stainless steel kegs

[phil]

Hi guys, this is my first post, I have just joined. I am setting up a full grain 50 litre brewing system. I have most bits and pieces, but here is the question Someone has offered me a couple of imported 50 litre stainless steel kegs. But they have stamped on them property of such and such in the UK, do they get sent back, does the brewery want them, is it OK to have them? What to do?
Phil

[Dogger Dan]

Phil,

Personally I think it is up to you chum and what you can live with. I have a stainless keg someone gave to me and I have every intention of converting it this summer.

It came from a brewery that picked up the wrong keg by accident and they didn't see any big issue giving it to me to turn into a brew kettle.

Thar being said, I didn't run off to the other brewery and tell them I was about to do something useful to their keg either.

So, if Jimminy Cricket gets in the way and you can't look at yourself when you shave then send them back, pay for the postage etc, I am sure they will not say thank you. I doubt the keg police will track you down and arrest you should you keep them (Surely there are more important arrests to be made). If they do, you can sit them down with a few of your own and make a plee that you are helping mankind see their way to better beer.

I guess that was a long way of saying I would cut them open and make the best damn tier brewery going. Maybe even a RIMS (By the way, multi task the sparge water keg and turn it into a heat exchanger as well).

Dogger

Dogger

[munkey]

iv just aquired a stainless keg (50lieters i think) iand modified it on the weekend started grinding open the top and burnt out my crappy grinder. bah!!!!
used a jigsaw to cut the hole for the eliment to go in, used an old washing machine eliment and thought i was going to need to weld a coller the wall to give it a good seal but to my supprise, and joy, when i tightend it up it sealed just nicely.

will finish it off when i get a new grinder in the next week or so.
can poast some pickys of my progress if you like ????

[phil]

Thanks guys, I will be welding a corney top to a keg so that I will have a 50l s/s keg that is easy to deal with. If anybody else want's one let me know. I am in Perth

[Oliver]

Find someone with a plasma cutter. They will be able to get the lid off in no time flat.

The secret to drilling a hole in the keg is to do a pilot hole first with a small bit, then move to bigger and bigger bits. The first hole in my keg took ages (like more than an hour) to drill, using a slow speed and oil to keep things cool.

When I was through it took only another five or 10 minutes to get it to the size I wanted.

Cheers,

Oliver

[grabman]

Phil,

I'm in Perth as well, wouldn't mind having a look at your 50L keg setup! Sounds like a great way to go.
What are you asking for the kegs or are they a freebie?

Cheers

Simon

[phil]

freebee. call me on 0401698461
Phil

[munkey]

oliver

the eliment was a elongated fitting for a washing machine so i drilled 2 holes out first and linked them up with the jigsaw.

im a bit gutted adout modifieng this keg as im a fully skilled metal worker and now iv gone to universaty i have no access to equiptment.
my uni gas lathes and milling machines tho so its not all lost.

all my good equiptment is 110v and i have no transformer.

life is always toomuch of one thing and not enough of the other then visa versa for me.

ill post some pickys in the next few days and of the finished thing in the next week or so.

[grabman]

cheers Phil,

will hook up soon to have a beer and look at your setup.

[Lebowski]

my brother has 2 big coopers kegs in his room (he has moved out) can you hook these up to homebrew gas systems? how would u clean them? I cant even figure out how they work.

[phil]

The only way I know how to convert these is to cut a hole in the top (after you have let the gas out) a bit smaller than a corney 18l keg, then cut a corney keg up, 20mm down the side and then weld it to the 50l keg.
Phil

[Shaun]

Yes they can be used for home brewing you need to get the correct coupler for the keg type CUB, Tooheys, ect. The coupler has a connection point for beer out gas in.

[phil]

That would be great Shaun, how do you clean them.
Phil

[Shaun]

The theory is you fill the keg with some beer line cleaner ( or what ever you use to sanitize) swish it around in the keg then rinse well with water and refill with beer.

I have never seen this done though so I have no idea how you get the sanitizer/water/beer in the keg in the first place. Only understand that it can be done.

[Dogger Dan]

The breweries have a special system with the correst fittings and high pressure washers. It is really something to see, pretty sure I don't want one in basement

Dogger