Home beer dispense machines / Kegerators for 5 litre mini kegs
There is a growing trend for draught beer and cider on tap at home. The mini keg itself is already a convenient and low cost option to enjoy draught beer whether filtered or unfiltered keg beer, bright ale or real cask ale – which requires the same care and attention you would expect in pub. The compact 5l size is suitable for the fridge, the keg is portable (for camping BBQs and parties) and the non drip tap can be pushed in flush with the keg for storage (remembering to close the bung at the top when not in use / for storage between servings).
The growing trend for tapping draught beer at home has led to an increase in beer dispense machines entering the market. We often get asked, ‘are mini kegs compatible with beer dispense machines?’ The short answer is yes, they are! The longer answer is below!
The Huber mini keg is designed for use with ‘Beer Dispensers’ or ‘Kegerators’ as they are also known. Just make sure you check they are compatible with 5 Litre kegs. The Huber mini keg is manufactured with a 3 piece bung (below) which means it is very simple to insert the tube from the beer dispense machines.
How to use our 5 litre mini kegs with beer dispense machines
Simply pull out the top red part and then push through the centre red piece with the tube to create a tight seal. We have created a how to guide for tapping Huber mini kegs with beer dispense machines.
Retailing at around £190 the machines can be bought from a variety of online retailers including Amazon, Wayfair and Klarstein and have different names including ‘Klarstein Skal’ ‘Royal Catering’ or the ‘Clatronic’ as featured in our video. The machines designed for 5 litre kegs are extremely flexible because the 5 litre mini keg package is accessible and simple to fill for all breweries large and small. This provides a huge choice for craft beer fans!
The concept of the machine is to replicate the pub serve by dispensing with a hand pull from the top. In order to do this you require CO2*. The added benefit of the CO2 is that the beer can stay fresh for up to 28 days once opened as there is a blanket of CO2 left on top of the beer as you dispense.
Secondly the beer machines are designed to keep the beer chilled to the temperature you require. Unlike other dispense machines which are focused on lagers served at around 3 degrees, the mini keg beer dispensers are customisable from 2 – 12 degrees so suitable for every style of beer or cider in mini kegs. According to Cask Marque for cask beer ‘The recommended dispense temperature of the majority of brewers is between 11 – 13°C.’
The main advantage of the Kegerators for 5 litre mini kegs if that there is an extensive range of beers available from your local micro brewery right up to the biggest commercial brewers. The mini kegs are readily available online direct from the breweries (check out Beer Is Here to find which of your local breweries offer online sales) via distributers as well as in multiple retailers.
Recycle your mini keg because metal recycles forever
Once you have enjoyed your mini keg, simply place in your household recycling. No need to return or wait for deposits or credits. As metal recycles forever your steel mini keg will be recovered via magnets during recycling and then smelted so that it can be used once again. Remember metals recycles forever.
So if you are looking to spoil someone for their birthday, fathers day mothers day or Christmas, this could be ideal gift for the beer, cider or gadget lover. Cheers!
*Note: The kegerators/beer dispensers come with CO2 cartridges included however for replacement cartridges you will need the ‘non threaded’ version to fit your machine.
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