Pressure Barrels - More than you wanted to know!

[Hazelwood Brewery]

What’s that little tool thing you have for getting the rubber valve on?

Sounds like you’re getting serious @Clint I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you have your sleeves rolled up an’ everythin’

 

[LED_ZEP]

@Hazelwood Brewery I don't think you've gone in to enough detail. Only joking that's an excellent piece.

I've a couple of older Wilko PB's that serve me well but I've noticed their new design now has a 4" opening.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

@Hazelwood Brewery I don't think you've gone in to enough detail. Only joking that's an excellent piece.

I've a couple of older Wilko PB's that serve me well but I've noticed their new design now has a 4" opening.

Good to hear, it must be far easier to clean if you can actually get your arm in!

 

[Clint]

Sounds like you’re getting serious @Clint I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you have your sleeves rolled up an’ everythin’

I found those plier things...it's a castration banding tool,...sounds awful! Not unless yours is a proper brewing spanner one...

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I found those plier things...it's a castration banding tool,...sounds awful! Not unless yours is a proper brewing spanner one...

Don’t give Mrs C any ideas!

 

[kelper]

If your King Keg top tap starts dispensing more gas than beer, your beer comes out as foam and you find you are using a lot of gas, it's usually because the o-ring shown at top right is not sealing.

You can verify this by tilting the barrel forward so the tap is below the surface of the beer. Now dispense some and see if the beer comes out clear with no foam.
O-rings will seal indefinitely if not disturbed but when you take everything apart for cleaning check this o-ring is still resilient and a snug fit when you push the spigot back into the tap. O-rings are readily available on eBay; size is 16mm x 18mm. Silicone grease will soften silicone rubber. Vaseline is the best lubricant and it will actually aid sealing as it helps the o-ring to settle into position. Before every use, I test the seal with air pressure. I fill the PB to just below the tap and pump the PB up with a car tyre until the relief device squeals. But don't exceed 15psi - mine squeal at ~10psi. This is why I recommend installing Schrader valves.

 

[Hagrid]

I've always thought that using a PB would give you a short shelf life to drink the beer, but is that an old assumption based on the the mini kegs (like hobgoblin) you buy in the shops?

How long would you expect to get to drink the beer in a PB? It's only me at home drinking beer and I tend to have a pint or two at weekends, would I get through it before it went off?

I've got two kicking around at my parents. One I've never used (it was donated by an ex's dad) and the other I used for a couple of beers I brewed for parties years ago, but did't think I'd get the shelf life to drink it without a party. I'd like to explore the PB route rather than collecting, storing, washing blah, blah, blah... all the bottles.

Thanks H

 

[kelper]

It will last weeks and weeks unless you let air in. I don't think it will be any different from bottling.

 

[terrym]

I've always thought that using a PB would give you a short shelf life to drink the beer, but is that an old assumption based on the the mini kegs (like hobgoblin) you buy in the shops?

How long would you expect to get to drink the beer in a PB? It's only me at home drinking beer and I tend to have a pint or two at weekends, would I get through it before it went off?

I've got two kicking around at my parents. One I've never used (it was donated by an ex's dad) and the other I used for a couple of beers I brewed for parties years ago, but did't think I'd get the shelf life to drink it without a party. I'd like to explore the PB route rather than collecting, storing, washing blah, blah, blah... all the bottles.

Thanks H

Beer should keep for months. But as soon as you admit air, say by bubbling through the tap because there is no internal pressure the beer will spoil within a few days.
If you have a second hand PB and intend using it, it is worth changing all the seals and gaskets and certainly running a pressure test on it before you fill it with beer, when you will find whether it leaks or not.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I've always thought that using a PB would give you a short shelf life to drink the beer, but is that an old assumption based on the the mini kegs (like hobgoblin) you buy in the shops?

How long would you expect to get to drink the beer in a PB? It's only me at home drinking beer and I tend to have a pint or two at weekends, would I get through it before it went off?

I've got two kicking around at my parents. One I've never used (it was donated by an ex's dad) and the other I used for a couple of beers I brewed for parties years ago, but did't think I'd get the shelf life to drink it without a party. I'd like to explore the PB route rather than collecting, storing, washing blah, blah, blah... all the bottles.

Thanks H

As others have said, months. I sometimes leave a beer in the keg for up to 3 months conditioning before I even start drinking it.

 

[Buffers brewery]

I've always thought that using a PB would give you a short shelf life to drink the beer, but is that an old assumption based on the the mini kegs (like hobgoblin) you buy in the shops?

How long would you expect to get to drink the beer in a PB? It's only me at home drinking beer and I tend to have a pint or two at weekends, would I get through it before it went off?

I've got two kicking around at my parents. One I've never used (it was donated by an ex's dad) and the other I used for a couple of beers I brewed for parties years ago, but did't think I'd get the shelf life to drink it without a party. I'd like to explore the PB route rather than collecting, storing, washing blah, blah, blah... all the bottles.

Thanks H

On average I drink 5 pints a week (2 dry days a week ) so my 5 gallon King Kegs last about 8 weeks. I find, if anything, the beer improves towards the end of the barrel, so provided you maintain a good CO2 atmosphere over the beer, you’ll be alright. I find having a pressure gauge helps to maintain the barrel pressure within my desired limits. Some say they’re not necessary but I find them helpful.

