Upgrading your Chugger or March Pump to Tri-Clamp style disconnects is as easy as getting the right fittings.
Generally speaking, you’re going to be looking for a tri-clamp to FPT/Female NPT threading. Many pumps have 1/2″ threads and many homebrewers standardize on 1.5″ TC.
Looking for that perfect gift for the Homebrewer or Craft Beer Lover in your life or… for yourself. Here’s some of our favorite gear!
Need Help? Got a question or looking for a particular gift for your loved one? Email me and I’ll do my best to help.
Nukatap Counter Pressure Bottle Filler
More InfoFrom the product description, check product page for current description, price and availability:
Do you having a kegging system with beer faucet, and want to bottle kegged beer? The Nukatap Counter Pressure Bottle Filler is an easy way to fill bottles directly from your beer faucet while preserving carbonation in the bottle. The O ring sealed beer inlet nipple press fits into any beer faucet with 10.0 mm inner diameter spout/nozzle including Nukatap, Intertap, Perlick Forward Seal, and Ventmatic faucets.
For the gas inlet side, a male ball lock fitting is provided, so you can use any ball lock gas connector to attach the C02 purging gas. This gas should be at the same pressure as your kegerator dispensing gas, and should be connected to your kegerator C02 regulator. Not Included: you will need a spare gas line from your regulator kegging system with a female ball lock on it to connect your purging C02 gas.
The integrated counter pressure relief valve gives you control of the counter pressure and thus the filling speed. How fast the bottle can be filled without too much foaming depends on CO2 level, beer temperature and bottle temperature. Keep everything cold for the best results.
Fits all 16 ounce and 32 ounce ‘Grolsch’ style swing top bottles.
This connects directly to your compatible forward sealing faucet (Intertap, Nukatap and more) and allows you to easily counter fill bottles directly from the tap.
This is DuoTight compatible, although you don’t need to use DuoTights throughout your entire tap system to use it.
Nukatap’s Counter Pressure Bottle Filler
Compare: Nukatap Counter Pressure Bottle Filler via MoreBeer
Learn More… Hands on Review Nukatap Counter Pressure Bottle Filler!
NY Cascade 023™ Hops | Citrus, Tropical, Floral | Ultra High Thiol | T-90 Hop Pellets
via MoreBeer
From the hop description, check product page for current description, price and availability:
NY Cascade 023™ Hops | Citrus, Tropical, Floral | Ultra High Thiol | T-90 Hop Pellets
The containers we call Ball Lock and Pin Lock Kegs come from the soda industry. Also called Cornelius Kegs, Corny Kegs and Corney Kegs, they were originally intended to store and distribute soda pre-mix. The big soda companies decided on different style containers for their pre-mix. Pepsi landed on the Ball Lock style while Coke uses the Pin Lock style.
Homebrewers have since re-purposed these as homebrew beer kegs. It makes sense. These high quality stainless steel beverages that are meant for years of commercial food use. They’re also tough, can be had for cheap and are easy to move around. Related: Five Benefits of Using Corny Kegs As Fermenters
What if someone said there was a pressure capable, heavy duty stainless steel fermenter that could be had for 50 bucks or so?
Great news…. kegs make great fermenters! Same high quality, stainless steel construction, toughness and easy portability, but this time used for fermentation.
Converting Kegs Into Fermenters, 3 Options
One issue needs to be addressed to convert kegs into fermenters… handling CO2 produced by fermentation. Kegs are generally designed to be airtight. Fermentation requires that we allow excess CO2 to escape. I can think of three options…
Kegland’s DuoTight Fittings are designed to work with their EVABarrier Tubing. They offer quick, reliable connections, easy implementation, a variety of fitting options and work with double wall EVABarrier tubing. These are push to connect and require no tubing clamps. Combine these features with their generally low price and this system and tubing are a game changer for kegerator/keezer owners and builders.
DuoTights are… awesome. Check out my extensive Hands on Review
As of this posting, the system has no native manifold option available. No need to fear, this post details three DuoTight manifold options that you can put together yourself.
William’s Brewing is discounting DuoTights by 15%. Applies to all options.
No coupon code is required, add to cart to see discounted prices
Kegland DuoTight Fittings and Accessories!
From the Brewer’s Association: “The Draught Beer Quality working group was formed in March 2007 under the direction of the Brewers Association Technical Committee. Our overriding mission was to improve the quality of draught beer dispensed to our customers. We seek to preserve the great flavor and aroma of beer created by the brewer, and to deliver it to the consumer at retail. Great beer must be handled conscientiously to arrive in the glass in perfect condition.”
More Resources:
The BA makes the Draught Quality Manual available for free via PDF. Here is a copy hosted on Homebrew Finds. draughtquality.org may have a newer version along with additional resources.
Looking for a print copy? Draught Beer Quality Manual Paperback via Amazon
Also: Kegerator Tips & Gear | Keg Repair Part #s | Recent Keg Finds
This post may contain affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Homebrew Finds!
Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability.
