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I mentioned in my email last week that I purchased one of those Tap-A-Draft kegging systems for carbonating beer and wine coolers and here are some initial thoughts:

1) I like how it fits nicely in my fridge - not quite like a beer tap at the pub but close enough!

2) I’m a little disappointed in the level of carbonation that you get with the system to be perfectly honest. I like a little more “bubbly” in my beer and to me it tastes a little flat.

3) Each bottle contains the equivalent of 15 bottles of beer so I only have a pint once in a while. You need to add a new CO2 cartridge to dispense the beer and one thing I’ve noticed is that if you let the beer sit in the fridge for a few days between pours you lose the pressure and need to add another CO2 cartridge (this makes sense as the CO2 will dissolve into the beer). At $13 per package of 8 or so cartridges it gets pretty expensive as you are constantly putting in new cartridges.

To increase the level of carbonation in your beer you can “prime” the container by adding some sugar (i.e. as you would if carbonating your beer in the bottle), which is what I plan on trying next. Note that you need a special cap for the plastic bottle, which has a one-way valve so that the bottle doesn’t “blow up” if the pressure gets to be too large.

4) I actually did a taste test this evening where I tried the bottled version of the beer against the Tap-A-Draft version and I noticed that the bottled version had much nicer, creamy taste then the Tap-A-Draft, tasted a little more complex and definitely had more “fizz” to it.

(Note that I did enjoy both so perhaps I’m just being overly picky …

Anyhoo, just some quick thoughts for you on how things are going with my new “toy”as I know some of you were asking me what I thought about it. I’ll be blogging more about it in the coming weeks and would be interested in hearing what your comments are especially if you have one.

According to the place I bought it from they can’t seem to keep them in stock as they’re so popular so I’m definitely not the only one who owns one !

So stay tuned for more …

- Scott

Here are some other discussions on the Web about the Tap-A-Draft that I have found:

What kind of yeast do you use to make your wine? Ever thought of using liquid yeast instead of dry yeast?

In my latest video I discuss the pro’s and con’s of using dry yeast and liquid yeast to make your wine.

Would love to hear what your thoughts are on this so please do leave me a comment!

- Scott “The Wine Making Guy”

Here’s some further reading on yeast I found for you:

Home Wine Making Blog: “On many occasions we have been asked this simple question, ‘Should a fermenter be sealed with an air-lock during the first few days of fermentation, or should it be left open, exposed to the air?’

This question arises because there is so much conflicting information floating around in books, on the internet and in other places as to which method is correct. In fact, even our own website recommends just covering the primary fermentation with a thin towel, while the box ingredient kits we sell recommend using an air-lock.

Even commercial wineries are not consistent in this area. While most wineries will put white wines under an air-lock and expose red wines to air, there are many, many wineries that will do the very opposite.

The reason we recommend leaving the must exposed to air during the primary fermentation is because this method leads a more vigorous fermentation, one that is able to complete more thoroughly and rapidly. Wine kit producers recommend sealing up the primary fermentation with an air-lock because they are more concerned about eliminating any risk of spoilage than providing the fastest fermentation possible.

Spoilage can be of concern on those rare occasion when the fermentation does not start as planned, but if the fermentation takes off in a timely manner, spoilage is of no issue. The activity from the fermentation will easily protect the must by stifling the growth of any unwanted organisms.

So, What Should You Do?

While we do recommend using a thin, clean towel to cover the fermenter during the primary fermentation and nothing more, if you are concerned about your fermentation not starting there is a compromising method you could follow:

When you first pitch the yeast into the must, put an air-lock on the fermenter. After a few hours, once you see that the fermentation has begun–indicated by activity or foam on the surface–you can then take the air-lock off and safely allow air to get to the must. This is, in a sense, giving you the best of both worlds–the protection and an invigorated fermentation.

As A Side Note:

It is important to note that an air-lock should always be used after the must has gone into its secondary fermentation. This usually starts around the fifth or sixth day, or when the first racking is performed. It is about this time you will notice the fermentation’s activity level starting to taper off.”