Minikegs-A Users Guide (INTRO)

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BIGJIM72

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(@ mods,please feel free to move, add,or edit-camera is up the spout so all images are from amazon/google searches)

Mysterious things,mini kegs. Been around for years-I'm sure there are pics in Dave Line's books,but there is not a lot of info about them to be found on forums like this. When upgrading kit to something other than bottles the obvious routes are pressure barrels or cornies, minis often get overlooked-especially when HBS sell the starter kit with such a high price tag. With cornies being scarce at the moment(so I am told) there seems to be a bit more interest now.And things don't need to be expensive.

If you see a mini keg (MK from here on out) nestling on the shelves at Aldi, or in your local micro chances are that once you have finished drinking the beer the keg may well be re used by us brewers. Often these kegs will have a built in tap at the base & a vent style bung (more on bungs later).Also bear in mind new kegs retail for about £5,so if you find one full of beer for not much more it's a bargain.

keg with tap
metal-party-keg.jpg


Bung with vent
mini-keg-vented-bung.jpg


There is a pressure release bung that may be used with this style of keg-more later

Simple to use-chill,turn tap to dispense. When no more beer comes out of tap open vent at top by turning & let gravity do the rest. Opening the vent will let air at the beer,but when each keg holds 5lt they are quite easy to polish off if you have a few mates round.

Let me be clear from the off I am not referring to these

heineken.jpg


A few of the big boys produce these & a chiller to go with them. There may be a way to re use these but I don't know how.

Just to make things interesting, theres another style of MK for use with a dispenser tap- often sold in the MK starter kit

brewferm-mini-keg-starter-kit-1614-p.jpg


These differ slightly-they have no built in tap & come supplied with a different bung

Dispenser tap bung (I call them bullseyes)
311zuTZPeNL._SL500_AA300_.jpg


The dispenser tap comes with a dip tube that pushes the centre of these bungs into the keg then locks on firmly to the outer rim. Beer is then dispensed via a lever. When no more beer comes out pressure is restored by using a 16oz CO2/NO2 cartridge or by an air pump,depending on the style of tap you have. With the cartridge gas injection you can control the amount of gas pumped into the keg.

PROS

Much easier to wash & fill than loads of bottles (but for a 23lt brew you will need 4 MKs & 6 bottles)+they don't shatter if you drop them-much safer if you have pets or little ones
Without a tap fitted they will fit happily in the salad tray area of a standard fridge
You can buy a pre filled MK from a supermarket/microbrewery & see if you like the conditioning-if you do fill with homebrew & see how you get on. So no need for a large cash outlay from the start
Modular-they will stack for warm conditioning/storage
Extremely portable-ideal for going to parties/fishing trips etc
Unlike a corny set up you don't need a sizeable gas bottle,lots of piping or a kegerator

CONS

Very finite lifespan-prone to rust around the bung hole (no tittering please). Over priming or kegging beer that has not reached its true FG can result in a keg full of foam,or in extreme cases buckling or splitting
Expensive if you buy the starter kit
Although not as costly or space consuming as cornies it's an inferior system in some ways. Force carbing is theoretically possible but a damned sight easier with the gauges & regulators that are used in a corny set up.
If using vent bungs beer will oxidise in a few days
My plastic dispenser tap that came with the starter kit lasted about 18 months. Dip tubes are fragile & can be easily broken by over tightening.


On the whole,despite their faults I like MKs & continue to use them & have done for at least the last 3 years.

I will put up another post about priming,storing & other issues at a later date. Any comments/questions welcome
 
Thanks for this.
I've been looking at these, I found them on one of the German websites that i frequent.

How are they for ales?
Do you/can you control the amount of gas to get that real ale flatness?
 
