I plan on making an in home bar when I get home from Iraq and putting my home brew beer on tap. I was just wondering if anyone had put mead on tap before and how it turned out.
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is a keg taboo
- Thread starter sdogg73
- Start date
I don't, but only because I'm not willing to put out the capital at this point. I would in a heartbeat otherwise, especially because mead is better carbonated. 
And thanks for serving over there in the sandbox. This American appreciates it!
And thanks for serving over there in the sandbox. This American appreciates it!
I don't have a bar/kegerator set up, but I use kegs for most of my aging and storage. Mead on tap is excellent, and for melomels in particular, I think the fruity aroma is preserved especially well.
I'll look forward to hearing what your impression is when you get home!
You have my thanks.
Medsen
I'll look forward to hearing what your impression is when you get home!
You have my thanks.
Medsen
Most importantly, thank you for serving our country! May God bless you for your sacrifice.
I am headed off to Pennsic War in a couple of days. While there, I will be camping with a group of brewers from the New York area. We have meads and wines on tap for the two weeks of Pennsic with excellent results.
We use CO2 to pressurize. The beverages are stored in old cornie (soda) kegs. We use a chill plate in an ice chest to chill the drinks as they are served.
You just really need to make sure that your fermentations are done before you keg things. A keg will not stop fermentation although pressure build-up will stunt a fermentation a bit. But in the end you can have a "bottle bomb" that hurls sharp shards of aluminum around the room.
A few years ago we had a ten year old Blueberry Wine brought back to our camp in a cornie. It had been kegged and given to someone three or four years earlier and then passed around but never used. Eventually the "Return TO" tag on the keg brought it back to the camp. IT WAS GLORIOUS! So in this case it had been in a keg under pressure for three or more years without any other special handling (and likely with some unfavorable handling like hot tents and storage places) and had managed to remain just fine.
The group I am with makes sure to keep everything under pressure. We serve at a lower pressure to prevent foaming. But for storage I am thinking that the kegs get pumped up to 50 or 60 PSI. (That may not be the right number.)
Good luck and again, thanks for serving,
Pewter
I am headed off to Pennsic War in a couple of days. While there, I will be camping with a group of brewers from the New York area. We have meads and wines on tap for the two weeks of Pennsic with excellent results.
We use CO2 to pressurize. The beverages are stored in old cornie (soda) kegs. We use a chill plate in an ice chest to chill the drinks as they are served.
You just really need to make sure that your fermentations are done before you keg things. A keg will not stop fermentation although pressure build-up will stunt a fermentation a bit. But in the end you can have a "bottle bomb" that hurls sharp shards of aluminum around the room.
A few years ago we had a ten year old Blueberry Wine brought back to our camp in a cornie. It had been kegged and given to someone three or four years earlier and then passed around but never used. Eventually the "Return TO" tag on the keg brought it back to the camp. IT WAS GLORIOUS! So in this case it had been in a keg under pressure for three or more years without any other special handling (and likely with some unfavorable handling like hot tents and storage places) and had managed to remain just fine.
The group I am with makes sure to keep everything under pressure. We serve at a lower pressure to prevent foaming. But for storage I am thinking that the kegs get pumped up to 50 or 60 PSI. (That may not be the right number.)
Good luck and again, thanks for serving,
Pewter
Pewter raises a good point about the gas used. To seal a Corny keg properly and to dispense the keg needs to be pressurized. If you are doing it with the CO2 that you use for beer, you will have sparkling mead. That's great if sparkling mead is what you want. If you want the mead still, you need to pressurize the keg with another gas - nitrogen or argon (both are readily available) which don't remain in solution and won't cause the mead to be bubbly for more than a few seconds.
As for the pressures in a keg - you generally don't need more than 5-10 PSI, unless you are wanting it carbonated for sparkling in which case the numbers can be 50-60 or higher. For really high pressure, just remember that the little plastic dispenser taps won't hold and will start spewing your mead like a fountain. You can read more about this, and the pressure tolerance of kegs in a thread in the Patron's area called "Pressure Crashing vs. Cold Crashing".
As for the pressures in a keg - you generally don't need more than 5-10 PSI, unless you are wanting it carbonated for sparkling in which case the numbers can be 50-60 or higher. For really high pressure, just remember that the little plastic dispenser taps won't hold and will start spewing your mead like a fountain. You can read more about this, and the pressure tolerance of kegs in a thread in the Patron's area called "Pressure Crashing vs. Cold Crashing".
Thanks from another American and former vet.
I almost exclusivly keg now. Never thought about nitorgen not staying in solution! I have a tank sitting next to my kegged mead too! Have to test that out. I use very little CO2. Never keep it under pressure. Always let it off after serving or at the end of the night. The only down side is as the 5 gallon keg gets down to 1 gallon or so, I am torn between getting the keg back to refill, versus saving the last to let it age! I usually take the last 3-4 bottles worth and bottle them simply by pouring from a picnic tap with a long plastic bottleing tube stuffed into it to fill from the bottom of the bottle. Cork and put in the cellar.
It ages about the same as in bottles. I wish I could afford a dozen 2 or 3 gallon kegs though! That would be very "sweet".
I have carbonated some, but not many meads. Not my favortie style. I have a hard time making low alcohol meads, which tend to be better carbonated than sac meads! ;D
I almost exclusivly keg now. Never thought about nitorgen not staying in solution! I have a tank sitting next to my kegged mead too! Have to test that out. I use very little CO2. Never keep it under pressure. Always let it off after serving or at the end of the night. The only down side is as the 5 gallon keg gets down to 1 gallon or so, I am torn between getting the keg back to refill, versus saving the last to let it age! I usually take the last 3-4 bottles worth and bottle them simply by pouring from a picnic tap with a long plastic bottleing tube stuffed into it to fill from the bottom of the bottle. Cork and put in the cellar.
It ages about the same as in bottles. I wish I could afford a dozen 2 or 3 gallon kegs though! That would be very "sweet".
I have carbonated some, but not many meads. Not my favortie style. I have a hard time making low alcohol meads, which tend to be better carbonated than sac meads! ;D
