Category Archives: Reviews & Top Posts

Hands on Review: VineCo Winemaking Equipment Kit from MoreBeer!

Thank you to HBF Contributor Aaron Nord for this hands on review!  Aaron is an advanced award winning brewer, a long time reader and a serial tipster!

Winemaking Equipment Starter Kit Review

There are many ways for someone to enter a hobby like beer and winemaking. One of the more common avenues is by way of an equipment starter kit. This is how I made my foray into the world of homebrewing in 2009 and in retrospect I am glad for the experience. Buying an off the shelf kit that had nearly everything I needed was a great place to start since I really didn’t know what I was getting into. It helped me avoid the analysis paralysis that would likely have ensued in trying to figure out what I needed, in what quantity, size or quality all on my own. Thankfully, there were experienced minds who put thought and effort into packaging a collection of gear for the nascent homebrewer to be able to focus on the task of making beer. Let the analysis paralysis come later when the brewer decides to advance in the hobby.

An opportunity arose recently for me to start down a new path with winemaking by way of Winemaking Equipment Starter Kit. Since I had fond memories of a similar kit helping me get started in a hobby that became a passion (and near obsession at times), I was excited for the chance.

This review will cover the contents of the Winemaking Equipment Kit for VineCo Concentrate Kits from MoreBeer which consists of the following items:

  • 7.9 gallon food grade bucket and lid with airlock hole
  • 6 gallon plastic carboy for aging
  • Airlock and stopper
  • 7/16″ Siphon assembly
  • Bottle brush
  • Sample taker/thief
  • Triple scale hydrometer
  • Bottle filler with removable spring
  • Bottle corker
  • 100 Corks – 1 3/4 in.
  • One Step Cleanser

Make Your Own Wine!

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Top 10 Reasons to Homebrew – According to ChatGPT

What is ChapGPT?  ChatGPT is a language model developed by OpenAI, based on the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) architecture. It’s designed to understand and generate human-like text based on the input it receives. ChatGPT is trained on diverse internet text and can perform various language-related tasks, such as answering questions, engaging in conversations, writing creative content, and more. It’s a part of the GPT-3.5 series, and its capabilities include natural language understanding and generation, making it versatile for a wide range of applications. – ChatGPT’s explanation of itself

I asked ChapGPT to tell my why someone should homebrew.  Here’s what it said along with some of my commentary.

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Using Temperature Activated Stickers to See Keg Levels

Thanks to u/CivilDistribution576 on r/homebrewing for this tip and picture

u/CivilDistribution576  Says…

They sell these sheets that are like 1 square foot vinyl stickers that change color at 59°F. I cut a strip out of one and placed it from top to bottom of the keg. Throw it in the kegerator and the sticker is a bold color (<59°F), take it out, and rub it to generate heat until the color turns white. Give it a couple seconds, and the color will be restored up to the level of the beer and make a clear indication of the fullness of the keg.

Color Changing Vinyl...image
Color Changing Vinyl 6 Sheets Pack 12"x12" 6 Differend Color Cold Change Adhesive Vinyl Bundle for Stickers Decals Cups Water Bottles

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Making Wine as a Homebrewer!

Thank you to HBF Contributor Aaron Nord for this hands on review!  Aaron is an advanced award winning brewer, a long time reader and a serial tipster!

Making Wine as a Homebrewer

Background

I can remember when I first considered delving into brewing all grain beer. After gaining experience from doing boxed recipe kits, to then slightly modifying a boxed kit or two followed soon by making my own recipes with partial mash batches, I figured it was time to step up to all grain. The amount of time and research I poured into the endeavor before pulling the trigger was considerable. I was concerned that I would miss a step or need to make a brew-time adjustment without being prepared and be left with gallons of potentially ruined wort. It all ended up working out. Sure, there were some missteps along the way and the inevitable audibles during brew day, but each time I was rewarded with a drinkable beverage that trended upward in the flavor and quality departments with each experience.

When I considered throwing my hat in the ring for making wine, I had the same feelings I had when I made the move to all grain brewing from kits and partial mashes. I was apprehensive. What if I forget something in the process? What if I don’t have the requisite knowledge to be able to make prime time adjustments? What if the wine just doesn’t turn out? While I was overthinking the endeavor, I had another thought that brought be back into reality.

