like what I want to do, so when transferring you use a tube with a ball lock disconnect on each end, liquid out on the corny and gas in on the mini keg, then open the tap on the mini keg to allow it to flow?
Presumably you need to leave a little headroom to pressurise the mini keg, how do you achieve that?

I filled the mini keg first actually, so that the balance would go in the Corny and the mini would be more or less full. I took the airlock out of the fermenter so the CO2 in the mini keg would go back in to prevent any air. This picture shows the initial transfer from FV to mini keg. The filter is only used as I needed to reduce the 1/2 inch outlet from FV to 3/8 to fit the beer out disconnect on the keg:

I weighed the keg before opening the tap, then kept weighing it until it was a gain of about 4.8Kg. Then I filled the Corny the same way with the rest.

As I wanted to drink some the same night I then carbed the mini - connected gas line to the black beer out disconnect and set to 40psi then shook for 10 minutes. This actually massively over carbed it and when I poured some it was pure froth.

That's when I realised I could salvage things by putting half the mini keg into the corny (which has flat beer in) and then passing it back to the mini and recarbing less aggressively.

To transfer from the mini to corny - connect a tube with black disconnects at each end to beer out on both kegs, Apply a bit of pressure (3 psi) to gas in on mini. attach a gas disconnect to gas in on corny with no tube attached to it - this lets gas out of the corny and so liquid moves into it. I didn't use a tap in the process. By removingn the grey disconnect from the corny you can let pressure build up as it fills and then the transfer comes to a stop. With a bit of clicking the connect on and off I got more or less half the mini contents into the corny. Then shook the corny to mix through.
Then connected the actual CO2 to the gas in on the corny and used the same on/off to the mini to let it flow back into it.

It did get a bit confusing, especially as when you are carbing our purging you want the gas to come in at the bottom and so need to connect the gas tube to the blank beer disconnect. I think it will get easier with a bit of practice !

 

[Galena]

It did get a bit confusing

It confused me Haha I do understand why you would send gas down the beer out tube that makes good sense actually. I'm not sure if I will ever be in that big a rush but you never know.
When you said the corny had flat beer in, is that how you store it until transfer to mini keg or did you carb it later?
I like the idea of weighing the mini keg, kind of obvious really now you say but I hadn't even considered it.
Thanks for your comprehensive reply again :)

 

[Regfixit]

The corny was flat just because I'd done the mini first. I believe you could store it flat, but better to carb it I think so it's already ready to drink.
Also the same mini tap fits the corny as well so you can pour direct from it, so might as well have it carbed.

It's now carbed as well and I've just poured a glass on this sunny afternoon

 

[Galena]

It's now carbed as well and I've just poured a glass on this sunny afternoon

Nice setup and just what I am looking to get, mini keg and kit should arrive next week, thanks for the Adams Gas link there was a stockist not far away but they only do welding gas. I found another stockist but have to buy rather than rent the cylinder so a bit expensive an outlay and of course will have to pay to get that tested when it is due, which I could do without.

 

[spigley]

Hi Galena, I got my CO2 6kg bottle from gas & hire limited in Chesterfield (they are also in Sheffield) £50 deposit and £16.20 fill inc. VAT. Lasts ages even with all the kegs I have. I also have a bottle on loan from my local landlord, I give him £10 when I need another full bottle

 

[Galena]

Hi Galena, I got my CO2 6kg bottle from gas & hire limited in Chesterfield (they are also in Sheffield) £50 deposit and £16.20 fill inc. VAT. Lasts ages even with all the kegs I have. I also have a bottle on loan from my local landlord, I give him £10 when I need another full bottle

Hello Spigley good to know there is another brewer just down the road, it was Gas & Hire I rang up they said £70 something to buy and did not mention rental I will have to ask again as the hire takes away any hassle with tests I guess. So where are the best pubs you frequent then (or will again soon)

 

[spigley]

Hello Spigley good to know there is another brewer just down the road, it was Gas & Hire I rang up they said £70 something to buy and did not mention rental I will have to ask again as the hire takes away any hassle with tests I guess. So where are the best pubs you frequent then (or will again soon)


