Bottles or Kegs or Tap-A-Draft or ...

ggt657

Folks,

What is the alternative to using Coopers PET bottles? I'd prefer something that requires less cleaning or can be put in a dish washer (lazy I know ...). You can get larger glass bottles with Grolsch type caps in Ikea which I've heard are ok but what other alternatives are out there?

The Tap-A-Draft systems look ok but has anyone used them?

http://www.homebrewwest.ie/ibrew-tap-a-draft-4-by-10-pint-minikeg-system-40-pints-1446-p.asp

Does anyone know where I could get larger sturdier kegs (that aren't too expenisve)?

I'm just keen to look at alternatives to having to store and then clean all those bottles.

Thanks,

Gav.

BeerNut

ggt657 wrote: »

The Tap-A-Draft systems look ok but has anyone used them?

The big problem is you'll be serving from the fermenter, which prevents you putting on a new beer while you're drinking the first one. You also have all the sediment and dead yeast in the serving vessel which doesn't sound ideal to me.

It sounds like what you're after is cornies. That's what most people in your situation end up with.

poitinstill

tap a draft isnt serving from fermeter that the beer machine. .. tap a draft is a 5 l platic bottle with tap assembly. i ahve 2 taps and 5 bottles . hardly use them now sine i went to corny. if you can afford a corny set up do it.
else tap a draft is ok but heavy on the 5g co2 bulbs. i corny and bottle hardy use the tap-a draft anymore

KAGY

I have a tap a draft, it certainly speeds up bottling day, but the caps on them aren't great, I have had one slight leak (and because they can stand up tall it was a beer leak, just a slight drip but enough to make the shelves sticky), now use a bit of plumbers PTFE tape with them

I carb normally in them, but it'll still take two CO2 bottles (8g) to get the beer out. It seems a bit expensive for what they are, but are great for parties, I'd like to get more taps for the other bottle so I'm not stuck with the one beer.

I use a mix of swing top and cap bottles, but if I have a Tap a Draft bottle empty I use one per brew if I think that it'll be shared, or drank over a week or two! If it's a beer that needs long conditioning or is a high alc content, I stick with bottles.
I also think that you can rig up something to reuse the mini kegs that you see in Lidl now (Heiniken I think?)

BeerNut

KAGY wrote: »

I also think that you can rig up something to reuse the mini kegs that you see in Lidl now

I'm told the Heineken ones have more complicated innards and are much harder to re-use, but the standard ones, the sort you find in Lidl, can be simply taken apart, cleaned and re-filled.

ggt657

Folks,

Thanks for the replies. Ill have a look at corny options out there (any tips on good place to get them and/or explain how to use them?). How do you guys clean your bottles en masse?

Gav.

BeerNut

ggt657 wrote: »

How do you guys clean your bottles en masse?

I rinse my bottles in warm water immediately after pouring beer out of them. On bottling day I sanitise them in an 80L tub I got in Woodies.

Krusty_Clown

ggt657 wrote: »

Folks,

Thanks for the replies. Ill have a look at corny options out there (any tips on good place to get them and/or explain how to use them?). How do you guys clean your bottles en masse?

Gav.

Informative article on the use of cornie kegs here.

ggt657

Folks,

Since it's the New Year now I'm going to go on the search for a cornie keg. I'll let you know how I get on.

Thanks,

Gav.