Plastic Kegs

[RNJ]

Has anyone used the plastic kegs from plastic keg america? I think they advertise on this site. I have heard both positive and negative reviews, but some of them may have been biased. Wondering if anyone has used them and what their experience have been with them.

Thanks
Ray

[beermkr]

I use them and am completely happy with them so far. We use them for internal use and just started sending them out for distribution so we shall see how they hold up.

R/

[Woolsocks]

I'm not real impressed with the samples we've had.

[ParishBrewingCo]

I use them. They work fine. I've dropped a full one off a pallet from over 6 feet high (dont ask) with no damage to the keg. No issues in 6 months (knock on wood). Edit - it was a full 1/6 I dropped without and issue. I dont know about 1/2s. The extra weight may be enough to do some damage, but I haven't seen it personally.

Andrew

[jvandenbrink]

yup

i have used the sixths barrels for two years. i have broken two by dropping them off my dock and have a couple come back for the spears coming loose (they are threaded into the plastic).

i have seen the half barrels in circulation and they just seem too large. and i can only imagine that if i drop a sixth barrel off my dock and it shatters the chime that if a half barrel were to drop it would demolish it.

other then that, no complaints from accounts about taste or the fact that they are plastic. if anything, they like them because they are lighter and stack (same reasons i like them)

[Howling Henry]

Excuse me for my ignorance but way would a plastic keg be a good choose for draft beer but a plastic fermenter is a bad idea. I understand why plastic fermenters are not good (oxidation through the plastic, hard to sanitize and clean) but wouldn’t the same reasons be relevant for plastic kegs.

[ParishBrewingCo]

Plastic Kegs are made from a dense HDPE that shouldn't pass any oxygen.

Edit: Removed my inaccurate hunch. Thanks Mad-Brewer for the clarification. The bit about the bottles is a good example.

Andrew

[Mad-Brewer]

Andrew is correct that HDPE is a pretty good barrier to oxygen, and that ability increases with thickness (and these are thick walls), but the second point is incorrect. The pressure of the CO2 will have no impact whatever on the transfer of oxygen. These are different gasses and operate with independent osmotic forces. This is why regular bottle crowns bleed O2 into the bottle, and oxygen barrier crowns do not - it all hings on the plastic between the crown and glass. Oxygen on the outside wants to equalize with the near absence (we hope) of oxygen on the inside.

[ParishBrewingCo]

Also, about cleaning/sani plastic kegs vs fermenters:

Plastic fermenters and kegs are both easy to clean and sanitize if the surfaces are smooth and free from nicks, cuts, or places for critters to reside. It is easier to damage the surface of a plastic fermenter. The inside of a plastic keg should be pretty unadulterated and food-grade smooth unless you take the spear out and damage the inside with something. I cant imagine this happening under normal use.

Andrew

[schmogger]

Keg America is the worst for customer service. I have some of their old ones and I have been trying to get new chimes to replace broken ones since the CBC in April. I have called about once every two to three weeks and I get the same response, "I will have Chris call you" and he has called once and I was not at the brewery at the time. Now I have resigned to selling them to customers who have kegerators at home. I will never use Keg America again unless they actually call me and make things right. This is just one brewers opinion.

[chicagobrewbus]

plastic kegs

Is it the same process to clean a plastic keg?

[gcbeer]

Same process different temp and press

Is it the same process to clean a plastic keg?

Same process but temp and pressure are lower - PKA has the information you need if you contact them. We bought some to test out and think there better all-around value in stainless, but it depends on how you are using them in your operation.