Newbie question about KingKeg

[Suburban]

Hi guys, let me just start by saying i am relatively new to brewing since i haven't brewed a beer since 1984 but a few weeks ago a friend of mine gave me a Kingkeg he got from a house clearance, my question is, on the top is a screw thread, i think this is for a co2 bottle, is this needed to make a brew or can i just use a 40 pint kit & brew it as you would in a fermenting bucket then syphon off & bottle ? also, back in the 80s kits used to stress not to use plastic bottles, i disobeyed that rule & used a well know cola brand to bottle my beer in, is this advisable or are there any disadvantages to using plastic as opposed to glass ? I am gratefull for any advice.

 

[pittsy]

hi and welcome , you can just use a king keg by priming with around 100g of sugar to your beer and then leave it in warmth for 2 weeks , the yeast will convert the sugar producing c02 , however if you have a top tap then around half way through your beer it will most likely need a top up of c02 this is easily done(if you have a pin valve ) by buying some bulbs around £4 for 10 and a bulb holder around £2 , just screw it on and it releases gas then remove job done .However if you have a tap on the bottom the this is not needed as gravity will get the beer out of keg .Glass bottles are better ,just better results but plastic is ok , ask your local pub they often will give you bottles and brown 1s are best , hope this helps :thumb: