Draft Brew at home

[ChefCrash]

We've had these in our market for about two weeks. So far they only come in Coors Light and Miller Lite (rain water and slightly flavored rain water).

Each holds 5.7 liters (16 12oz beers $18.99 no deposit) and are fitted with a CO2 widget to dispense as well as keep the beer fresh for a whole month (obviously for amateur drinkers).

They sit in your fridge and are dispensed in the horizontal position.

The thing in the forefront holds a CO2 cartridge. When twisted clockwise the cartridge is pushed against a pin that punctures it.

They are not really a good deal since they cost as much as a 24pk. and are really crappy beers. So why am I telling you about them?!

Because..

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They are reusable!

The whole widget unscrews off the heavy duty P.E.T. container. And while the gizmo which holds the CO2 cartridge is designed to twist in with a ratcheting action to prevent one from unscrewing it, I found that giving it a good yank counter clockwise with a pair of Channel locks, breaks the plastic ratcheting pins, and then it is free.

If you don't want to buy an expensive Cornelius setup or you just don't brew big batches, this is the ticket.

It can be used to carbonate and dispense any brew, alcoholic or otherwise like homemade ginger ale or soda water. If the PET container is ever damaged, the widget fits perfectly on any 3 liter soda bottle with a wide-mouth opening.

[haresfur]

How cool! I'm can't remember seeing them here but it would beat buying a "party pig". Would you have to worry about over-pressurizing the 2L poly bottles? I would suspect some are weaker than others.

[dougal]

Oh .... WOW !!!

Nothing like THAT on the UK market, yet.

Wonder who one has to lobby ...

[dougal]

... Would you have to worry about over-pressurizing the 2L poly bottles? I would suspect some are weaker than others.

The round bottles (as used for fizzy drinks) are extraordinarily strong.

I think that they are good up to something like 100 psi.

When they get seriously pressurised, the base distorts, so that the bottle is no longer happy to stand upright unsupported. (Sound familiar?)

My elderflower champagne has often got to distortion pressure, but never (so far) to bursting point.

PET bottles are much safer, if less visually appealing, than glass bottles for 'live' homebrew.

The next thing would be for a supplier to offer "beer gas" (CO2 plus Nitrogen) in the small bulbs for a creamy head.

[mtigges]

Or you could buy tap-a-draft ... and not support companies that over-package and cause ridiculous amounts of garbage for silly silly reasons. In my opinion it should be illegal to sell products with that amount of disposable waste. Any one buying it and not re-using it ... I'll stop now.

[Doodlebug1980]

Wow! Can't wait for soemthing like that to become available in the UK!