As a kid I remember getting the occasional taste of an adult beverage when we would visit my great grandma at her farmhouse in rural southern Iowa. She was a crafty and capable maker of all the things one needs on a farm and even some that might not be considered a necessity, like wine.

Make Your Own Wine!

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Hands on Review: Blichmann Engineering BrewEasy Compact

This review is by Homebrew Finds Contributor Brad Probert.  Brad is an engineer, expert homebrewer and experienced reviewer.  Grab a link to Brad’s website at the end of this review.

Blichmann Engineering BrewEasy Compact

Blichmann came out with the BrewEasy in 2014. It was when all-in-one units were starting to pop up in the market everywhere. Blichmann went in a different direction, by building on the strength of their existing kettles, and finding an innovative way to connect them together. They came out with a revised model in 2021 that they call the BrewEasy Compact, but they still offer the original configuration and call it the BrewEasy Classic. This review will focus on the BrewEasy Compact.

Bottom of Mash Basket

The BrewEasy Compact is a similar layout to other all-in-one brewing units in the market. There’s a kettle with malt basket that sits inside. When mashing, the grain sits in the basket, and a pump is used to continually recirculate wort through the grain. When mashing is finished, you lift the basket of wet grains out, drain them, and then the kettle changes focus to boiling the wort that is left. The Compact comes in both gas and electric power (120V or 240V). The electric version can come with either the Boil Coil heating element inside the kettle, or Blichmann’s new BoilerMaker Surface with the heating element bonded to the underside of the kettle. The Boilermaker Surface has the same kettle up top, but the heating elements are sealed away in their own space, like a basement apartment. This makes the kettle’s overall height about 6” taller (10-gallon Surface is 22” tall, and standard G2 kettle is 16.4”), but makes the kettle interior very uncluttered for ease of cleaning.

Looking for a Review of the BrewEasy Classic?

Compare Models, Prices and Availability, Review Continues Below:

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Hands On Review: TRINITY EcoStorage NSF Stainless Steel Table

review TRINITY EcoStorage NSF Stainless Steel Tabl

I picked up Trinity’s EcoStorage Stainless Table toward the end of 2014.  I wanted a sturdy, easy to clean table for around the brewery tasks and storage.  This table is all stainless construction, NSF certified, has 150 lb capacity per shelf, features adjustable feet levelers and the shelf is fully adjustable.  48″ wide, 35.5″ tall, 24″.

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Hands on Review: Blichmann Engineering BrewEasy Classic

This review is by Homebrew Finds Contributor Brad Probert.  Brad is an engineer, expert homebrewer and experienced reviewer.  Grab a link to Brad’s website at the end of this review.

Blichmann BrewEasy Classic

Blichmann came out with the BrewEasy in 2014. It was when all-in-one units were starting to pop up in the market everywhere. Blichmann went in a different direction, by building on the strength of their existing kettles, and finding an innovative way to connect them together. They came out with a revised model in 2021 that they call the BrewEasy Compact, but they still offer the original configuration and call it the BrewEasy Classic. This review will focus on the BrewEasy Classic.

Compare Models, Prices and Availability, More Photos Below:

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Hands On Review: ThermoWorks ChefAlarm Thermometer and Timer

thermoworks chefalarm review

The ChefAlarm Thermometer and Timer Combo from ThermoWorks has some unique features, including the ability to set both high and low temperature alarms.  Other features include: Constant Minimum and Maximum Temperature Displays, User Calibration, Adjustable Alarm Volume, Backlighting and the unit is Splash Proof.  All of this lends itself to making this thermometer and timer combination an amazing tool for homebrewers.

Check Current Prices, Description and Availability

Hands on Review ChefAlarm + Pro-Series Temperature Probe

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Hands on Review: Delta Brewing Systems Fermtank TC

This review is by Homebrew Finds Contributor Brad Probert.  Brad is an engineer, expert homebrewer and experienced reviewer.  Grab a link to Brad’s website at the end of this review.

Delta Brewing Fermtank TC

Stainless steel is the material of choice for brewing equipment in general. For fermentors, that is especially the case. It is an ideal material for a fermentor because of its cleanability. Stainless is resistant to staining, is durable for scrubbing, and compatible with different cleaners. In contrast to plastic HDPE buckets, stainless can keep oxygen out of your fermenting wort.