 

[cushyno]

Here's a tip for the brass S30 valve with pin rather than an insert.

If the black o-ring is damaged and won't create a seal for 8g cartridges or sodastream adapter, an emergency (or even permanent) replacement is to cut a slice from the end of some small diameter silicone tube making a "washer" and place it inside the top of the valve around the pin. Start with a thickish slice so that it sits level with the top of the pin. The silicone tube should compress and create a good enough seal to the face of the cartridge rather than around its neck. If the cartridge won't puncture, cut a little more off the silicone washer until it does. Too thin a washer and the cartridge will puncture before a decent seal is made by the washer. This is unlikely to work with the stainless valve body and insert, as gas will still escape up the sides of the insert.

 

[Hagrid]

Cheers everyone. I might pick them up and give them an overhaul. :)

Annoyingly one of my neighbours growing up supplies co2 to local pubs too! I converted my welder to take it as it was a fraction of the cost.

 

[LED_ZEP]

On average I drink 5 pints a week

I thought that "week" in your post was a typo and should have been day. Then I realised just how much my girth had increased since this lock down and drink up period started and I may be drinking a little too much.

 

[kelper]

I thought that "week" in your post was a typo and should have been day. Then I realised just how much my girth had increased since this lock down and drink up period started and I may be drinking a little too much.

I used to drink 10 pints a day when I was a lad but that was in the Gulf and I was doing hard, physical work. Even now I drink about 10 units a day. I suspect I am not alone. Currently, at 65, I have no health issues. I weigh 89kg and am 176cm tall. Technically overweight but not terribly.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I thought that "week" in your post was a typo and should have been day. Then I realised just how much my girth had increased since this lock down and drink up period started and I may be drinking a little too much.

I’m on the same page as you!

 

[Buffers brewery]

I thought that "week" in your post was a typo and should have been day. Then I realised just how much my girth had increased since this lock down and drink up period started and I may be drinking a little too much.

Type 2 means I have to be sensible nowadays.....most of the time

 

[telenomus]

A very well written and informative essay on these kegs. I had 5 plastic barrels in the 1990s, eventually switching to corny kegs, and I still bottle some. I eventually tossed the plastic barrels because I thought that over time they may have become brittle or otherwise untrustworthy. Do you know if they stand the test of time, or does the integrity of the plastic (not the valves, etc.) lessen as it ages ?

 

[Chiplover]

On average I drink 5 pints a week (2 dry days a week ) so my 5 gallon King Kegs last about 8 weeks. I find, if anything, the beer improves towards the end of the barrel, so provided you maintain a good CO2 atmosphere over the beer, you’ll be alright. I find having a pressure gauge helps to maintain the barrel pressure within my desired limits. Some say they’re not necessary but I find them helpful.

I was starting to think I was the only one drinking them sort of volumes!

 

[Steeley]

Whoever is offering the best price, taking delivery into account, for the configuration I want (bottom tap, black tap, stainless valve) but there’s less choice each time I look at the mo’

So you’ve chosen a King Keg too?

If you’ve decided on a King Keg, your next decision might be whether to go for the top-tap or the bottom-tap. The advantages of the top-tap are that you can fit a glass under the tap easily and you should be able to pour a clear pint sooner than with the bottom-tap because beer clears from the top down. The down side of this though is that you need a floating mechanism to always draw the beer from the surface and you need pressure to push the beer out. The bottom-tap keg is more simple with no floating mechanism to worry about (isn’t there an expression about keeping things simple). The advantage of beer being drawn off more quickly might also not be so much of an advantage given that beer still needs time to condition and this takes longer than the time to clear. I chose the bottom-tap version because there is less to go wrong and my kegs all sit on shelves with the tap hanging over the edge so getting a glass under the tap is no issue for me.

View attachment 31226

When you order your King Keg there are a few items that you should order at the same time to make your life easier and you may even have one or two of them around the house already. You will need a cap spanner, some small cable-ties, a roll of PTFE tape, and you may need some Vaseline (read below about taps). You should also buy a new set of seals for the S.30 valve (see below about valves) and if your King Keg comes with the type of tap you see on the top-tap keg, you might want to buy a replacement tap of the type you can see on the bottom-tap keg (again, read below about taps).

You will also need some CO2 bulbs or a CO2 bottle depending on whether you use the pin-valve or not (see section on valves below).

View attachment 31227

When it arrives you get a keg, a cap with a rubber seal, a pressure-release valve (the S30 valve) that will fit into the cap, and a tap. Assembling this stuff is easy enough but making sure you have no leaks of beer or gas? That’s entirely different.

View attachment 31228

After checking for any obvious manufacturing issues and transportation damage, wash the keg and cap in clean soapy water and give them a good rinse, ready for assembly and testing.

Really enjoyed reading your thread, just a few pointers, I have been helped here in the passed, by yourself and a few of the other guys and all been most helpful, the point is ,you like using the PTFE tape, whilst others don’t and I have been told that the Cap on the KK does not need to be really tightened, because it might distort the large o ring in the cap, I am still having issues with my barrels but just finding out the best way forward, what I think I will definitely do is purchase a bottom tap KK, also I have a sparkler tap, I might also try that