Home Distiller

just wondering what weird and wonderful uses people have come up for the humble SS keg??

if its just an idea or something you have in the back yard.

Big fermenter! Bulk aging container for a big batch of wine.

I use them for fermenting, and clearing finished ferments.

I have seen them used for crab boilers, and home beer brewing.

I saw one a while back that had been encased in foam and sheet metal, had the top cut out and a insulating lid made up, that was used as an esky cooler. Worked well too, but a lot of work to make it.

I have one with the whole top cut of 1/4 of the way down the side, a piece of flat bar welded to the bottom piece all round as a lip. It also has an inch ball valve in the bottom for draining. It makes a wonderfull BOP. Great for boiling up mashes ect. Also use it after a spirit run for cutting a large batch back to 65% all at once.

Have another with just the spear pulled out and an oak bung made up for it, that i use for storage of finnished spirits when i have a surplus. It also has the ball valve.

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stoker wrote:
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Forgot about that.
I have a 21.5 gallon (80 litre) keg split as a cold smoker with seperate smoke box (electric), and 50 litre one as rottiserie/spit roast (gas fired)

once upon a time they were real popular as hotrod gas tanks.

I had one with the top cut out and a drain valve in the side for a B.O beer pot,but got a nicer 60ltr pot for large boils.I gave it to pint to make something out of it.It will probably end up in his collection of stills.

I have a 21.5 gallon (80 litre) keg split as a cold smoker with seperate smoke box (electric), and 50 litre one as rottiserie/spit roast (gas fired)

i think i remember you talking about your smoker and i think i remember pics too lol

i just finished my BOP i cut the keg just under the top weld and up the handles so she still has the nice solid handles but no ring round the top so i can tip and pour mash form her easy.. or the stocks i plan to make in her also

I use mine as a boiler, but if I had more kegs I would use them as fermenter.

Guess you could also make a nice vodka dispenser out of one

my machinist buddy was going to make a fish scaler out of one but he decided that he didnt catch that many fish! i just about got him talked out of the keg1 that would put me at 4. 1 boiler,1b.o.p.,2 fermenters!

At the brewery I work at we use a keg as a gas tank on our forklift.

Cheers,
J

i love the gas tank idea thats great... makes me think about the methane digester idea i had years ago again...

use a 44 gallon drum as the digester and then a compressor to fill the keg and then the methane to run the still... the distillers grain will do well as the extra carbon needed to get a good ferment going in the digester and I'm left with a great fertiliser when finished...

now i just need some chooks to make the poo... hmmm or i can get it from the duck farm thats local... you got me thinking, just what i wanted from this thread

A buddy of mine used two kegs as gas tanks on a boat once. I have also seen guys who train for strongman competitions use them in their training, the slosh of the liquid adds a whole new dimension to lifting the weight.

I just scored a 50 litre Toohey's keg, gunna use it for ageing.

I use one in my blacksmith shop as a slack tub, It holds water for cooling steel when needed from the forge.

Little Lukie wrote:I use one in my blacksmith shop as a slack tub, It holds water for cooling steel when needed from the forge.

A blacksmith!!! I thought I was the only blacksmith around here. Glad to meet you.

lol another one o my many hobbies.. so make that 3

Great to know some other smiths are making hooch too. Go to my profile and go to Myspace and see some of my work in my pics section.

Blacksmithing, distilling, home made sausage & bacon, real Barbeque (low & slow), chili, outdoor cooking over a fire pit......how did I ever get anything done before I retired?

Now I gotta go pick up a couple of new goats...hope it doesn't snow anymore.

You guys got photos of your smithy?

Here's a photo of a part of my smithy and one of my outdoor firepit/cooking area. Great to have fellow stillers and smiths around.