Brewing Master

Question:

I’ve got 7 minis (it was 8, one dented due to too much pressure) and two taps.  The first tap I got was a basic tap the LHBS had.  It worked decent, but after I got a Philtap I only use the old one when I tap two kegs at once.  Also, grab some of Phil’s Relieph Bungs, if I had a full set of those I’d still have 8 minikegs. I got a small cooler pack that perfectly fits two minikegs & a good amount of ice.  That’s trouble. I’d really like to move up to corny kegs, but like the original poster, it just won’t fit right now.  I’m considering hunting around for 2.5 gallon cornies.  But I really like the portability of the minikegs. btw- has anyone tried filling a minikeg from a corny?  Can you use a counter-pressure filler from a corny to a mini? -Kyle replace pi w/ patentinvestor when replying – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I cast my vote in favour of the minis. I have been getting great use from mine. love the philtap. also have a hand pump for bringing mini kegs to picnics, camping trips etc.. but a real keg fridge is in the future just for more volume and not having to buy little co2 cylinders John

Response:

But I digress.  I use the Phil Tap with the mini CO2 cartridges, it works real nice.  Kegs clean up pretty easily also.  The only bad part I’ve found so far is removing the bungs, despite keg lube. Delta

I started using mini-kegs aeons ago…none of the LHBSs around me at the time had replacement bungs, so removing them regularly wasn’t going to work.  This was before the web was around, so I couldn’t order online.  In fact, for a long time, I had stopped home brewing, and just bought kegged beer.  The minikeg (along with 2 liter bottles) was a convenient way to carry beer to parties, picnics, fishing trips, etc. My solution was to cut a hole in the head, and mount a fitting that gave me access to the inside without having to remove the bung.  A few years ago I created a web page that illustrated this point, and I’ve moved it around a few times.  These days it’s been moved (where hopefully it will stay for some time) to: http://rdcpro.freezope.org/brewing/minikeg I’ve posted this a few months ago, but under a different URL.  Since I’m no longer employed there, it’s just a matter of time before that old address goes away. Anyway, this approach allows force carbonation, and I found that if I filled a 5 liter keg with 4 liters of beer, I could pressurize it using the carbonator cap and pour virtually the whole thing without using sparklets.  Any that didn’t come out could be poured out the new fitting. The other thing I like about this approach is that it’s no longer necessary to remove the bung each time. Regards, Mike Sharp

Response:

I was going to buy a mini-keg and then saw that they are made out of tin or aluminum and coated with plastic.  I didn’t like the idea of that so I thought maybe I should buy the Tap-a-draft system.  It looked great but decided against it because there is no way to turn off the c02 or control it on that system.  I then bought a 3 gallon corny and have loved it.  It fits great in the fridge and it uses 12 gram co2 cartridges.  I figure at a later time when I can afford a seperate frige and a 5 pound co2 tank this would be a better setup. http://www.williamsbrewing.com/AB1605000/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Product_… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Ok, I went to Google, did a search on this group for mini-kegs.  Some messages say they are awful, some say they are great.  I’m this < far from ordering a set w/manual pump (if I start one, it’s going to be emptied.)  What is the group concensus on these setups?  I don’t have the fridge space for a Cornelius setup and none of the other options seem any better (i.e. party pig, beer sphere, etc.)  Help a poor (relatively) newbie out. Ed

Response:

I use corny kegs, but my LHBS really likes the party pigs.   I’m thinking of getting one, just to be able to give my mom half of a batch, without having to give her a bunch of bottles.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Ok, I went to Google, did a search on this group for mini-kegs.  Some messages say they are awful, some say they are great.  I’m this < far from ordering a set w/manual pump (if I start one, it’s going to be emptied.)  What is the group concensus on these setups?  I don’t have the fridge space for a Cornelius setup and none of the other options seem any better (i.e. party pig, beer sphere, etc.)  Help a poor (relatively) newbie out. Ed

