Champagne Bottle Party Keg

[katzke]

I have one of those big champagne bottles like the winner uses to spray all over everyone at the end of a race. Thought it would make a great vessel for a party keg. Sure it is glass and may break if not handled properly. It is stout enough for champagne so should work great as a party keg. Glass also suites me better then any of the plastics and I have not been able to find a suitable sized stainless container to work with.

So any ideas of how to seal it off with a stopper of some kind that will not leak and allow for gas in and beer out? Not sure a wire basket is the best choice plus where would you find a few in magnum size?

Have been thinking of some kind of metal gizmo that would fit over the top of a rubber stopper and hook under the rim of the bottle opening. That idea is from the old days when pop came in glass bottles and we had such a gizmo that could be used to seal up the larger bottles for later use. It had a screw adjustment on the top with a rubber washer and hooked on the rim of the bottle. Tighten the screw and the bottle was sealed. No need for that as the stopper would be pushed out with gas pressure and hold the gizmo in place until the pressure is relieved when empty.

Plumbing is easy and a stopper with a single hole could be used with a tube-in-a-tube design. The inclusion of a gas safety relief valve is noted as essential.

So anyone have an idea other then champagne baskets or my gizmo?

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

What about a plastic stopper - that looks like a champagne cork - with a John Guest to male thread adapter welded into it as the beer out (allows you to put a dip tube to the bottom of the bottle) and one of those thin adapters that are used to inflate footballs/basketballs and stuff. That will have a screw thread on one end that can be attached to gas somehow - I'm thinking into the end of a bit of beer tube which goes into a non-return valve. You only need put a pin-prick into the champagne stopper then push the inflater into it and perhaps some araldite.

I've been on the lookout for the super-huge bottles to put a special beer into for a party. I reckon whatever they call a quadruple magnum or better would be cool.

 

[raven19]

Glass and pressure could reuslt in explosions! In saying that, if the throat of the bottle is large enough, a rubber stopper with 2 tubes inside (gas in, beer out) could be a goer. Maybe simply make up a 'pseudo' wire cage that holds it on when in use.

 

[slacka]

How big are these bottles exactly? I thought those 5L mini-kegs held exactly the right amount for a quite night in.
There is a list of bottle sizes on Wikipedia

 

[~MikE]

don't try keg force carbonation in it and you should be ok

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

I don't see why you wouldn't be able to force carbonate in one of these things, as long as you don't overdo the pressure. If you sat it at serving pressure for a week or so, I reckon it is going to be experiencing lower pressures than naturally carbonating at higher than serving temperatures, or even just transporting some French GassyWine from there to here.

That said, if I had such a big bottle, I would likely be packaging a nice Belgian in it and sitting it for a while before serving it at a special event. I've recently decided that normal Cornelius kegs make fine party kegs - just host a big enough party to make sure you empty it.

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

How big are these bottles exactly? I thought those 5L mini-kegs held exactly the right amount for a quite night in.
There is a list of bottle sizes on Wikipedia

There is probably nothing that is not on Wikipedia, these days.

I reckon we should start a movement to rename 'Cornelius kegs' to 'Melchior Kegs'. You know it makes sense.

 

[katzke]

After consulting the label and the wikipedia it is a double magnum (3L).

Looking to use it as I have it and it is larger then a growler (half gallon). The growler is what I usually take to brew club meetings.

A corny is to big to take to meetings also it would get drained and I would not have anything left to drink at home. Plus a double magnum tapped would be a good conversation piece.

Dont need to worry about force carbing as it would just be a serving vessel filled from a keg. See note in original post about a relief valve to keep from blowing it up.

Putting a mead or Belgian in it would be good if I liked them. Way too big for something like a barley wine, way too small to use as a fermentor.

So party pig it is. Have a few ideas to try out for securing a stopper in it. Just need to get the plumbing done and try it out with something disposable like water.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Lot of mucking about when you could just use it as a growler.

You can put a metal cuff around the neck (a standard worm drive hose clamp for instance) with holes drilled in it to hold the legs of a Grolsch style swing top.

Then you simply fill it up out of your keg and pour it like the bottle it is.

 

[Pete2501]

Lot of mucking about when you could just use it as a growler.

You can put a metal cuff around the neck (a standard worm drive hose clamp for instance) with holes drilled in it to hold the legs of a Grolsch style swing top.

Then you simply fill it up out of your keg and pour it like the bottle it is.

I like this one ^^^^

But if the bottle is massive it may not hold carbonation for long after many many pours.

 

[katzke]

Lot of mucking about when you could just use it as a growler.

You can put a metal cuff around the neck (a standard worm drive hose clamp for instance) with holes drilled in it to hold the legs of a Grolsch style swing top.

Then you simply fill it up out of your keg and pour it like the bottle it is.

Not any more mucking about then converting a garden sprayer. I would have to buy a new sprayer. I would then end up with a plastic vessel not made for drinking out of. Tried to take beer to meetings in plastic bottles and always took it home.

A version of your hose clamp is what I am going to use. It will be a base for a wire bail to hold the stopper in. The bail will not be attached to the base so it will fit over the tube coming out the stopper. A wing nut will top it off to press the stopper in to avoid any pesky leaks.

May not be the most elegant solution but should be effective.