Delta Brewing Systems offers a handful of homebrewing products, selling them since 2019. They sell two versions of their Fermtank stainless fermentor. The two have a lot of the same core features, but the recently released Fermtank with Tri-Clamps ups the game in a lot of key areas. The most obvious difference to other fermentors is the 8-gallon size. That size is designed to allow extra volume into the fermentor for those batches where you have a lot of dry hop debris left over (and thus you leave more liquid behind than you normally would). On paper, an 8-gallon fermentor sounds like overkill for a 5-gallon batch, but it’s designed to support all kinds of variations to get you 5 gallons into your serving keg. There are volume markings etched inside, starting at 3 gallons. The optional chilling coil extends down to the 3-gallon level (meaning if you want to chill your wort, you need more than 3 gallons). The thermowell sits at 3.75 gallons.

Main Fermentor Body

TC Clamps, Thermowell, Blanking Plate

Digital Temperature Probe

Etched Volume Markings

Check Current Price and Availability, Review Continues Below:

Related: Hands on Review: Delta Brewing Systems Fermtank

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Homebrew Keg Post Types and Sizes

homebrew keg post types and sizes

Before you purchase any replacement posts for your keg, you’ll need to determine the brand/maker of that keg. You can figure this out by finding the stamp or markings on the side of the keg.

  • Cornelius, Ball Lock (all types) GAS 19/32″ – 18 LIQUID 19/32″ – 18 – View +
  • Cornelius, Pin Lock (all types) GAS 19/32″ – 18 (2 Pin) LIQUID 19/32″ – 18 (3 Pin) – View +
  • Cornelius Spartan 19/32″ – 18 19/32″ – 18 – Shop ++
  • Cornelius R (Pin Lock) 19/32″ – 18 (2 Pin) 19/32″ – 18 (3 Pin) – Shop ++
  • Firestone V, VI & Super Challanger, Ball Lock* GAS 9/16″ – 18 LIQUID 9/16″ – 18 – View +
  • Firestone Challenger, ball lock (racetrack) GAS 11/16″-18 LIQUID 3/4″-18 – +
  • Firestone, Pin Lock (all types) GAS 9/16″-18 (2 Pin) LIQUID 9/16″-18 (3 Pin) – View +
  • Firestone A (Pin Lock) 9/16″ – 18 (2 Pin) 9/16″ – 18 (3 Pin) – Shop ++
  • Firestone R (Pin Lock) 9/16″ – 18 (2 Pin) 9/16″ – 18 (3 Pin) – Shop ++
  • Firestone Challenger 11/16″ – 18 3/4″ – 18 – Shop ++
  • Firestone Super Challenger 9/16″ – 18 5/8″ – 18 – Shop ++
  • Firestone V Challenger 9/16″ – 18 5/8″ – 18 – Shop ++
  • Firestone VI Challenger 9/16″ – 18 5/8″ – 18 – Shop ++
  • John Wood 85, Ball Lock (racetrack)* GAS 11/16″-18 LIQUID 3/4″-18 +
  • John Wood RA or RC, Pin Lock GAS 19/16″-18 (2 Pin) LIQUID19/16″-18 (3 Pin) – +
  • John Wood 85 11/16″ – 18 3/4″ – 18 – Shop ++
  • John Wood RA (Pin Lock) 9/16″ – 18 (2 Pin) 9/16″ – 18 (3 Pin) – Shop ++
  • John Wood RC (Pin Lock) 9/16″ – 18 (2 Pin) 9/16″ – 18 (3 Pin) – Shop ++
  • AEB, Ball Lock GAS 19/32″-18 LIQUID 19/32″-18 – View +
  • AEB Kegs 19/32″ – 18 19/32″ – 18 – Shop ++
  • Super Champion 19/32″ – 18 19/32″ – 18 – Shop ++

* The vast majority (99%) of Firestone Ball Lock Kegs on the market use the same post except for the original Challenger, which had “racetrack” style lids. Racetrack style lids had straight sides like a race track and are rare. All other kegs had standard rounded sides.

+Thank you to Keg Connection for this information – Complete Lineup of Posts and Poppets at Keg Connection

++Thank you to Keg Outlet for this information – Complete Lineup of Posts and Poppets at Keg Connection

Related: What’s the Difference Between Pin Lock and Ball Lock Kegs?