Make sure the components you use are compatible and rated for your intended application. Contact manufacturer with questions about suitability or a specific application. Always read and follow manufacturer directions top:dqbm tag:tpr
Pictured: MoreBeer’s BRKIT100 Homebrew Starter Kit
A driving factor for a lot of homebrewers to pick up this great hobby is… saving money. After all, if I make my own beer at home, it’s got to be cheaper, right?
Let’s find out.
These are estimates and assumptions. Actual costs are going to vary. This scenario assumes you drink quality craft beer. Along those lines, for estimation’s sake, let’s say you like a popular style like a mildly hoppy pale ale and you’d generally spend about $7 or $8 or so on a 6 pack. Shipping charges will be considered $0 as free shipping options are usually available at certain thresholds. Taxes will be considered $0. This scenario assumes an extract brewing technique.
Let’s get started…
Looking for that perfect gift for the Homebrewer or Craft Beer Lover in your life or… for yourself. Here’s some of our favorite gear!
Need Help? Got a question or looking for a particular gift for your loved one? Email me and I’ll do my best to help.
Our 2023 Father’s Day for Homebrewers Gift Guide…
Brewer’s Hardware has developed hardware to convert Sanke Kegs into full featured fermenters. They feature all stainless construction and are designed to fit american style sankey kegs.
I periodically get questions along these lines… can I keg without a refrigerator?
Well, the answer is, sure you can. But, as with many things, just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.
The warmer your beer is, the less apt it is to absorb CO2. As temperature rises so does the pressure required to maintain carbonation. Let’s say your storage area is your basement and it stays at about 64 degrees Fahrenheit and you want something like 2.2 volumes of carbonation. A reasonable carbonation level for an American ale, Considering this example, you’d need to keep your CO2 regulator set to about 18 PSI. If you use 3/16″ ID tubing, you’d need somewhere between 6 and 12 feet of tubing [See: Step by Step Balancing Your Kegerator Draft System] to offset that pressure for a decent pour. I haven’t tried it, but my gut feeling is you’d be closer to 12 feet if not more. Lots of tubing. If there’s much of a temperature differential between the bottom and top of the keg, it may result in CO2 coming out of solution in that long length of tubing, causing excessive foaming, even if your system is balanced. This can happen even in a chilled kegerator [See: Kegerator Beer Line Temperatures & Reducing Foam with a Recirculating Fan] so it’s certainly a possibility for a room temperature setup.
Of course you can tweak this scenario with different numbers and maybe it looks better for you.
If temperature varies in the spot that you’re keeping your un-refrigerated keg the setup will be even more temperamental especially at points when it’s warmer. Something like.. It’s hot outside today, my beer is going to be all foam.
This technique uses an economical inline secondary regulator to utilize a spare keg (or growler)as a CO2 source to serve a keg. I’m not suggesting this setup as a replacement for your kegerator CO2 tank. You still need a standard CO2 tank. What this setup could be very useful for is as a replacement for those expensive little regulators or injectors and expensive (considering how much CO2 you get) little CO2 cartridges. One inexpensive purchase allows you to pressurize and serve your keg on the go for little to nothing.
Side Note: I’ve wanted to do this for years. There used to be a commercial sanke keg that had two chambers. One was used as a pressure chamber and the other held beer. I always wanted one of those. The problem was that it was extremely expensive and I just couldn’t justify the expense. This magic little secondary regulator makes something similar easily possible.
Kegland’s economical inline secondary regulators! As of this update there are three versions
Related: Hands on Review: Kegland Inline Secondary Regulator
This article contains affiliate links. We may make a small percentage if you use our links to make a purchase. You won’t pay more and you’ll be supporting Homebrew Finds and more content like this. Thank you for your support!
Kegland has released a digital gauge option that works with their great inline secondary regulator and BlowTie Spunding Valve. They have also released a DuoTight version.
Maintaining multiple CO2 pressures in your kegerator gives you the ability to… keep kegs at different pressures. This is a requirement to maintain different carbonation levels. It’s also handy if you want to force carbonate a keg more quickly, at a higher pressure, while maintaining your standard serving pressure on a keg that’s already being served or if you want to have a utility line for purging kegs and such.
Star San affiliate link, note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link
Star San Acid Sanitizer. 8 oz size. No rinse when mixed properly. Container includes built in measure.
From the product description, check product page for current description, price and availability:
Star San is my sanitizer of choice. It is effective, food safe and no-rinse. It is also very cost effective if you use the spray bottle method.
My Favorite Size and Why: Considering the shelf life of Star San concentrate is 1 to 2 years, If you’re using the Spray Bottle Method [See: Tip: Star San Tips, Tricks and Guidelines – Using Star San In a Spray Bottle], I generally recommend purchasing the 8 ounce size. 8 ounces of concentrate yields about 39 gallons of mixed solution. The spray bottle method is very efficient, so you don’t end up using much sanitizer per batch. Let’s say you use 1/4 gallon (which I personally think is high) for each batch, the 8 ounces size yields enough mixed solution for around 157 batches. That figures to about 13 batches per month over a 1 year period. If you use 1/8 gallon (which I think is more realistic) that equates to about 26 batches per month over a 1 year period. The larger 16 and 32 ounces sizes may be a lower cost per ounce, but if you’re unable to use it within Star San’s shelf life, you’ll just be throwing sanitizer away or using less effective past date sanitizer. Getting a smaller bottle more often means your Star San is fresher.
