How to re-use a mini keg. Remove the bung (easy method), sanitise and refill with homebrew.
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- Can a mini keg be re-used, refilled, upcycled? Yes - watch our easy to follow 3 step process.
Step 1 : Remove the bung - we'll show you the easy method
Step 2 : Clean and sterilise
Step 3 : Refill with homebrew / craft beer.
Make bottling day easier by refilling this 5 litre mini keg. These party kegs are great for taking round to... well... parties.
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Thanks for sharing. Bottling is becoming a bit of a chore as I increase my number of brews and brewlength. So pleased so see how easy it is to re-used these, and with the same bung!
You're welcome. I have 3 of these on the go in rotation and Dan also has a couple. I haven't had to replace the bungs yet but they will perish eventually. They are available on the Web pretty cheap though. Happy shorter bottling day. 🍻
I tried this type of kegging but in the end reverted back to bottles. It may be easier but the quality of the beer is far superior in the bottle. I eventually put my collection of kegs in the recycling bin.
@@rupertrigsby why did you find using kegs inferior to bottles? Is it to do with the age of the beer in the kegs & oxidisation?
@@colingilham1312 The beer would go flat before the keg was empty just the same as the shop bought beer that came n the keg . I had also had one of those party star co2 taps on the top of the keg but it would still go flat.
At the end of the day we all choose the best and most preferable method that suits ourselves. I use bottles, mini kegs, ss kegs and I am just experimenting with 40 pint kegs. Bottles prove very easy to clean and so this may be a reason the beer is superior over the keg. Have a go and see if it works for you....
Thanks for your comment Rupert, all points of view add to a stronger debate. 🍻👍
Thanks for sharing guys
Thanks for sharing. This is very informative.
No problem, glad you found it useful. 🍻
After all the issues I have had with (plastic) barrels this year - have a 15 year old one threatening to outlive the rest I have bourght more recently so losing trust in the market now - I am chuffed to bits to find this method of storing beer.
Some beer, cider and lager is better bottled as it needs to be stored in cooler places but I do like to have some good stuff maturing in kegs. This seems like it could be my long term solution. Got to check what is available yet, already seen that Woodfordes do a few beers in this format and I have some Wherry on the go blah blah blah.
Annoyingly I have been thinking how many of these I have seen chucked out as rubbish over the years. But it still looks like it could be a good investment buying some brand new.
Roughly how durable are those mini-kegs - times you can refit the bungs before erosion etc?
Hi Michael, we use these when we need to take beer on a rough and ready trip. Bbq at the beach, coach trip etc and use our stainless steel mini kegs for a more "sophisticated" affair. See our new video.
It's not so much the rubber part of the bung that deteriates but the red insert. I have had a couple break after about 5 uses. Easily fixed though, you can pick them up on line for about a quid. Hope this helps🍻
@@TheGingerBrewers Yes very useful info, much appreciated, thank you.
If removing the bung use a manhole lifting key. Mine is “L” shaped at the end. Just slip the end of the key into the hole and lift. Takes a bit of a tug but so far not damaged any of my bungs.
Great tip but, I always try and give examples with kit that you might already have. Thanks for the comment.
Got a couple of these going to try one with a turbo cider.
Nice for a BBQ! Are you going to ferment in the mini keg with an airlock? Or just decant the final product to the keg?
@@TheGingerBrewers I personally would just decant then fill however you just gave me a great idea!
Let us know if you pull it off... Very curious about the idea.🍻
I just bought a mini keg. Plan on using it in my current beer. I usually mix the new beer with sugar solution in a bottling bucket (3oz of sugar for 3 gallons of beer) and siphon into bottles from the bottling keg. You guys use the same ratio of sugar to beer in Mini keg and bottles. How’s that work for you. In other videos they suggest using less sugar in the mini keg
Meant to say bottling bucket
To be honest it works fine and we vary the amount of sugar based on the type of beer. Play around and see what works. If using a bottling bucket I don't see how you can use less in your keg and more in you bottles....🍻
Cool. Good info. Love the shirt ; )
Cheers!🍻
Great video guys.
Which bungs are these because I have plastic ones which are a nightmare and just snap and are ridiculously hard to player out....
Hi, agreed they are a bit delicate. They last between 4 and 8 fills but they are cheap on ebay. They do come out easily though if you follow the technique in the video. Use a standard pair of plyers and push the rubber bung away from yourself. I like using these if taking beer to a rough place (beach etc) where I don't care if I loose/ forget it.
Great music on your channel by the way. Cheers 🍻
@@TheGingerBrewers thanks for the music feedback! Yes I watched your video tutorial but I think the ones you have a different because mine are full plastic there's no rubber do you have a link where you purchase yours from please pal?