Response:

Hey, to everyone who responded…  thanks.  Now it is a matter of which.  I’ll have to decide that one on my own.  The link supplied to the Williams 3 gal. setup led me to this: http://www.williamsbrewing.com/AB1605000/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Product_… Seems like a near perfect setup…  both air and c02.  The whold discussion does have me looking into small refrigerators that would hold 5 gal. Cornelius kegs though… Thanks again Ed – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Ok, I went to Google, did a search on this group for mini-kegs.  Some messages say they are awful, some say they are great.  I’m this < far from ordering a set w/manual pump (if I start one, it’s going to be emptied.)  What is the group concensus on these setups?  I don’t have the fridge space for a Cornelius setup and none of the other options seem any better (i.e. party pig, beer sphere, etc.)  Help a poor (relatively) newbie out. Ed

Response:

That should be a pretty good setup.  However, I’d really spring for a Philtap if you can.  I’ve got both kinds of taps (did you see my post?); the Philtap gets used, the other one comes second.  Also get Phil’s Relief Valves if you can, it’s a bit more but it’ll save you in the long run. sheesh, Dan ought to give kick backs for promoting his stuff. -Kyle replace pi w/ patentinvestor when replying – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey, to everyone who responded…  thanks.  Now it is a matter of which. I’ll have to decide that one on my own.  The link supplied to the Williams 3 gal. setup led me to this: http://www.williamsbrewing.com/AB1605000/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Product_… Seems like a near perfect setup…  both air and c02.  The whold discussion does have me looking into small refrigerators that would hold 5 gal. Cornelius kegs though… Thanks again Ed

Response:

The set up from Dan’s is great! http://www.listermann.com/Store/Details.asp?ID=573 We’ve moved on to the cornies but my son took over the minis and loves them. Everytime he comes for a visit, he brings his empty kegs so we can fill them (for free of course). He uses the philtap and hasn’t had any problems yet… — Louise:o) http://pages.infinit.net/weez1959/ – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Ok, I went to Google, did a search on this group for mini-kegs.  Some messages say they are awful, some say they are great.  I’m this < far from ordering a set w/manual pump (if I start one, it’s going to be emptied.)  What is the group concensus on these setups?  I don’t have the fridge space for a Cornelius setup and none of the other options seem any better (i.e. party pig, beer sphere, etc.)  Help a poor (relatively) newbie out. Well, to be honest I’d always recommend cornies as the first choice for kegging, but you already said they won’t work.  My second choice would definitely be mini-kegs though.  I used them for years before I got a corny kegging system.  I’m not sure what you mean by a "manual" pump, but you definitely want one that uses CO2, not air.  If you use a pump that puts air into the keg to push out the beer, you’re going to have to drink the entire keg in a couple days.  Otherwise it will go start to go bad.  With a CO2 pump, mini-kegs will stay good for a long time. John. —                            *** John P. Kolesar ***            *** Head Administrator, Monty Python’s Flying Talker ***

Response:

If you use a pump that puts air into the keg to push out the beer, you’re going to have to drink the entire keg in a couple days.  

Yes, sometimes we have to make sacrifices for our craft.   <burp — John Miller For large values of one, one equals two, for small values of two.

Response:

I cast my vote in favour of the minis. I have been getting great use from mine. love the philtap. also have a hand pump for bringing mini kegs to picnics, camping trips etc.. but a real keg fridge is in the future just for more volume and not having to buy little co2 cylinders John If you use a pump that puts air into the keg to push out the beer, you’re going to have to drink the entire keg in a couple days.

Yes, sometimes we have to make sacrifices for our craft. <burp — John Miller For large values of one, one equals two, for small values of two.

