Tap-A-Draft Starter Kit

I took an old dual 8g cartrige system and converted it to use 12g co2 like the ones for bb guns at walmart. I used a threaded male to male plumbing connector from ace hardware, and screwed one in each side, then used a cap on the bottom of threaded connector to hold 12g cartridge in. I dont use the old bottom half caps. NOTE: you have to cut a tiny bit of length off threads to adjust the length just right. And dont thread into the tap too hard or you can crack the female side. (plumbing threads are tapered fyi)

(Posted on 4/8/12)

The reviews on this system are pretty mixed, but so far i've had excellent luck.

However, i did buy some better caps which are pretty much just growler caps.
Also, i applied a strip of teflon plumbers tape( about $1 a roll at my local hardware store) to the threading before capping.

I've had no discernible CO2 or beer leakage.

(Posted on 3/28/12)

The system lacks pressure regulation like a full CO2 system, but I haven't had any problems. Beer keeps for weeks and it doesn't get much cheaper than 1.25 to try your own beer on nitro. fyi I have the system with 2-8grams cartrages

(Posted on 3/19/12)

It leaks, The CO2 leaks rapidly even with a new gasket. It will last about 4 days and needs a new 16 gram cartridge. Might be a better investment to spend your money on PET bottles (16.9 oz.) instead of this thing. The idea behind this good, it just doesn't work well without leaking the carbonation charge.

(Posted on 12/7/11)

I started using these to quickly bottle. Can't do normal kegs because would need 2 keg setups. Why would anyone buy a starter kit when you can buy 3 Coors/Miller lite for same price? I know the beer isn't good compared to what I brew but the cost is the same as the starter kit. Plus you end up with crap beer to give away and then have multiple taps for free. Only thing I did was purchase 2 extra caps and an extra bottle when I first tried this. Now I bottle very little and have close to 20 bottles plus lots of extra taps for when one doesn't work right. Tighten the caps tight so they don't leak after bottling.

(Posted on 10/15/11)

Purchased this kit a week ago and went from my keg into the tap a draft for a party. Upon screwing on the valve, i noticed that the handle was cocked over to the side and the lock mechanism wouldn't engage. Looks like it is misaligned and now when you shut off the flow, the handle can push itself forward from the valve and empty all the beer into the refrigerator if you are not careful. When i first put in the CO2 and it filled the bottle, the excess pressure pushed the tap opened until I filled a cup with it. I'll have to see what is messed up when I empty it out, but I wasn't expecting to have to fiddle with a brand new tap a draft after all the positive reviews I have read.

(Posted on 8/21/11)

The new system design works very well. The only real down side is that the caps that come with the kit do not provide a reliable seal. Do yourself a favor and get some 38 mm poly seal screw caps, which work much better.

(Posted on 7/2/11)

This thing WAS awesome when it was a 2-cartridge system.

It now sucks.

It barely fits the 16 gram cartridges and you can no longer realistically force-carbonate.

I'm glad I have numerous of the old system because this one is horrible. It leaks, it blows out and it is a waste of money.

If you want a tap-draft you should eBay to get the old dual side system.

You will only be let down with the new modifications.

(Posted on 5/4/11)

Works well. The jugs are about the size of a 12-pack so it fits easily into my frig. Only 3 jugs and a few bottles to bottle-up a whole 5+ gallon batch.

Use the 38mm Poly Seal Screw Caps (Product Number: 7953) for the best seal of the jugs.

I can usually get a couple of pulls of beer before adding the CO2 cartridges. Then I only add 1 cartridge. I add another when the flow slows so that only 2 cartridges are required.

Need a method to hold the jug while screwing on the regulator/tap.

Be sure to order a 2nd set of Tap-A-Draft Bottles (Product Number: 8191).

The caps are pretty tight after the pressure builds-up. I use a rubber plumber's wrench to remove the caps. Also, I use a Food Grade Lubricant (CIP Film) to make it easier to put the caps and regulator/tap on the jug. Unfortunately, MidWest does not carry this.

(Posted on 1/11/11)

I hate bottling, so I looked for a system that would give me some taste of draft with little hassle come bottling time. The Tap-A-Draft system works for me. It's not perfect--it will only dispense about 90% of each bottle on two CO2 cartridges. In my experience, it does keep the beer good for about 2 - 3 weeks.

Overall, this seems to be about as good a product as you will get at that price.

(Posted on 12/21/10)