Do any of you have a tap a draft system? Does it work well? Have you tried force carbonating in it? If you actually have on of these systems, please let me know how its worked out for you. I'm thinking of getting one. Thanks
I was recently asked about my experience with it, which is VERY limited, but here was my reply:
I filled one of the 1.5 liter containers with ale, and was happy with it. It sat in my brother's fridge for a while, so it took about 8 days to finish it. I noticed towards the last third, the carbonation wasn't to my liking - it had lessened. Also, the pressure wasn't what it was earlier on, but it would still get the ale out. I found that by closing the tap almost all the way off towards the end of the pour, I was able to get a beautiful head on every glass. Very nice. I'm wondering if some sort of counter pressure bottle filler arrangement might work better for filling, as there was quite a bit of foam, and thus loss of CO2 when I filled it out of my cobra tap and corny keg. On a negative note, I hear it's crucial to maintain the Tap-a-draft in the horizontal position once the CO2 cylinders are tapped. This also means you can't roll it left or right once she's fired up. The liquid CO2 can screw things up, I guess. Just be aware. At any rate, I expect to get a lot of use out of mine. I'll have to find out why they say the bottles are good for at least six fillings. What happens after that? They crack? Don't know. Also, I can't tell you how this unit compares to the mini kegs, party pig, or other mini systems out there. One other thing. Consider buying direct: http://www.sturmanbg.com If shipping is ok, they have the best price I've seen. Ken A.
BillyBadass <Notha...@noospam.a.rama.com> wrote in message
> Do any of you have a tap a draft system? Does it work well? Have you tried > force carbonating in it? > If you actually have on of these systems, please let me know how its worked > out for you. I'm thinking of getting one. > Thanks
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I have the system. It is good alternative to kegging since you don't need a dedicated fridge. When I bought it they said you could not force carbonate with it. I have seen other people selling it that say you can? I was unhappy with the plastic. It is really thin. Thinner than a normal coke bottle. Also I only found one place so far that sells the replacement caps. They are reusable but I happened to loose one so I could not start another batch. Williams Brewing sells a cheap starter system. (Three bottles and the tap for around $40.
"BillyBadass" <Notha...@noospam.a.rama.com> wrote in message
> Do any of you have a tap a draft system? Does it work well? Have you tried > force carbonating in it? > If you actually have on of these systems, please let me know how its worked > out for you. I'm thinking of getting one. > Thanks
It is a good system for the money and that it fits in a normal fridge. The bottles will last much longer than 6 batches, they are thin walled but durable. They have held their carbonation for a month just fine (I have only held beer that long once). I usually have a little CO2 left after I run out of beer, I don't run out of CO2 first. I believe some who have had problems with loss of carbonation have either allowed CO2 to be released when screwing in the CO2 cartridges or have lost the o-ring that fits in where the CO2 cartridges attaches allowing a slow leak. Shop around the price varies a lot by retailer.
"BillyBadass" <Notha...@noospam.a.rama.com> wrote in message <news:jqLm9.18496$DN4.3635@sccrnsc01>... > Do any of you have a tap a draft system? Does it work well? Have you tried > force carbonating in it? > If you actually have on of these systems, please let me know how its worked > out for you. I'm thinking of getting one. > Thanks
>Do any of you have a tap a draft system? Does it work well? Have you tried >force carbonating in it? >If you actually have on of these systems, please let me know how its worked >out for you. I'm thinking of getting one. >Thanks
I have one, but it is no longer functional. I tilted the bottle verticle with the head attached and co2 cartridges installed and one of the pressure relief valves blew its insides all over the room. Stupid mistake on my part, but I was surprised at how fragile the valves are. I did enjoy it while it was usible though. One thing I did notice though was the flow is a lttle slow out of the dispensing valve becasue of the small diameter pickup tube. I also left some cool-aid in it for a week under pressure and it had very little carbonation. The TAD is not for force carbonating. Since its demise I've been using mini-kegs and I need to order a philtap before I tap my current batch. I think the mins will be more durable than the TAD if anything.
Never seen/tried a TAD but i use mini kegs. The philtap is indestructible..except for the plastic bicycle co2 injector...eventually you may have to replace that....
>some cool-aid in it for a week under pressure and it had very little >carbonation. The TAD is not for force carbonating. Since its demise I've >been using mini-kegs and I need to order a philtap before I tap my current >batch. I think the mins will be more durable than the TAD if anything.
> Never seen/tried a TAD but i use mini kegs. The philtap is > indestructible..except for the plastic bicycle co2 injector...eventually you > may have to replace that....
The puncturing spear used to get dull and make for slow gas injections, but we haven't seem that problem for a couple of years now. otherwise the injectors seem to be holding up very well. -- Dan Listermann
> >some cool-aid in it for a week under pressure and it had very little > >carbonation. The TAD is not for force carbonating. Since its demise I've > >been using mini-kegs and I need to order a philtap before I tap my current > >batch. I think the mins will be more durable than the TAD if anything.
The only problem I'm having is that there is a tiny washer inside the part of the injector which screws onto the tire stem of the actual tap... the tiny washer fell out... i don't know where to find a replacement! d'oh!
>> Never seen/tried a TAD but i use mini kegs. The philtap is >> indestructible..except for the plastic bicycle co2 injector...eventually >you >> may have to replace that....
>The puncturing spear used to get dull and make for slow gas injections, but >we haven't seem that problem for a couple of years now. otherwise the >injectors seem to be holding up very well. >-- >Dan Listermann
> The only problem I'm having is that there is a tiny washer inside the part > of the injector which screws onto the tire stem of the actual tap... the > tiny washer fell out... i don't know where to find a replacement! > d'oh!
That is a new problem. Let us know if you want to have the dispenser replaced.
> >The puncturing spear used to get dull and make for slow gas injections, but > >we haven't seem that problem for a couple of years now. otherwise the > >injectors seem to be holding up very well. > >-- > >Dan Listermann
I really like my TAD. I've used it for a few batches now with no complaints. The blue, 6L bottles that come with it are kind of flimsy looking, but they have held up pretty well so far. I am also using 3L coke bottles with my system with pretty good results as well. However, I'm using mine as sort of a stepping stone to a full keg system, so my expectations weren't overly high. There are some legitimate gripes about the TAD, but if you keep in mind that it's supposed to be a cheap alternative to kegging, I think you'll be pleased.
You CAN force carbonate with the TAD, but I don't recommend it. I have done this a few times, but I usually only force carbonate the first 6L bottle and I let the others bottle condition. When force carbonating, I use 2 CO2 cart.s and then let it sit for a couple of days. Then, I move it to the fridge. At this point, you will probably need to insert 2 fresh CO2 cart.s. Be very careful when removing the old cart.s! Make sure that there is no pressure left in them. (My biggest gripe about the system is that there is no manual relief valve or gauge) Stupidly, I found this out the hard way! One cartridge was empty, the other must have been full, because it shot across my garage like a rocket. You should have seen the dumbfounded look on my face. The wife is still laughing about it! (No beer was hurt during the incident! :-) )
In any event, I think that the TAD is a great little system. It doesn't take up a lot of room, it's very portable, and affordable. I do agree with an earlier post that the prices vary wildly. I bought mine from morebeer.com for around 50 bucks.
BillyBadass wrote: >Do any of you have a tap a draft system? Does it work well? Have you tried >force carbonating in it? >If you actually have on of these systems, please let me know how its worked >out for you. I'm thinking of getting one. >Thanks
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