Response:

Ok, I went to Google, did a search on this group for mini-kegs.  Some messages say they are awful, some say they are great.  I’m this < far from ordering a set w/manual pump (if I start one, it’s going to be emptied.)  What is the group concensus on these setups?  I don’t have the fridge space for a Cornelius setup and none of the other options seem any better (i.e. party pig, beer sphere, etc.)  Help a poor (relatively) newbie out. Ed

Response:

Ok, I went to Google, did a search on this group for mini-kegs.  Some messages say they are awful, some say they are great.  

of course… they are opinions.. ( B^) I’m this < far from ordering a set w/manual pump (if I start one, it’s going to be emptied.)  What is the group concensus on these setups?  I don’t have the fridge space for a Cornelius setup and none of the other options seem any better (i.e. party pig, beer sphere, etc.)  Help a poor (relatively) newbie out.

I like my mini kegs (except right now, because they are all empty.  I shut down the brewery and ran it dry while the home is on the market… put the brewery in storage to save space, and besides, I didn’t think the smell of a sulphur-belching airlock wafting thru the home would be a good selling point…unless the buyer happened to brew beer!) But I digress.  I use the Phil Tap with the mini CO2 cartridges, it works real nice.  Kegs clean up pretty easily also.  The only bad part I’ve found so far is removing the bungs, despite keg lube. Delta

Response:

I like my mini kegs.  They work well, but I find them a little hard to clean and get dry inside.  They’re nice and portable.  I don’t have room for a full kegging system, which is a better alternative. Dan Listerman had an idea of cutting a hole in the top of a 3 liter soda bottle and using his Philtap (he makes them.)  It sounded like a good idea, but I haven’t tried it yet. Bruce.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Ok, I went to Google, did a search on this group for mini-kegs.  Some messages say they are awful, some say they are great.  I’m this < far from ordering a set w/manual pump (if I start one, it’s going to be emptied.)  What is the group concensus on these setups?  I don’t have the fridge space for a Cornelius setup and none of the other options seem any better (i.e. party pig, beer sphere, etc.)  Help a poor (relatively) newbie out. Ed

Response:

Dan Listerman had an idea of cutting a hole in the top of a 3 liter soda bottle and using his Philtap (he makes them.)  It sounded like a good idea, but I haven’t tried it yet.

 You can do the same thing with one gallon juice jugs like the ones Ocean Spray sell.  They take an amazing amount of pressure.  I am doing some interesting things with them. — Dan Listermann Check out our E-tail site at www.listermann.com – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I like my mini kegs.  They work well, but I find them a little hard to clean and get dry inside.  They’re nice and portable.  I don’t have room for a full kegging system, which is a better alternative. Bruce. Ok, I went to Google, did a search on this group for mini-kegs.  Some messages say they are awful, some say they are great.  I’m this < far from ordering a set w/manual pump (if I start one, it’s going to be emptied.)  What is the group concensus on these setups?  I don’t have the fridge space for a Cornelius setup and none of the other options seem any better (i.e. party pig, beer sphere, etc.)  Help a poor (relatively) newbie out. Ed

Response:

Ok, I went to Google, did a search on this group for mini-kegs.  Some messages say they are awful, some say they are great.  I’m this < far from ordering a set w/manual pump (if I start one, it’s going to be emptied.)  What is the group concensus on these setups?  I don’t have the fridge space for a Cornelius setup and none of the other options seem any better (i.e. party pig, beer sphere, etc.)  Help a poor (relatively) newbie out.

Well, to be honest I’d always recommend cornies as the first choice for kegging, but you already said they won’t work.  My second choice would definitely be mini-kegs though.  I used them for years before I got a corny kegging system.  I’m not sure what you mean by a "manual" pump, but you definitely want one that uses CO2, not air.  If you use a pump that puts air into the keg to push out the beer, you’re going to have to drink the entire keg in a couple days.  Otherwise it will go start to go bad.  With a CO2 pump, mini-kegs will stay good for a long time. John. —                            *** John P. Kolesar ***            *** Head Administrator, Monty Python’s Flying Talker ***

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