Star San – 8 oz
Also:
This post may contain affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Homebrew Finds!
toppost:starsansize
In order to properly serve a pint of beer from your kegerator you need to have a balanced system. You decide what carbonation level you’d like to serve and what temperature you want your beer to be and set a CO2 pressure based on those two factors. To pour a proper pint, well carbonated without excessive foam, you need to balance your system. Balancing offsets your set CO2 pressure with the proper amount of resistance. Not enough resistance = fast pouring and excessively foamy beers. Too much resistance = beer pours too slowly or not at all. Each component along the way provides some resistance. Typically most of the resistance comes in the form of adding more beer line. More line = more resistance. For a full rundown of this see: Step by Step Balancing Your Kegerator Draft System
Flow control faucets feature a built in flow compensator that allows you to adjust the resistance your faucet is exerting. That means less tubing and potentially less foaming and wasted beer. The compensation feature also makes it easier to serve higher carbonation beers as you can set the faucet to provide resistance to offset the increased pressure needed to store and serve these beers at higher pressures. Instead of replacing your beer line with ever increasing lengths of tubing, you simply turn a knob to increase resistance.
In my opinion Intertap and Perlick are top faucet manufacturers and both have a flow control model.
The fine brewers at Jester King based in Austin Texas have released homebrew recipes for 6 of their beers. Kudos to Jester King for sharing with the homebrewing community!
Recipes include…
Update: Recipes have since been removed from their website after an update. No fear, we have them archived! And, we have additional recipes along with a source for Jester King’s Mixed Culture
Pictured: Four way CO2 Manifold via William’s Brewing
I think that the general consensus among homebrewers and home kegerator builders is that… MFL/Flare/Swivel connections are superior to barbed connections. That’s just my read on the situation, no scientific basis for that statement. After all, MFL swivel thingies look cool, they’re easy to attach and you can take tubing on and off easily and. The total solution, including swivels also generally costs more… more expensive = more better… right?
My take on the matter…
For gas lines: Personally, I prefer barb fittings on CO2 lines as they don’t loosen over time. Use a quality clamp and you have a solid connection that should not loosen or leak over time. Moving kegs and lines around could conceivably loosen MFL connections and a CO2 leak is invisible. Even a small, slow leak could equal an emptied CO2 tank.
For liquid lines: A liquid leak is a lot more obvious. A little dripping from a liquid MFL line would tell you that the line has loosened. I generally use flare swivels on liquid lines. I do still use barbs on tail pieces because that’s kind of a tight spot on my kegerator that makes it difficult to turn a wrench.
Of course you can use whatever you want. If you use MFL, I suggest periodically tightening swivels to make sure you always have a good, solid connection.
You May Be Interested In:
Also: Kegerator Tips & Gear | Keg Repair Part #s | Recent Keg Finds
Our Top Draft Resources This post may contain affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Homebrew Finds! toppost:flarevsbarb
Pictured: 3 lbs Briess Golden Light Dry Malt Extract (DME) via Amazon
This is a quick and simple tip… Dry Malt Extract dissolves more easily into cold water than it does into hot water. That seems a little counter-intuitive to me, but I’ve found it to be true. It seems to clump up a lot less and just generally dissolve more easily. I can’t take credit for this one, I heard it from John Palmer author of How to Brew.
Also: Briess – Dry Malt Extract – Golden Light – 3 lbs – affiliate link, note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link
This post may contain affiliate links. We may make a commission when you use our links. This will never cost you extra. Thank you for supporting Homebrew Finds!
White Labs and Wyeast are pretty well ubiquitous. Most shops carry both or at least one of these great lineups. In addition to their many regular options, both companies periodically have special seasonal releases. They produce outstanding yeast, bacterias and blends.
If you’re looking to try something new… This post aims to help you find some of the smaller yeast houses
Oak barrels can be used to used to age stouts and porters, age other beer styles, make sour beers and more.
New oak barrels can be had in sizes ranging from 1 liter all the way up to 1 barrel/53 gallons. As with most things 5 gallons seems to be a sweet spot for a lot of brewers. Larger barrels can be good for prolific homebrewers or group brews and smaller 1 to 5 liter sizes are great if you’re wanting to give barrel aging a try without a huge amount of expense or space.
A Spunding Valve allows you to maintain a set pressure. If pressure in the vessel exceeds the set point, it is expelled. It generally consists of an adjustable PRV valve, a tee, a gauge and a way to connect to your keg.
This is a version of our Spunding Valve Build that features components that are generally available in Canada.
Bucket photo courtesy of MoreBeer – Search MoreBeer for “Bucket” – For illustrative purposes, I’m not suggesting that you buy this. Read the tip below.
Buckets are super handy around your home brewery and beyond. Potential Uses: Convert to a Fermenter, Convert to a Mash Tun, Grain Storage, lugging around stuff on brew day, general storage, use to help with cleaning and sanitation.