I contacted Candrect to get a definitive statement about the pressures that are compatible with the minikegs. This relates to the plain kegs without the built in tap.

the working pressure should not be higher than 2,5 bars, best tapping pressure is near 0,8 bar +/- 0,2 bars. To avoid higher pressures, you can use the rubber sealing with a valve that depressurizes the minikeg, when the pressure wants to rise above 2,5 bars (if you make a fermentation in it).

This article has the number 76220938, is often reuseable and is called:

Gummistopfen mit Druckventil

Bestellnummer: 76220938

So that's about 37 psi plenty even enough to slow carbonate a larger.

ABT. Aamcle
 
Titus A Duxass said:
How are they for ales?
Do you/can you control the amount of gas to get that real ale flatness?

I find them to be on a par with KKs/budget kegs,so fine for ales/stouts/bitters. Not tried with cider or lager-thats not what I really go for.

I use a dispenser tap which has a CO2 injector so I can control the amount of gas,but I need a certain level of pressure (again compare theses to top tap KKs-no gas no beer).

I tend to find if you buy a full keg from a supermarket/brewery then they don't have a massively high carbonation level anyway.

Priming is also key to these. I tend to under prime as I can add gas later. I have gone as low as 1 teaspoon per keg with no ill effects. There is a need to add some priming sugar as there is always a small amount of headspace left in the keg & some CO2 is needed to protect the brew.
 
aamcle said:
So that's about 37 psi plenty even enough to slow carbonate a larger.

ABT. Aamcle

Keep them cold after conditioning & chill when you come to dispense,so that the CO2 remains absorbed in the brew.Room temp is too warm!
Too warm + too much gas & your keg will be on a par with a whipped cream dispenser.
 
I use these too and if i remember i prime with about 60-80g sugar. I have ex effes minikegs and have used them for around 3 years now. I tend to condition in the warm then keep the keg in the fridge for a while, mine are inbuilt bottom tap and pressure relief valve on top.
In use i start by opening the tap then the vent at the top to ease off the foaming, they always get drunk in one anyway. :cheers:
I have used them with both beers and stouts.
 
The priming rates for these kegs are (by manufacturers instructions) quite low:
With vent caps=3g per lt=15g per keg
With kegs without built in taps =8g total
 
Where can i buy minikegs with taps for £5?

Would like a few for when i go around to the mates house.

Seen some online for £7 + P&P But they dont have taps.
 
My LHBS does them with a tap for £4.99. I don't want to break any forum rules by naming them so i'll just say its a homebrew shop and its in Leyland. Google will work the rest out for you.
 
Zedilly said:
My LHBS does them with a tap for £4.99. I don't want to break any forum rules by naming them so i'll just say its a homebrew shop and its in Leyland. Google will work the rest out for you.

Joe is a great guy & also very knowledgeable about MKs. I generally get my spare dip tubes from him. At one point he was the only UK stockist for the Party Star injection tap (understand he's had a few issues with them-mine drips a bit after pouring but apart from that it is in a different class from the other plasticy taps). Quick,well packed deliveries too.
 
Thank you, would like to give each storage method a try to see which ones i prefer, got the swingtops, now got some minikegs on order. Just need to buy a pressure vessel keg :)
 
gl0ckage said:
Thank you, would like to give each storage method a try to see which ones i prefer, got the swingtops, now got some minikegs on order. Just need to buy a pressure vessel keg :)

All methods have their pros & cons & practice makes perfect. Bottled brews tend to get more lively carbonation (but are a lot of work to clean,sanitise & fill),pressure vessels are easy to fill,but don't always get the level of carbonation that some hope for. I find minis give a similar result to pressure vessels but are much easier to chill & are far more portable. What works best for you is the main thing.I use a combination of all 3 of these methods & some brews lend themselves better to each.
Lagers/pales/apas/ciders need that bit of sparkle that bottling brings.
Stouts/Porters/bitters that benefit from a gentler finish are ideal for pressure barrels/minikegs.
(I haven't mentioned cornies in this reply as I know too little about them to comment)
 
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