Home Beverage Systems

Bottling is the one thing brewers sometimes get tired of doing. When you reach this point you may be ready for a home beverage system. We have several to choose from, each serving its particular purpose. Using the systems is easy. You add the priming sugar, add the beer and wait several days as it carbonates. Or if you are in a hurry, you may have less yeast sediment, but a coarser carbonation, by chilling the beer in the tank, turning the pressure on the CO2 tank higher, and gently rolling the tank full of beer. The cold beer will gradually absorb CO2. Or, you can let the beer sit for several days under higher pressure; the beer will be carbonated in about 3 days.

Cornelius Systems

The Cornelius Beverage System is the highest quality of the systems available for the home brewer. It is of commercial quality and is meant for heavy usage and is usually trouble free except for the occasional replacing of common rubber gaskets. The five gallon size will fit in a used refrigerator.

Easy To Use

Our systems are Ball-Lock style for convenience. Just snap them on! To use the system, add priming sugar to the cleaned tank, syphon in the beer from your fermentor, put on the top, and after several days snap on the gas connector from the Co2 tank, and pour yourself your first glass of draft beer.

Since your beer is under a blanket of Co2 it will keep for weeks. We’ve kept cool beer for 6 weeks in good shape.

The System

Included with the complete system is a new 5 gallon stainless keg, Co2 regulator (double gauge) with hose & disconnects, Co2 tank of 5 lb. capacity (unfilled), and a picnic style serving faucet with hose & disconnects. Your system comes ready to use after you connect the Co2 tank and regulator together. It’s a 5 minute job. (We’ve had people do it in the shop in that time). We carry a full line of Cornelius system parts. For a more complete listing than we have here call the Shop.

In Madison, tanks can be safety inspected and filled at:

Badger Welding Supplies
101 S. Dickinson St. 257-5606

Madison Recharge
2237 Winnebago St. 249-3300

AIRGAS
4101 Robertson Rd. 241-1440

Jefferson Fire and Safety
7617 Donna Dr., Middleton 800-697-3473

Proof of ownership is sometimes required, and the tanks must be pressure tested every so many years, per state regulations.

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Ball or Pin Lock

Do you have a ball or pin-lock style keg that you need fittings for? Look at the top male connectors. The Pin-lock style has either 2 or 3 pins protruding from the locks. In the Ball-lock style, there are no
pins at all.

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Tap-A-Draft System

The Tap-a-Draft System is gaining in popularity among brewers. It is simple and convenient.  You need a Tap & Regulator and as many bottles as you’d like. It will take 3 and part of a 4th 6 liter bottles for 5 gallons of beer. You can also have 8 or 10 bottles on hand and have  beer aging while you use your Tap & regulator on your first batch. Very handy!

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Party Pig

The Party Pig is a popular alternative to the 5-Liter Party keg system and the plastic pressure barrels. The Party Pig holds about 2.5 gallons of beer. It requires the insertion of an inflatable bladder to provide carbonation for the beer.