Carbonating in kegs - what to use to plug beer-out port?

[CCA]

So as a small nano, we have to force carbonate directly in the keg after racking. But with a Sanke coupler, there's no easy way to close off the beer-out port while still allowing CO2 to flow in through the gas-in port.

We could hook the kegs up to our taps, but that would lock-out that tap from being used until the beer was fully carbed. We could use barbed 3/16" hose plugs (http://www.beveragefactory.com/draft...s/S19-4.shtml), but then I have to put together an assembly of nut + gasket + tailpiece + short section of hose + hose plug.

What I really want is a 7/8"-14 stainless steel threaded cap. Or a blank tailpiece with no barbed protrusion.

Does anyone know a source for either of these? What do others do in this case?

Thanks!

[brewmaster 2011]

use this valve on the out of your sankey
http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-...id-7419-1.html

[CCA]

Yes I had found those valves, but I was hoping for something cheaper than $28 per keg!

[brewmaster 2011]

those are the best for what you need. have you tried to put head pressure on in your fementer to help carb up your beer?

[jcrjustin]

A penny fits perfectly in a beer nut. I just saved you $27.99.

[CCA]

Yeah, I got a private message with the same info from another brewer. Brilliant!

[Scott M]

A penny fits perfectly in a beer nut. I just saved you $27.99.

Gentlemen, we have a WINNER!!

[BrewWerks]

A penny fits perfectly in a beer nut. I just saved you $27.99.

This is great!

[panadero]

You can also get beer nut caps for maybe 50 cents each. I put one of these on my coupler beer out, and vent pressure through the gas port on empty kegs prior to cleaning. foxx has them.

[Beersmith]

I prefer the nickel, it fits even tighter than a penny, and is more sanitary. However, it does cost five times as much!

[beejay]

you can also just hook up a picnic tapper with a beer nut.

[ParishBrewingCo]

At our nano I had a 16 keg carbonating setup. Each one was plugged with a penny backed by an o-ring and beer nut to seal.

Used it like that for over 2 years no probs.

[kbills]

I force carb pushing the gas in through the beer out port,having removed the check valve that is in there. There is already a check valve in the gas in side, so nothing comes out the gas-in side when doing this. I have since also added the same type of check valve to the beer in side so that no beer comes flowing back up the step in to the air line.

[kai]

I prefer the nickel, it fits even tighter than a penny, and is more sanitary. However, it does cost five times as much!

Ah, but a penny is useful for removing any sulphides present in the beer during carbonation!

[jerrymcmahan]

All you need is a couple inches of beverage line on the tap side, plugged with a sanitized stainless bolt, etc. Put a hose clamp over the plug. Ugly but cheap and it works. Removing the coupler can be messy; be ready with a hose and a spray bottle of sanitizer.