I know they are labeled “non reusable”… But the table top cooler/dispensers are SEXY… One could easily divide a batch into 4 5 liter mini kegs. Serve them one at a time. Anyone done this?
Here’s my Heineken mini-keg system. Maybe this is sort of what you had in mind? Please ignore the dirty dishes in the background – you have been warned, so shut up in advance.
http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=90461&hilit=heineken
So basically you cannibalize a bung from one keg, since you keep the dispensing tap in place. A nice adaptation. Perfect for those test batches.
I have read that they are only good for maybe half a dozen uses or less. What’s your experience with that?
Don’t know yet. I just started doing this a few months ago and unfortunately haven’t been brewing a lot either.
I had read an article somewhere, where a person used a two holed cork and some tubeing to connect the mini kegs to a CO2 dispenseing system. I cannot find the article but it looked easy.
As for re-using the cans, you can use them multiple times, however, the cans are “coated” on the inside to prevent the acidic beer from pulling the passivated aluminum layer off the walls of the keg. After a few uses, (and bumping) the coating gets cracked and allows the aluminum to add flavors to yoru beer. So if you are careful, they can be re-used a lot!