@@MrDManuel These are the ones that we use but it's a "like 4 like" replacement. I guess you need to make sure your hole can take the bung (😂😂wrote that sentence several times and couldn't make it sound less weird).
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334084307160?hash=item4dc8f9f8d8:g:EUEAAOSwvZpi1mfq&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4ELN%2BOiIXd7em3rh06DTyYrJsmBqNzApvRL8fxqvkXDqFIUxl1YOKYvo6ysPqEbqZYBuJhlbU%2Bzccbyd1BttbBhxAzXpJCKElZusfdlEMa4nU6cS9V5o8Qhnx1LqVz97uHoY8d3Jd7vUbXkfB%2Bm594ETZh1o8W%2BktIhJ%2FE2MG7f%2Fy1GHn5ew62UAOpyaVoCJ%2Bsidli4uQblrImTSaIszI8lPENJyp2xDXOef%2BvbppUL7mhFu2lVqG7g2LmCe6anAlWI6d%2BNUZ%2ByHTdb2Sc0BSlelH8sTt4gD3Vz9qzYkbhHE%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR5zA_oTcYg
Phil,
was that diet coke coming out of that Adnams keg?😂
"Diet"... I don't think so! 🍻
What sanitizing fluids did you use? I’m thinking about getting some of these kegs, but I didn’t really understand from the video in how to clean them. I know first you use water, but what liquid did you use after?
We use sodium percarbonate. It's a no rinse save sterilisation fluid. You can also use it as a cleaner. 🍻
HI just wondering how long it was till you were be able to drink it
And if you done 4 barrels how long would they last in the fridge
Thanks Andy
Hey Andy, just treat them as you would if you were bottle conditioning, leave them out at room temperature to carb up. You can drink em after a couple of days but would be nicer after 2 weeks. As for how long you can keep them.... 6 months?
After you have opened them make sure you drink em in about 2 to 3 days.
Hope this helps buddy🍻😁
what about a Heineken keg with carbon inside?
That would mean we would have to drink Heineken😜
Is there a way to minimize oxidation while re-using one of these kegs?
Just take the same precautions you would with a normally bottling process. At present we aren't keeping our batch of beers long enough to worry too much about oxidation at this stage.
Hopefully someone could comment on here with a solution to your question.
What do you do if you push in the cork when its brewing? I know the brews fucked we theew it all away but anyway to get the cork out? Seems like a lost cause
You pushed the rubber bung in? Are you commenting on the right video😳
Is it possible to refill with shop bought beer,just got a keg machine so no idea.
Hey John, that is nuts 😜 🤣 just drink the beer from the container it comes in... or am I missing the point.
Cheers dude, you are as crackers as I am.
#brewnovicehere. About to launch my first attempt at homebrew. So I'm super interested in doing this. My beer will be in a pressure barrel when its ready. Am I ok just to decant it into one of these party barrels then or do I need to add more sugar. Advice welcomed! Thank chaps.
Hi Steven, we all start as novices! The way we approach things is trial and error so do it one way then if it doesn't work try another. My advise would be if the beer is nicely carbonated out of your barrel then don't add any more sugar to get the yeast going again. If it is flat then add about 30-40 grams per 5L keg. Good luck fella and welcome to the beer journey!
@@TheGingerBrewers Awesome!!!! On it :)
Also try bottling, then leave it for three months before drinking. You will be very surprised at how good it will taste.
Real keg and co2 bottle with regulator is gonna save you a lot of trouble. I know it costs a bit but you can do closed transfers using co2 to push beer from fermenter to keg. Purge everything with co2 so you get no chance of oxidation. Just something to consider.. cheers🍻
Very good cheese
🤣🤣🤣I thought we were brewing beer!
"We'll be pulling!"
*Dispenses some mysterious, obviously flat, brown liquid*
All I can say is... thanks for watching to the end. 🙄🍻
Looks like a dark mild which doesn't typically have a deep head. Also I clearly heard gas coming out of that keg. Seems legit to me folks.
Kinch the Grinch
Hope you’re not refilling with doom bar🤢
🤣🤣🤣🤣😳 I love a doom bar....
Excellent video guys, seen Richard's video before about reuse but always great to see the process again. Cheers!
Thanks for commenting David. There are a few vids out there so Dan thought he'd challenge me to put our spin on it. We use these kegs pretty much every bottling day now, It cuts down the time.
The next video is an oatmeal stout brew day..... hmmmm interesting. 🍻
@@TheGingerBrewers I'm new to homebrewing having only done a couple of 1 gallon all grain kits so far so not been too much of a chore to bottle. Got my first bigger kit coming up, thinking I'll have to buy a keg (and hey, I've heard they come with free beer in them) and try putting some into there.