Is it any Good and how does it work?
More importantly, can it be hacked?
You may have seen the adds on TV. You know, Lionel Richie sings 'Hello' at his piano with a whited out background, apparently inside a mans fridge. As said man opens fridge, Lionel hands him an ice cold beer, apparently poured from a draught keg.
It caught my attention, as the idea of draught beer at home is quite appealing. I looked at it years ago when I was into home brew but it was quite costly and took up considerable space in a fridge as a proper keg and all its associated plumbing is needed. This all adds up to low 'Wife acceptance factor' or WAF to the initiated.
Well, the brewing company 'Lion' wishes to change the game with the revolutionary
'Tap King'.
It was with anticipation and a little scepticism that I bought into the 'Tap King' idea at my local BWS earlier this week. They were doing a deal where if you buy a twin bottle pack (2 x 3.2 litre),
the front fascia / tap at $10.00 off. This brought it down to the mid twenties which I thought was manageable. The bottles vary on price, depending on which variety you choose. I chose the Chancer, Pale Ale as it is a beer I have enjoyed in the past. The issue on the value of this system v's buying bottled beer is much debated on the net at this moment so I will not bore you on that subject.
When I got my two boxes home I quickly read the instructions and assembled the bottle and fascia together. The first thing that I noticed was that the unit is more compact than I expected. Cool, I thought good WAF! It takes up about the same space as a six pack but extends a little deeper into the fridge.
I was all set to give it a try. Luckily I had chosen the beer from the coldroom as it is recommended that they are chilled for at least 9 hours. On first pour it produced a beer with a lot of head and not a lot a bubble or carbonation. This appeared to improve with use but was not the perfect pour. I will work on my technique.
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| Nice Head! |
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| PET bottle and screw on cap. |
I have noticed there is quite a bit of speculation on web forums as to the usefulness of this system to home brewers. I must admit it crossed my mind.
So, being the mechanically inquisitive type, I decided to take it apart and have a gander.
The top of each PET bottle is capped with a screw on cap which contains three apertures.
The larger clear yellow plastic one with an o ring is connected to the integrated CO2 cylinder. This is the part of the system that will most interest the home brewer looking to hack it for reuse.
On inspecting the cap I noticed that there are four screws that are topped with anti tamper heads. These are unique in that the screw driver needed would have a triangular tip. I raided my collection of tamper-proof tips for the triangular style without luck. On trying several different tips I found that the smallest Allen tip I had would fit and remove the screws.
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| Detail of cap with recepticals. |
The first thing to do is to ensure that there is no beer or residual pressure left in the bottle. Then unscrew the plastic cap from the bottle. Remove the four screws. When this is done the cap can be disassembled. Care must be taken as there are small parts including springs that can easily be lost. The gas cylinder can then be withdrawn from its holder.
So far, so good. The cap can be disassembled, then reassembled.
The only problem will be finding replacement CO2 cylinders.
The one used here is a little thinner and longer than regular SodaStream disposable cylinders . There is no thread on its neck and it has in integrated rod that appears to pierce its end when being mated to the tap assembly.
So the challenge has been set.
Home Brewers, if you can locate a source of CO2 cylinders. You are all set to hack the Tap....
