pressure barrel
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You do get a nice creamy pint out of a keg, perfect for ales and IPA, it will not hold enough pressure for lagers if you like them fizzy.
Kegs can be a bit temperamental to get a good seal etc. I have a couple of king kegs and had a few issues with leaky lid seals etc.
Not sure if you are looking at a budget barrel or king keg. When I get round to buying a new keg I will go with this rather than another King Keg:
http://www.balliihoo.co.uk/balliiho...2-injection-valve-pressure-indicator-p-4.html
or with a bulb holder and CO2 bulbs included:
http://www.balliihoo.co.uk/balliiho...sure-indicator-co2-bulbs-bulb-holder-p-5.html
I replaced my king keg lids with ballihoo lids which sorted my issues, the ballihoo lids have a square section seal and also a schrader valve and meter for measuring the pressure in the barrel as things carb up so you can check the seal is good.
Hope this helps
Kegs can be a bit temperamental to get a good seal etc. I have a couple of king kegs and had a few issues with leaky lid seals etc.
Not sure if you are looking at a budget barrel or king keg. When I get round to buying a new keg I will go with this rather than another King Keg:
http://www.balliihoo.co.uk/balliiho...2-injection-valve-pressure-indicator-p-4.html
or with a bulb holder and CO2 bulbs included:
http://www.balliihoo.co.uk/balliiho...sure-indicator-co2-bulbs-bulb-holder-p-5.html
I replaced my king keg lids with ballihoo lids which sorted my issues, the ballihoo lids have a square section seal and also a schrader valve and meter for measuring the pressure in the barrel as things carb up so you can check the seal is good.
Hope this helps
Pros:
I hate bottling
When they work well there great
Cons:
Prone to leaking (mine frequently leaks very slowly from the tap about half a pint a week) there are forum posts everywhere about taps leaking or it not sealing to keep gas in.
Takes up most of a fridge
Needs gas adding so an extra expense
Hard to transport
This may sound bad but I prefer it to bottling.
I hate bottling
When they work well there great
Cons:
Prone to leaking (mine frequently leaks very slowly from the tap about half a pint a week) there are forum posts everywhere about taps leaking or it not sealing to keep gas in.
Takes up most of a fridge
Needs gas adding so an extra expense
Hard to transport
This may sound bad but I prefer it to bottling.
Tony1951
Bungling Amateur
The only downside I've found to the barrels (cheap ones) is the occasional leak from the tap joint on the barrel, or leaking top cap seals. To be honest, these haven't been big problems, but when they happen, they are annoying, though salvageable.
Tap joint problems on mine were solved by slightly tightening the tap body. The cap seals were a bit more tricky but I found a great tip elsewhere on the web. The distorted rubber ring seals can be reformed by putting them in half a mug of boiling water, and then giving it a couple of one minute blasts in the microwave. They are transformed by this. The website also warned about overdoing the Vaseline on the seals. Just a tiny smear and ONLY on the side which mates with the barrel, NOT under the seal, or the seal will slip out of the seating recess and get mangled when you screw down the lid.
Fitting the re-formed seal properly to the cap groove is helped if you freeze the rubber ring in the freezer for a bit. This makes it a bit stiffer and it goes in better.
I was pretty surprised by how much the method could rectify very mangled looking seals. They came out next to new.
Tap joint problems on mine were solved by slightly tightening the tap body. The cap seals were a bit more tricky but I found a great tip elsewhere on the web. The distorted rubber ring seals can be reformed by putting them in half a mug of boiling water, and then giving it a couple of one minute blasts in the microwave. They are transformed by this. The website also warned about overdoing the Vaseline on the seals. Just a tiny smear and ONLY on the side which mates with the barrel, NOT under the seal, or the seal will slip out of the seating recess and get mangled when you screw down the lid.
Fitting the re-formed seal properly to the cap groove is helped if you freeze the rubber ring in the freezer for a bit. This makes it a bit stiffer and it goes in better.
I was pretty surprised by how much the method could rectify very mangled looking seals. They came out next to new.
Advantages ... less hassle and quicker to clean / fill ... easy and quick dispensing ... more of a cask ale feel to the beer
Disadvantages - doesn't fit in the fridge ... can leak if you're unlucky or not careful
Gas is not required (although I do use it) as you can re-prime the beer if pressure is lost.
I have 2 pb's and, once I got used to not over-tightening the cap or tap, have not had a leak (other than through my own fault!) for several years.
A halfway house would be to use EasyKegs. Only cost about ã5 and hold 5 litres. Re-usable, fit in the fridge, easy to take to parties etc. Can also buy them in Tesco full of beer for ã15 ... which makes the Hobgoblin / Old Speckled Hen or whatever only about ã1 per pint if you assume ã5 for the keg! Bit of a hardship to empty it, of course. :
Disadvantages - doesn't fit in the fridge ... can leak if you're unlucky or not careful
Gas is not required (although I do use it) as you can re-prime the beer if pressure is lost.
I have 2 pb's and, once I got used to not over-tightening the cap or tap, have not had a leak (other than through my own fault!) for several years.
A halfway house would be to use EasyKegs. Only cost about ã5 and hold 5 litres. Re-usable, fit in the fridge, easy to take to parties etc. Can also buy them in Tesco full of beer for ã15 ... which makes the Hobgoblin / Old Speckled Hen or whatever only about ã1 per pint if you assume ã5 for the keg! Bit of a hardship to empty it, of course. :
Racinsnake
Regular.
An accurate reply there and one I'd totally agree with, next job, searching Tesco on line:party:Advantages ... less hassle and quicker to clean / fill ... easy and quick dispensing ... more of a cask ale feel to the beer
Disadvantages - doesn't fit in the fridge ... can leak if you're unlucky or not careful
Gas is not required (although I do use it) as you can re-prime the beer if pressure is lost.
I have 2 pb's and, once I got used to not over-tightening the cap or tap, have not had a leak (other than through my own fault!) for several years.
A halfway house would be to use EasyKegs. Only cost about ã5 and hold 5 litres. Re-usable, fit in the fridge, easy to take to parties etc. Can also buy them in Tesco full of beer for ã15 ... which makes the Hobgoblin / Old Speckled Hen or whatever only about ã1 per pint if you assume ã5 for the keg! Bit of a hardship to empty it, of course. :
Thanks for the tip.
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