What about Wrench Sizes?  Find Compatible Tools

ball lock post sizes

keg deals

Ball Lock Vs Pin Lock Kegs!

pin lock keg orings

Rebuild Your Kegs

keg deals

Price, promotions and availability can change quickly. Check the product page for current price, description and availability. tag:lnksfxd tag:postsizes tag:tpr 

Make Your Own Hop Water!

Making Hop Water at Home!

By Vito Delucchi

Are you looking for a hoppy non alcoholic beverage to have on tap? Hop Water is the perfect drink to hold down a tap handle and give you an N/A alternative to beer. In the past, I’ve always enjoyed having some “carbonated water” to fill this void. But after trying Hoppy Refresher from Lagunitas Brewing, I was hooked and wanted to make one myself. Luckily I live close to the brewery and actually knew someone there. After a few text messages back and forth I was armed with everything I needed to brew my own hoppy refresher hop water at home! But being the awesome peeps they are, we took it a step further and they invited me to their innovation lab to brew our own experimental batch of hop water and sat down with me to answer any questions. Check out that full video below and keep reading for a summary of everything I learned, including a step-by-step hop water recipe

The Secret To Making Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher

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How Often Should I Clean My Kegerator Beer Lines?

Clean kegerator lines are a key part of serving delicious beer. Bacteria and mineral build in lines can cause off flavors, quick loss of head, under-carbonated beer due to rapid co2 loss and lack of legs forming on the inside of your beer glass.

How Often Should I Clean My Beer Lines?

The Draught Quality Beer Manual says… every two weeks.

That recommendation is for a commercial operation.  What about homebrewers?  We serve far fewer beer on our kegerators, but on the other hand, we can have been on tap and in lines 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.  Considering all of this, my recommendation is to clean home kegerator beer lines every 1 to 2 months.

Line Cleaning Options

Our Line Cleaning Builds:

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Using a CO2 Detector in Your Kegerator

INKBIRD WiFi Indoor Air Quality Monitor, CO2 Detector, Accurate NDIR Sensor, Temperature and Relative Humidity, Indoor CO2 Meter with Data Logger, for Cars, Wine Cellars, Grow Tents, Homes (INK-CO2W).Pictured: INKBIRD WiFi Indoor Air Quality Monitor, CO2 Detecto

Losing a tank of CO2 because of leak is frustrating. It’s a waste of time and money. Adding a CO2 monitor can help warn you of leaks minimizing loss, wasted money, wasted time and frustration.

A CO2 Monitor Alarm in Your Kegerator

Placing a CO2 Monitor with alarm inside of your kegerator can serve as another line of defense to protect against co2 leaks and loss. CO2 should not be building up in your kegerator. A CO2 monitor with alarm can alert you of this condition.

Options with WiFi and a companion app are nice because you can get notifications on your compatible phone.

These are affiliate links. Note that multiple variations of these products may be available, as such a different version may appear at these links

Beyond CO2 Levels…

Some models display additional information that can be helpful information about your kegerator. These vary model to model and can sometime include temperature and humidity.

  • Temperature – monitor your kegerator temperature
  • Humidity – Help judge whether your Eva Dry (or similar) needs recharged for the purpose of handling excess kegerator and fermentation chamber wetness.  See: Damp Kegerator? Fix Kegerator Condensation

Not A Replacement for Checking for Leaks…

A do not consider a CO2 alarm as replacement for thoroughly checking for and addressing leaks. Rather this is another layer that could save you a trip to swap out a CO2 tank.

The Biggest Trouble Spot

Color coded post o-rings. From our Keg Rebuild Post – Jump To: Replace O-Rings

In my opinion the most difficult spot to check and the cause of many a lost CO2 tanks are… gas post o-rings.

Testing at this point using the “spray bottle method” (spray Star San everywhere and check for bubbles) is impossible or at the very least difficult and messy.  Leaks will only surface here when a gas QD is actually engaged.  The problem is, you can’t easily see that spot when a QD is on.

The problem stated more simply… You need a QD on to see if it’s leaking, but you can’t see it if a QD is on. You can use what I call the pressure gauge method to check for overall leaks. But even using that method you know that you have a leak but it gives no indication where it’s at.

Be quick to replace gas side o-rings… I’m quick to replace gas post (and gas dip tube) o-rings. Beyond slow and no-carbing beers, a bad gas side o-ring can lead to empty tanks. That’s a waste of time and money and it’s frustrating.

