Should YOU have a Mini Keg? TMCraft Growler Mini Keg Review

[@dillonmoore1105]

So I've only been brewing for a little while and you both have helped me so much, so i want to thank you both. Today i bottled a spiced cider and racked a strawberry wine that i made based on yours except with frozen strawberries. The reading on my strawberry wine i had to take a picture of because it was just insane. After fermenting for 3 weeks it came to 0.983. You were right 71B is an absolute BEAST!

[@heartproblems2727]

I have been rolling this idea around in my head recently...you sold me. Gonna order one now. Thank you again for what you do. I started this hobby over the summer and I really enjoy it. Have a great New Year.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Awesome! They are addictive though....

[@davidlane1248]

I've owned several mini kegs and they're great for several things: 1. Space efficient storage of your brews, still or carbonated. You can pour out of them, but it's a bit sloppy- recommended to attach the dispenser when you're ready to drink. Keep it at a low psi if it's a still brew, otherwise it will force carbonate. But it'll keep it fresh and unoxygenated for a while, unlike a bottle. Either way, these single walled mini kegs hold a lot of liquid in an efficiently spaced vessel 2. Force carbonating! If you want to make something carbonated, you'll basically sacrifice one c02 cartridge for a larger mini keg like this one(99% sure CSB has a gallon sized one here, but you can easily find 2 gallon and half gallon varieties, all threaded for the same accessories) and it'll be ready in a couple of days 3. My favorite feature: safe bottle/keg conditioning! If you don't want to waste money on a c02 for force carbonating and then another for dispensing, these things have a good enough seal with their threaded caps that they can condition carbonate after adding your appropriate sugar type/amount... But with a virtually impossible chance of any explosions like you'd get from a bottle! At worst, using too much priming sugar could cause a horrible mess when opening the finished product I used to have a huge collection of these, but I had to sell them during a bad financial time about a year back... I could easily see myself getting a bunch of 64oz mini kegs in the future and making them my primary means of storing my meads and wines, even if I almost never carbonate them

[@bertburglar8896]

I got a TM craft 1.3 gallon for Christmas. I am currently Carbonating the fruit punch wine. So far I am very very pleased with how it works.

[@mrkrag]

Ha ha ha. Ordered myself one for Christmas. You posted this right after I got to work today and it got delivered soon after. Rushing home now to unbox mine too!

[@repetern]

Ok, dang you two, I just ordered one. A good present for me right now. I've got to have a fun thing and the fact that my brewing station is now up and ready to use. LOVE YOU GUYS.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Right back atcha Joan!

[@repetern]

I will admit that I was 'forced' into purchasing as my older sister purchased the CO2 cartridges and sent them to me for Christmas. Ok, so I could use them for bicycle tire inflation, but I don't really need THAT many cartridges for my bike tires.😏

[@derrickpotter7765]

I bought one as well, thanks for your review! I have finally brewed a beer I am proud of and recently started kegging with a handful of corny kegs. Now I can just take a gallon of my brew easily instead of loading up a 5 gallon keg and 10lb CO2 bottle!

[@karlmarques4739]

I just got one from Christmas. 😊 thanks to you guys.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Nice!

[@TMCraftus]

Thank you so much our friend, hope we will have more collaboration in the future and enjoy the keg :)

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thank you!

[@stonerainproductions]

Something I'm considering getting. Thanks for the review!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Really useful. We have a few now!

[@rednecksniper4715]

I was just looking at the Square Keg mini and thought it would be neat to have one for mead. You can use Co2, Argon or Nitrogen in it they recommended Argon for meads and wines, CO2 for carbonated drinks and nitrogen for nitro brew coffee

[@kollektivDumhet]

I think the insulator protection can be used mainly to avoid condensation and surfaces getting wet. But... Condensation = energy loss. The insulator helps keep the mini keg cool a little longer, by avoiding condensation, slowing the energy transfer (from humid ambient air -> chilled liquid). "Cold" is just the absence of energy.

[@ALRULZ1965]

I use 5 gallon corny kegs, the old kegs that held fountain drink syrup, they work so well, the best investment ive made for kegging my homebrews.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

If you need 5 gallons, sure. We have no need for that much of anything.

[@geir.mathello]

You must have a nice Christmas and a happy New Year. I now have some test Ginger brew up and running Cheers

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thanks, you too!

[@everydayden5826]

I have been using a mini keg for a little over a year now and they are great for small batch carbonation and traveling. I have one that holds around 180 fl oz which is perfect for full one gallon batches plus whatever back sweetener that one wants to use. ( think little big mouth bubbler batches ) I primarily use mine for carbonating and transporting ciders. I have a carbonated blueberry hard cider in mine as we speak. The only downside to these little kegs is the cost of the 16 gram CO2 cylinders, as it always takes at least two if not three to carbonate and pour 5 quarts of liquid.

