/ck/ - Food & Cooking

[Anonymous No.6527520]

Does the Tap-A-Draft system actually work? I want to have a mini beer keg or two at my birthday barbecue this year, but I don't want some mainstream crap like Heineken. I could get one of these plastic kegs filled up at my local brewery with some nice micro brew, but I'd like to hear from anyone who has had experience with these, or something like them.

[Anonymous No.6528026]

The other option I have is the PartyStar tap, but just the tap is about $25 more expensive than the entire Tap-A-Draft kit, and it does not come with a growler or CO2 cartridges, so I would have to buy those and a mini keg separately. As a whole it's definitely a nicer looking piece of kit and would be closer to the true "keg experience," although I would have to spend about twice as much.

[Anonymous No.6528039]

>>6527520

OP, I don't have any experience with either of the things you mentioned so sorry, I can't provide any help there.

But forgive me for asking the obvious question: why not just get a normal keg? I just looked up the price of those kits you're talking about and they're just as expensive, if not more expensive, than just getting a full size keg. And that's before you've even bought the beer. Why not just get a keg for your party?

[Anonymous No.6528044]

>>6528039
I dont think OP knows that you can actually just get a keg of good beer..

[Anonymous No.6528048]

>>6528039
Simple answer is that we aren't going to go through it that fast. Most people I know aren't very heavy drinkers, and I don't want to have half a full-sized keg sitting in my basement going bad after the festivities are over.

[Anonymous No.6528102]

>>6528048
Become an alcoholic

You can also do half kegs and the such

[Anonymous No.6528120]

>>6528048
>Simple answer is that we aren't going to go through it that fast.

Why not just get a couple of growlers filled at the local brew pub?

[Anonymous No.6528130]

>>6528102
The smallest standard keg is about 5 gallons, whereas a mini keg is 5 liters. 5 liters is easy to use up for a weekend BBQ, but it would take me a long ass time to use up 5 gallons, and by then I'd want to try a different brew anyway.

And that's another thing-- with the 5 liter mini kegs, I can use a different type of beer when one gets used up. If I got a 5 gallon slim keg, I'd have to either have a ton of people over to use it all up, or I would have to really LOVE what I'm drinking, to the point where I can put up with having the same beer for potentially weeks. I'm more the type of

>>6528120
I have a growler, although I've used mini kegs before and I like the fact that they keep the beer carbonated-- I just wasn't a fan of the beer selection for mini kegs in my region. With growlers, you have to use them up right away, because as soon as you open them they start going flat, and it'd also mean a lot of bottles to move around.

Getting multiple growlers is definitely an option, although the CO2 tap would be more fun.

[Anonymous No.6528190]

>>6528130
>With growlers, you have to use them up right away, because as soon as you open them they start going flat, and it'd also mean a lot of bottles to move around.

If you're going to have that many people at the party, you're better off getting an actual 1/4 or 1/6 barrel from the brew pub.

[Anonymous No.6528197]

>>6528190
The growler I have isn't very big, so maybe it's not the best example (it's only 1.5 liters or so). What is considered a pretty average size for one to you?

[Anonymous No.6528221]

>>6528197

Hereabouts, the standard growler is 64 ounces - 1 gallon, or eight 8oz glasses of beer.

Most brew pubs will fill any other pubs growler, (as long as it's 64 ozs) so it doesn't hurt to have a few laying around.

But how many people are you going to have and what kinda beer drinkers are they?

A blow-out bash with hard-drinking good ol' boys? Better get a keg.

A few hipster friends? A couple-or-three growlers will do.

[Anonymous No.6528224]

>>6528221
My group of friends are basically a bunch of geeks and we are not heavy drinkers. Maybe I should look into getting some bigger growlers rather than a mini keg.

[Anonymous No.6528247]

>>6528224
>My group of friends are basically a bunch of geeks and we are not heavy drinkers.

So, figure 3-4 - 8 ozs beers per geeky friend?

Do the math, but don't be a Jew and short-shrift your friends; better to dump out a bit of beer the next day, then run out in the middle of a party and risk someone getting pulled over going for more.

Also; have food on hand, so the light-weight nerds you hang with won't get fall-down drunk after two beers.

[Anonymous No.6528264]

>>6528224

Also; don't get any weird beers, as they're an acquired taste and avoid the high alcohol content stuff; it'll knock you buddies for a loop. Get some easy drinking 5-6% IPAs or something similar.

If you're not hip to what the brew pub has to offer, most joints have a sample platter, with several small juice sized glass of different beers (take notes, or you'll forget which you liked after you get drunk!).

[Anonymous No.6528275]

>>6528120
>>6528190
>>6528221
>>6528247
>>6528264

Fuck it! Just have the party AT the brew pub and let everybody get however much of whatever they want and you can pick-up the tab.

Also; some places have their own kitchens and some brew pubs allow patrons to bring in their own food (or have it delivered).

[Anonymous No.6528285]

>>6527520
Get a 1/6 or 1/4 barrel from a liquor store or small brewery.

[Anonymous No.6528302]

>>6528221
just a heads up growlers are 1/2 gallon, not 1 gallon

[Anonymous No.6528781]

>>6528264
I know my local brewery pretty well. They've got a great IPA and a great lager. I'll probably get the lager for the "accessible" option, the IPA, and one of their sweeter, maltier ales for anyone interested in trying something a bit different.

[Anonymous No.6528793]

>>6528302
That sounds about right, because my growler is about a half gallon.

If I went with the Tap-A-Draft system, those are about a gallon and a half each. For shits and giggles maybe I will get one of those and fill it up with lager, and then get a pair of growlers filled up with some of the more unique options. The lager will probably go the quickest since it's the "safe" option, so it makes sense to get more of it than the other kinds.

[Anonymous No.6529376]

>>6528224
You should invite someone who's less of a scrawny nerd so that they can drink the excess

[Anonymous No.6529425]

>>6528026
>>6527520
Just buy growlers or actual kegs.