These o-rings cost pennies each when you buy them in bulk. Liberally replacing these can save time, money and frustration.

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Hands on Review: Kegland Hop Bong!

Updated: March 28, 2025

Thank you to HBF Contributor Aaron Nord for this hands on review!  Aaron is an advanced award winning brewer, a long time reader and a serial tipster!

Kegland Hop Bong

Keeping oxygen out of a fermenter after the initial yeast pitch is a goal of most fermentations, with a few exceptions being oxygenating a high gravity batch mid-way through fermentation, barrel-aged ales, or spontaneously fermented ales in open foeders. For a homebrewer who wants to brew a beer outside of those exceptions noted, avoiding oxygen introduction after fermentation has begun is paramount to a quality finished beer, a goal which is sometimes a difficult to attain. Notably, adding dry hops, other flavor components (e.g. wood chips or coffee beans), or clarifying agents (e.g. gelatin fining or Biofine) presents a challenge for most homebrewers if they want to avoid oxygen exposure in the fermenting wort.

There are workarounds and ways for homebrewers to limit oxygen introduction, conceived upon by crafty brewers over the years. Dry hops for example, can be suspended in a muslin bag above the wort by placing a magnet inside the bag and its mating magnet on the outside of the fermenter. In this way, the hops will be in the fermenter at the beginning of fermentation and can be dropped according to the dry hop schedule by simply removing the outside magnet, all without opening the fermenter. Or, to add clarifying agents without cracking the fermenter lid, a brewer can utilize a plastic bottle with a carbonation cap. This method entails adding the liquid substance to a plastic soda bottle and pressurizing the bottle with CO2 via the carbonation cap, purging it, and repeating the process multiple times to ensure the gas inside the bottle is mostly composed of CO2. Then, by using a ball lock jumper, the pressurized bottle can be connected to a fermenter’s ball lock post, if equipped, and the liquid will enter the fermenter, so long as the pressure in the fermenter is less than that of the bottle.

Although these workarounds exist and cut the mustard for my purposes, I was excited when I found out that Kegland was set to release a product that appeared to be a simpler solution all around. In looking into it further I found that it was advertised to have additional uses, aside from the main feature of enabling hop, flavor, or fining additions to the fermenter while limiting oxygen ingress. This highly anticipated product is called the Hop Bong.

I have been a proud owner of a Kegland FermZilla All Rounder fermenter – Hands on Review – for over two years now and have nothing but good things to say about it. As a manufacturer, Kegland is a homebrewing gear innovator and a leader in the market. They are continuing to come up with novel equipment and tools that span their wide array of product offerings including many for their FermZilla fermenter line. I was excited to see what the Hop Bong could offer as an addition to my All Rounder fermenter.

Kegland Hop Bong Current Price & Availability:

via MoreBeer

via William’s Brewing

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Hands on Review: Nukatap Counter Pressure Bottle Filler!

Updated: March 16, 2025

Thank you to HBF Contributor Aaron Nord for this hands on review!  Aaron is an advanced award winning brewer, a long time reader and a serial tipster!

Nukatap Bottle Filler

As with many homebrewers, my experience with the hobby began with making a boxed kit on my stovetop with about 50 bottles of drinkable beer when all was said and done. It was enough to keep me coming back, advancing in skill and acquiring equipment as time went on. I realized quickly that bottling was my least favorite part and was looking forward to ditching the bottles and getting into kegging. This change was one that made a big impact as far as increasing enjoyment of the hobby for me – that and getting out of stovetop brewing and into an electric brewing setup.

Inevitably, I found myself in the situation where I still needed to fill a few bottles from time to time, mainly for competitions. Now that I was kegging all my beer, I wanted an option that wouldn’t interrupt that practice too much. At the time, the most prevalent options for homebrewers were complicated counterpressure systems or the Blichmann Beer Gun. I opted for the latter and used that for several years to successfully bottle my competition beers. It has its pros and cons (discussed more later), and I always kept my ear to the ground on other options.

Limited Time Deal! (Ends 3-17)

  • MoreBeer is discounting most things by 17% when you use coupon code GETLUCKY at checkout
  • *Code will not work with other coupon codes. Offer not valid on gift cards, items over $1000 or products already on sale & MAP products which have an indication on their product page. Single use per customer.
  • Get Free Shipping: This ships for free with a qualify order as part of MoreBeer’s Free Shipping Program.  Under that promo most orders over $59 ship for free.