[@ericadams5019]

I have Vevor's version of this. Probably made at the same factory. :) Its identical. I love it

[@DarkStar666]

I bought one a couple of years ago and I love it. I’ve used it for mead and for beer. I wish there was a better (*easy* and cheap) option for CO2 rather than the tiny cartridge. Something ready to use, not something I have to get all the parts for (you can hack up solutions with soda stream canisters and full fledged co2 tanks).

[@baysword]

I just got a new book on mead making. I wonder if you or other viewers could recommend books.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We have some in our store. Honestly at this point I just experiment and learn from others.

[@garrettroberts7937]

The best way to utilize these is to buy the keg and a 2 post tapping head separately. This is important. You want the tapping head with two ball lock post and a relief valve more than the mini regulator and tap which comes with the kit. With the two ball lock post tapping head you can choose which fittings you want to use to fill and serve which makes doing closed transfers a breeze. Then you are free to use whatever gas source you have with whatever tap you like. If you buy the entire for kit for $100 you are stuck with the tap, cheap regulator and mini cartridges with no way to do a closed pressure transfer. . When you buy the keg and 2 post tapping head separately your options open up and these things become extremely convenient. How I use mine. I was gifted 2 5 old gallon corny kegs. I make 5 gallons batches of beer and transfer into 5 gallons corny kegs after fermentation. I force or natural carbonate in the 5 gallon kegs using a sounding valve and leave at room temperature. Then, once carbonated I do a closed loop transfer into a sparged mini keg for fridge serving. These mini kegs keep me from having to add more fridge space to my set up. With two of them you can always have one settled, cold and ready and when it empties, clean it, sparge it, then refill it with what’s left in the 5 gallon using closed loop pressure transfer. Easy as can be and your beer stays fresh. Also if you want to carbonate wine in these the two post tapping head allows you to do so easy and safe.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yup, we did that.

[@VincentHarrydragonphire]

I got this model shortly after the coffee stout video. I like it so far, I've been able to carbonate around 25 PSI for 3 days in the fridge on average, using only one CO2 cartridge. I've not been successful in bottling from this keg so far, most of the carbonation gets lost sadly.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yeah, still working on it myself.

[@TMCraftus]

Hey, thank you for your trust, it may has some problem, welcome to contact us, we will help you to fix it.

[@VincentHarrydragonphire]

@@TMCraftus thank you. I'm sure it's just user error.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Bottling from a keg without a bottle filler f some type will lose carbonation afaik. This is true of all kegs though. I am working on a solution :)

[@VincentHarrydragonphire]

@@CitySteadingBrews I have the same dispensing tube that you had. I've seen a video that talks about restricting the tube inner diameter should also help maintain carbonation during transfer.

[@jeffreykeller1585]

I just got a corny keg for christmas and i saw another comment saying you can bottle off these. I would love to see a video of that in the future so its easier to follow along the process of force carb into bottling then pasturizing. I have been curious of how you might force carb and backsweeten. Would you force carb then put it in a jug to sweeten then bottle then pasturize?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You would sweeten with non-fermentable sugars, or pasteurize then force carb :)

[@Fluentmotion]

Hi guys, first off thanks for the content and knowledge, me and my wife found your videos and went down the rabbit hole! We have 3 different 1gal of mead, wine, and cider going now for our 1st time. We bought on of these mini keg growlers to use and I was wondering if you can bottle and prime in these to save a CO2 cartridge?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You can!

[@Semajay96]

When using a bubble airlock, would you all say it’s best practice to fill it to the MAX line?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yes.

[@barflys22]

I've been wanting to get one of these, but could you clarify the holding carbination to actually carbonating you mentioned at 2:31

[@CitySteadingBrews]

They can keep carbonation in say.. a beer, using pressure and can serve it due to that, but you can also carbonate in them, as we showed in the videos linked in the description.

[@wesgraves4793]

​@CitySteadingBrews you mentioned you broke one because of higher pressures. Did your's not have a pressure relief valve?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It didn't go off for some reason.

[@GenPio85]

Storing in the fridge, do you keep the nozzle and all those pouring stuff attached or you remove them and just close it with the regular cap? It added space for storing in fridge. If those need to be attached, is it safe to have a cartridge as well?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yup, leave it all on, since you need to keep pressure on it. If you remove it all you lose carbonation anyway.

[@JAN_SOLO_WING]

Hi. How many beers with one CO2 cartridge? Thanks.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Usually is enough for one gallon.