Not too far from you i guess, I'm in Youlgrave would be good to meet other local brewers. I brew in the garage, currently have 2 tall fridges and a tall freezer, all sourced for free in the village. Usually have 6-8 brews on tap all in various sized cornies, it's a slippery slope. Started out a couple of years ago with an old 80's Boots barrel then got more gear from Lovebrewing to start with. Favourite locals are The Lathkil Hotel and the Flying Childers, both about a 35 minute walk. Also lucky we have 3 pubs in the village

 

[Galena]

Yeh Im in Flagg so not far away, I do drink in the Lathkill now and again, always a good selection of Ale's on there, I have a mate lives in Youlgrave and we sometimes meet up. Sometimes the Packhorse at Crowdecote which also had good beers, I like the Cock & Pullet at Sheldon because it is still a locals pub unlike the Bulls Head at Monyash which is a great pub and good ale but just gets too crowded with tourists except for in deep winter.
Would be good to meet up if things ever return to normal.

 

[spigley]

Yeh Im in Flagg so not far away, I do drink in the Lathkill now and again, always a good selection of Ale's on there, I have a mate lives in Youlgrave and we sometimes meet up. Sometimes the Packhorse at Crowdecote which also had good beers, I like the Cock & Pullet at Sheldon because it is still a locals pub unlike the Bulls Head at Monyash which is a great pub and good ale but just gets too crowded with tourists except for in deep winter.
Would be good to meet up if things ever return to normal.

Good to find another local brewer, definitely will meet when some sort of normality returns, maybe split orders of ingredients etc. Sounds like you keep a good selection of fresh yeasts. I've been in all the good places you mention and looking forward to revisiting some soon.

 

[Begbie]

The corny was flat just because I'd done the mini first. I believe you could store it flat, but better to carb it I think so it's already ready to drink.
Also the same mini tap fits the corny as well so you can pour direct from it, so might as well have it carbed.
View attachment 43937
View attachment 43938
It's now carbed as well and I've just poured a glass on this sunny afternoon

Hi Galena! Is that a flow control disconnect you have there? I've just bought one, yet to use it, so wondered what you think of it?

 

[Galena]

Hi Galena! Is that a flow control disconnect you have there? I've just bought one, yet to use it, so wondered what you think of it?

Not me that will be @Regfixit and it does indeed look like one, I would be interested to hear about it as well.

 

[Begbie]

Not me that will be @Regfixit and it does indeed look like one, I would be interested to hear about it as well.

So it was

@Regfixit what are your thoughts on the valve?

 

[Fireside Ales Homebrewery]

Will be interested in how well the flow control disconnect works.

 

[Regfixit]

It is. I got it combined with the tap as a single item tap and disconnect
I've been pleased with it. It feels very solid and the flow rate can be controlled from completely off to open. I've used it on the mini keg and also directly on a corny keg. I don't know if it's the issues I had with the carbonation level on the mini, but I found that I would get a lot of foaming unless the pressure was really low like 2 psi. However, on the Corny which is at 12 psi it poured a really good pint so I think it probably is the rush I had in carbing the mini on the first night it was ready to drink.
The only other thing is it drips a bit after you stop pouring (the tap part, not the disconnect). It doesn't drip permanently as in a leak, just after pouring, but I'm thinking of working up some kind of egg cup and wire drip catcher thing to hang under it.
Overall very pleased.
I'm also thinking of getting some pure N2 bulbs for the gas part and using the mini keg to dispense wine on a picnic etc. With the double wall of the mini keg and the neoprene jacket it should keep things cold for several hours out of the fridge. There was a chart somewhere on the Dark Farm site showing the difference between the single walled and double walled kegs and it's why I paid the extra; then economised on the tap, spear and gas injector by getting those from ebay.

 

[Galena]

@Regfixit I have 2 mini kegs now, corny and gas I will look at getting soon but want to get the hang of these first. What do you use and how do you clean/sanitise the disconnects and tap?