Keg without Co2

[geoffclifton]

If this has been answered b4 (and I'd be surprised if it hasn't) please point me there as a search didn't find what I was looking for.

My mate has an 18 gallon keg which he wants to use as his secondry fermenter and dispenser. He has already filled it with 45 litres and 500g (I think 2 much) priming sugar. After 24 hours he had to release the pressure to repair a leak but that's fixed.

Main question is has anyone done this? How long would the keg pour for before it runs out of pressure?

His other thought is to bottle all, or what's left, from the keg. I would think he'd need to add more priming sugar to the bottles as after a couple of weeks in the keg the original prime would be used up.

Cheers, Geoff.

[Ash]

How is he going to dispense it? if gravity fed through a tap in the bottom you'll be filling up the headspace with normal air which wil oxidise the brew & make it go flat as well, not desirable.

If pouring through the pressure built up in the keg only, I don't think it'll pour very many - he'd have to keep priming it which will build up more alcohol, more sediment, more exposure to oxygen & possibly only give him enough pressure to dispense the sediment anyway!

can he perhaps buy a reg & sodastream adaptor & just use it for dispensing with natural carbonation if renting/buying a bottle is our of the question? It's either that or bottle

[rwh]

Hey Ash, how does a Reg/Soda Stream adaptor setup work? Do you just buy a soda stream bottle and a connector, then charge your soda stream bottle and connect it in place of a CO2 bottle? If so, it could be the ideal mobile system for me...

[gregb]

Yep. Sodastream bottle, adaptor, regulator then the rest is the same. I too am toying with the idea of a 12L keg in an esky fitted with a tap as a mobile keggerator.

Cheers,
Greg

[rwh]

Is it a different regulator or do I just use the one I have on my current CO2 bottle?

I already have one of those sodastream bulb injectors, but the whole idea seems inelegant to me: the thing just injects the whole bulb into the headspace of the keg, at 200psi or something stupid, and then you dispense till you run out of pressure, and inject another bulb in. It takes up to three bulbs to dispense a whole Corny apparently (though I've never tried).

The soda-stream system sounds better, and I'm interested in learning more; got any good sources?

[gregb]

Oops, hang on, are we talking the same types of gas bottle?

Sodastream bottles are little gas bottles about 1 foot long and 2 inches in diameter hold about 330gm of gas, cost about $35 Buy/$12 swap from KMart/BigW etc.. Once the adapter is fitted they are just like your 15 pounder bottle, but easier to transport. I got my adaptor from Craftbrewer, but any good HBS should be able to assist.

The old fashioned soda syphon uses little bulbs about 3 inches long and half an inch in diameter. They have a different type of adaptor which (I think) just lets the gas in to top up headspace and keep dispense pressure on the keg.

Cheers,
Greg

[rwh]

Yes I think we are talking about the same thing. I have an injector for the old-fashioned bulbs, but I think the new-fashioned ones sound better. How much beer can you dispense with 330g of gas? A fair bit, I'd be guessing.

[gregb]

I would be confident of dispensing two 19L kegs from a 330g sodastream bottle. However, I've not tried it yet, so if anyone has hard data, sing out.

Cheers,
Greg

[Ash]

I've heard 2-5 cornys, I assume the 5 figure would be with natural carbonation & the two with force carb?

I really should give these a go cause I don't drink very much & it might work out cheaper than the yearly hire from BOC

[rwh]

I just want a way to make my kegs portable, that doesn't involve lugging a 30+kg gas bottle around.

[OldBugman]

I recently got one of the small co2 chargers, I'll force carb from my big bottle then just use the small canister to apply serving pressure.

[rwh]

I have one of those too. I'm just thinking that the Soda Stream bottle sounds like a more elegant solution.

[regan]

thinking of taking half a keg to a party and i dont have one of these portable chargers... but what i was thinking of doing is:

-cranking the gas to 10 or 11psi before i leave home on a half full chilled 19lt keg
-drive the 20mins and keep it cold in the ice, let it settle for 30 mins mabie
-dispense and put up with a little shampoo for a wile
-drink good for a wile
-put up with slow flow and no head at the end of the party (if i drink that much!)

good pour pressure on my portable line and tap is around 6-8 psi

dose anyone see that i would have any problems doing this?

[Trough Lolly]

thinking of taking half a keg to a party and i dont have one of these portable chargers... but what i was thinking of doing is:

-cranking the gas to 10 or 11psi before i leave home on a half full chilled 19lt keg
-drive the 20mins and keep it cold in the ice, let it settle for 30 mins mabie
-dispense and put up with a little shampoo for a wile
-drink good for a wile
-put up with slow flow and no head at the end of the party (if i drink that much!)

good pour pressure on my portable line and tap is around 6-8 psi

dose anyone see that i would have any problems doing this?

G'day regan,
A half full keg has a $hitload of headspace that will quickly undermine your attempts to keep a decent pouring pressure going throughout - you'd be much better off with a nearly full keg of well carbonated icy cold beer. The size of the headspace and temperature will have a major impact on the keg's ability to keep serving without a CO2 top up....I'd chill the keg down to nearly zero degrees and gas it up well before you go. The problem is that pouring beer has the same impact on the headspace as a steady leak - you're not compensating with air like a draught system does, so it will be high pressure to begin with and then steadily (and quickly) drop down.
Rather than lugging a keg around, why not grab some beer line and a swag of 1.25L PET bottles - cut the beer line so that it's a few inches longer than the bottle is high, fit the line onto a picnic faucet (cobra) and manually fill the bottles with beer before you go. Keep the keg pouring pressure down to avoid foaming the beer in the line and the PET bottle and if you pour from a well carbed, very cold keg of beer, you should be ok with the bottled beer for the party - it works for me and you enjoy sediment free beer at the party without having to crap around with pouring pressure. I use 1.25L bottles instead of 2L since the bigger bottles will result in the last glass or two being nearly flat, unless you're slamming down the beers!
Cheers,
TL

[chris.]

I recently got one of the small co2 chargers, I'll force carb from my big bottle then just use the small canister to apply serving pressure.

OldBugman, have you used this yet? If so how many bulbs does it take to dispense a full 19L keg?
I have one myself, for taking a keg to parties, but havent had the chance to use it yet. I'd hate to go to a party under prepared

[OldBugman]

only used it to dispense my 12L kegs.

currently I got off ebay cheap a soda stream soda maker thingy



you can butcher these and add a disconnect and hose then buy a large soda streem bottle (300grams) and use it in the same way as the smaller one.

[OldBugman]

obviously add a disconnect instead of a tyre fitting

[rahne]

did you build your own plastic keg i,m going to do that tomorrow bought 2 8L pressure sprayers from bunnings $12 each how much sugar will i need to force carbonate