[@GeorgeSmyth]

I wonder about the height with everything assembled so that I know whether or not it will fit within my refrigerator. Thanks for sharing this, I've been thinking of getting one for cider.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I measured... 19 inches with everything on it. The handle can come off though and makes it more like 16.

[@GeorgeSmyth]

@@CitySteadingBrews Perfect - Thanks!

[@dillonmoore1105]

Do you know why the airlock equals out after fermentation? Because just thinking about it shouldn't it still hold pressure and just stop bubbling?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Because gas escapes and equalizes the pressure over time.

[@GustavoPinhoPT]

If you were to pasteurize a cider and then force carb, would you pasteurize in the keg? And if so, closed or open?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I don't think I would pasteurize in the keg. It's good to rack after.

[@kingquesoIV]

neoprene jackets do a great job of insulating.Think about how much more thermally conductive the bare metal would be compared to the neoprene. I would highly suggest getting a floating dip tube for your keg. This way you are always drawing from the top of the liquid, avoiding the yeast.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I have yet to see one for a keg this size.

[@kingquesoIV]

@@CitySteadingBrews Cant you just buy a stainless steel hollow ball and add it to the end of that tube to make a floating dip tube?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I suppose that could work, sure!

[@scottbennett6200]

SOOO, I had bariatric surgery and can't have carbonation of any kind, tends to stretch the stomach and that is a bad thing. The question I have is will it hold mead and push it with CO2 cartridges without carbonating the beverage? I can't find anything on the net specifically about that. Either that or I really suck at googling.. HEHE CHEERS!!! P.S> LOVE Y'ALL CHANNEL. I am not the official D&D mead maker for our gaming group, now that I revealed I watch you... Going to do skeeter pee, cranberry orange and the holiday mead... WISH ME LUCK!!!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yes, you just don't set the psi past say 5 or so and turn off the gas when storing.

[@scottbennett6200]

@@CitySteadingBrews SWEET!!! Thank you for the info!!!

[@mareknels7492]

I made a mead but forgot to rehydrate the yeast before adding it to the must, will this be a problem? If so, how should I solve it? I used lalvin D47 wine yeast.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We don't always hydrate. It's fine.

[@slydrakegaming2581]

Anyone have any tips for cleaning?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Bottle brushes and clean it soon after use. Most things should rinse right out.

[@shannoncraig509]

I would suggest SS BrewTech stainless steel bucket. I think you might enjoy it.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Isn't their smallest 5.5 gallons? We have ZERO need for that. We make over 40 brews a year and can't drink everything we make now, lol.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Also, that's a fermenter, this is a way to carbonate... very different products actually.

[@shannoncraig509]

@@CitySteadingBrews 3.5 gallon is the smallest.

[@shannoncraig509]

@@CitySteadingBrews I thought you meant products in general. I think your audience might like it. The brew bucket collects the lees and is easy to clean and lift. It has a lot of the benefits of a conical fermenter without the overwhelming expense.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

oh! My bad... wasn't sure why you were saying that but we DID ask for whatever things you might want to see reviewed! Sorry for the misunderstanding on my part! @@shannoncraig509

[@knightmare1015]

Very cool system.

[@Mrhasquestions]

Does this growler sufficiently carbonate a half or full growler of beer?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It's a gallon.

[@Mrhasquestions]

@@CitySteadingBrews I was wondering if I had a flat beer would I be able to recarbonate it in this mini keg?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

@Mrhasquestions sure. It's just forced carbonation.

[@Mrhasquestions]

They called it a growler because kids used to always growl with disappointment, when their parents asked them to fill it up and drag it home.

[@unknown-um3lq]

I'm newer to brewing and am currently carbonating naturally in the bottle. Is it possible to use this keg to carbonate and then bottle it from the keg?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yes! We have carbed in it and you can bottle afterward.

[@Helliconia54]

Anyone tried using "soda stream" for carbonating drinks?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Messy.

[@the_whiskeyshaman]

Good stuff

[@m.baroni6676]

Have you ever thought of making a fruit nouveau wine with that keg? Nouveau wine uses carbonic maceration to create a natural fermentation into anaerobic environment instead of the most common aerobic alcoholic fermentation, and it takes less than a month. As far as i know, nobody has ever tried to make a nouveau fruit wine. But it doesn't take long

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Nouveau wine to my knowledge just means made and sold within a year. Also... wine making is an anaerobic process.

[@Babadook50]

👍👍🥳

[@Jamesim82]

I was gonna be really disappointed if one of you didn't sing: "Under Pressure," by Bowie & Queen.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You knew she would :)

[@TheStraycat74]

Woot

[@nathanslater7961]

I was wondering if you have a p.o. box I would like to send you some specialty honey!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We do! Thank you. City Steading 4604 49th Street N Suite 1650 St. Petersburg, FL 33709