17% Off at MoreBeer!  use coupon code GETLUCKY

That makes this just $69.59 and shipping is also free to many US addresses.

Nukatap® Counter Pressure Bottle Filler | Oxygen Purge Button | Telescopic Filling Stem | Slide-in-Faucet Design | Adapter for Direct Keg Connection | 8 mm Duotight KEG915

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Hands on Review: iSpindel Digital WiFi Hydrometer!

ISPINDLE REVIEW

Thank you to HBF Contributor Aaron Nord for this hands on review!  Aaron is an advanced award winning brewer, a long time reader and a serial tipster!

Updated: October 10, 2024

iSpindel

Having the ability to precisely control fermentation temperatures was the change to my brewing setup I credit with one of the largest improvements in my finished beer quality. Being able to dial in specific temperatures for lagers, perform diacetyl rests for both ales and lagers, and cold crash a finished beer helped me to better control what was happening inside my fermenter. One of the data inputs that informed when to change the fermenter temperature was the gravity of the fermenting wort. At various times through the fermentation, I would test a sample to know where the wort was on its journey to become beer. Taking multiple samples was time consuming and it resulted in a loss, albeit a small loss, of the finished product due to the number of samples I was taking.

Enter the electronic, submersible hydrometer – a tool that can read out not only the gravity of a fermenting liquid, but also its temperature all from inside the fermenter, relieving the need to take numerous samples throughout the fermentation process. In addition, many of these devices could connect to an external source and log the data for the user to read in real-time. The brewer and technologist in me were both excited to see what one of these tools had to offer.

The iSpindel is one of a few offerings to homebrewers today in the category of an electronic, submersible hydrometer which also include the Tilt and Float products (I do have experience with the Tilt, which I will discuss later, but will focus on the iSpindel primarily in this review). All products rely on a sensor that can measure the angle of the device in order to calculate the gravity of the liquid. The iSpindel was born out of a desire to make a more cost-effective version of an electronic tilt measurement-based hydrometer, according to the creator, as the other offerings on the market are typically above the $100 mark.

I purchased my iSpindel on eBay from a seller in Canada for roughly half the price of the other devices available:

https://www.ebay.com/usr/wilbrod45

Prebuilt iSpindel:

RARE Deal on TILT Bluetooth Hydrometer! – $114.75 at Amazon w/Coupon!

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The Most Difficult Spot to Check for CO2 Leaks

hard to find keg co2 leak

Updated: December 18, 2024

If you’ve found this article odds are pretty good you’re having trouble tracking down a pesky leaks.

Check for CO2 Leaks

First things first, if you haven’t already used traditional methods to try to track down your leak, check out my resources on the topic.

The Most Difficult Spot to Check for CO2 Leaks…

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Where to Find RAPT Pill Digital Hydrometer from Kegland?

rapt pillThe RAPT Pill allows accurate and precise, true real-time specific gravity and temperature logging and control via wifi/bluetooth integration with the RAPT fermentation chamber (KL15813), RAPT mobile app or RAPT IOT.

The RAPT Pill acts as both a real-time gravity testing hydrometer and thermometer allowing instant gravity and temperature measurements and also logging from inside your fermenter during fermentation.

The RAPT Pill boasts many advantages over other wireless hydrometers and thermometers including tough design, better ergonomics, sanitary design and less susceptible to error as a result of hops, krausen or CO2 bubbles generated from fermentation.

The iSpindel is a DIY Wi-Fi enabled hydrometer.  The project originated in Germany, but an English translation is available.

This integrates directly with RAPT fermentation Chamber and can also work independently via RAPT mobile app or RAPT IOT. 

Finding RAPT Pill:

Availability of RAPT Pill in the US has been scant. eBay has been the only place I’ve been able to find them.

Search eBay for RAPT Pill for additional options

Also…

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Are Used Kegs Running Out??

Updated: March 19, 2025

The containers we call Ball Lock and Pin Lock Kegs come from the soda industry.  Also called Cornelius Kegs, Corny Kegs and Corney Kegs, they were originally intended to store and distribute soda pre-mix.  The big soda companies decided on different style containers for their pre-mix.  Pepsi landed on the Ball Lock style while Coke uses the Pin Lock style.

Homebrewers have since re-purposed these as homebrew beer kegs.

Are Used Kegs Running Out?

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