Brewferm mini kegging system any good?

[ben9393]

I was going to buy myself 2 lots of these 6 kegs in total and 20 cartridges. Like the idea of them being able to be transported around.

Are they easy to use and clean and reuse again. How long do they hold carbonation after you start drinking them. And will they be mega cloudy from sediment.

[bquiggerz]

I have for mini kegs and bought the same system that your looking at. I have had a keg of 9% cider tapped for about a month and its still carbed, just remember to turn the regulator off when you're done with drinking for that session to not waste gas.

Happy brewing,

Ben.

[bochgoch]

I use the same kegs. They work pretty well. My only reservation is it's easy to over carbonate, I think you need to prime slightly less than normal (but I've not worked out the details of that yet!)

Certainly easier than bottling!

[ben9393]

I heard its a level tablespoon of sugar per mini keg. Doesnt sound like much.

Are they accessible enough to clean the inside and stuff? And how long does the dispensing co2 last.

[bochgoch]

I heard its a level tablespoon of sugar per mini keg. Doesnt sound like much.

Are they accessible enough to clean the inside and stuff? And how long does the dispensing co2 last.

The sugar depends on the style but that sounds about right as an average... I must start giving it more thought! You can always decant to a jug before pouring into a glass so not a real issue.

Cleaning them is a little bit of an act of faith but i don't let them dry out and shake really well with detergent then rinse well and haven't had a problem yet.

[sbond10]

Found this thought it might be useful for some
http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.ie/foru ... 048.0.html

[ben9393]

As it only comes with one tap will it hold pressure and you can change tap over as you empty one keg and move onto the next

[bquiggerz]

When you prime the keg they will hold their pressure for a while, plus you can force carb with these using about half a bulb or so

[GeeThom]

I had about 6 as well as some filled ones bought from shops and reused but I found that I could never get the priming right. Ended up with glass after glass of foam whatever I did do I scrapped them all a couple of months back. Kept the tap though!

[bquiggerz]

I find you can adjust the flow rate by changing the amount you push the lever on the tap. At least with mine you can. This can help with not getting a bunch of foam. Plus make sure you serve at a decent temperature.

[stu-le-brew]

I bought my first one of these ... more than five years ago I just love them, and so do my friends who all have their own taps. The kegs fit easily into a fridge and will stay fresh for ages, I probably have about forty kegs now !

I buy the gas cartridges from Germany (via EBay) in bulk - much better prices for 100 at a time, I use about 12.5gms of sugar per keg which works fine for me, you should never exceed 15gms because you risk the keg exploding - waste of beer too

The kegs last usually at least 6-8 fills/re-fills, as the kegs have a plastic coating which deteriorates, probably in part my fault as I use chlorine to sterilise them. with something less aggressive maybe they would last longer. I now mark each keg as I re-use it so I know how many uses its had, I also always inspect the interior with a small torch to check for rust spots - rust and beer wont kill you but it tastes pretty bad.

It saves a lot of time versus bottling too, my personal preferred tap is a "party star deluxe" which has many metal parts versus others that are plastic

[stu-le-brew]

I just remembered some old threads on this forum that may be helpful for people considering this system

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=26853
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=55261

[Pinto]

The kegs last usually at least 6-8 fills/re-fills, as the kegs have a plastic coating which deteriorates, probably in part my fault as I use chlorine to sterilise them. with something less aggressive maybe they would last longer. I now mark each keg as I re-use it so I know how many uses its had, I also always inspect the interior with a small torch to check for rust spots - rust and beer wont kill you but it tastes pretty bad.

IIRC, the geniune brewferm kegs are stainless steel so should last much better than reclaimed kegs.

Found this little snippet :

Please note that Brouwland recommend that the kegs be cleaned with:
Chemipro OXI No Rinse Cleaner Sterilizer 1 Kg or Chemipro OXI No Rinse Cleaner Sterilizer 100 grams.
This is because other cleaning agents can damage the internals of the kegs.

[stu-le-brew]

IIRC, the geniune brewferm kegs are stainless steel so should last much better than reclaimed kegs.

please let me know where you have the info about the kegs being stainless, all of the ones I have bought new from BrouwLand will at least show rust on the outside and they are magnetic which is not normal if they were made of stainless steel.
I have always understood that they are steel with some protective plating on the surface.

big thanks for the tip about Chemipro OXI will order some immediately

[Pinto]

I think the Brouwland ones are cheaper laquered kegs - its the genuine brewferm ones that are stainless:

http://www.copperkettlehomebrewing.co.u ... 64c0d82603

http://www.copperkettlehomebrewing.co.u ... /mini-kegs

as sold here. They're advertised as stainless - probably worth an e-mail first tho