Larger 10 and 15 gallon homebrew kegs have been very hard to find… for years. There have been a couple sources, eBay was a best bet, but that was touch and go at best. When you could find one, prices were… outrageous. $300++ for a used 10 gallon keg would not be uncommon. Again, that’s IF you could find one.

Great news homebrewers…. MoreBeer has introduced 10 and 15 gallon homebrew ball lock kegs via their Torpedo line of kegs and accessories. These are BRAND NEW kegs that are (hopefully) readily available at a reasonable price.

Why a larger 10 or 15 gallon homebrew keg?

The first and most obvious answer is for large batch brewers. If you brew 10 or 15 gallon batches, it sure would be nice to have a keg that fits your entire batch. Even if you don’t brew 10 gallons, you may want to brew a couple 5 gallon batches of the same beer (much like professional brewers do) and keg it in a single keg.

A less obvious answer to the question is… to use as a fermenter. Kegs are well-built stainless steel vessels that are pressure capable. You can easily move them around and they are built to be bumped around a bit. Using a keg opens up some really interesting possibilities…. fermenting under pressure with a Spunding Valve [See: Build a Spunding Valve! – How and Why], naturally carbonating in the fermenter/Krausening (again with the aid of a Spunding Valve), transferring under pressure, oxygen-free (or near oxygen-free) transfers, re-purposing expelled CO2 and more.

A third application is similar to the second… Use as a UniVessel. Ferment and serve in the same vessel. Save time and simplify your process.

Check Prices, Review Continues Below

Hands on Review MoreBeer’s 10 Gallon Torpedo Ball Lock Homebrew Keg

A look at some info on the outside of the box. Made of 304 Stainless Steel, ISO9001 Quality Assurance. 38 Liter Volume Capacity and a warning not to exceed maximum rated pressure. A look inside the box. This was nicely packaged and arrived in perfect condition.

A look at the 10 Gallon Torpedo Keg Close up of the logo and specifications. A top down view of the keg A look at the bottom of the keg A close of look at the integrated handles. These are nicely rounded and comfortable to use. The top collar features some knock-outs or cut outs to help with drainage and drying. The top of the keg curls around presumably to strengthen it and provide a smooth surface. It also features some holds for airflow and drying. The skirt at the bottom of the keg also has some holes for ventilation. I think these are great. This is a fairly large keg and the fact that they are built to allow some air movement is a good thing. I wanted to test the keg for leaks. To do that I hooked up my C02 to fill the keg and planned to monitor with my Kegland BlowTie Spunding to see if pressure changed over time. I quickly noticed that CO2 WAS NOT flowing. I did some troubleshooting and finally realized… the keg was pressurized already. Checking pressure with my Kegland BlowTie Spunding – Hands on Review A close of look at the pressure gauge. This came shipped to me at right around 15 PSI. This proves that the keg holds pressure well. A look inside the keg. It’s really hard to tell because of lighting, but the inside looks really good. The collar on this keg means there is little room to turn a wrench. The pictured wrench is a Craftsman Ratcheting Flat Box Wrench with two sizes 11/16″ and 7/8″. Those are the most common two sizes of standard posts, so, in my opinion, this wrench is a perfect keg wrench. This keg has 7/8″ posts. See: Craftsman 5 pc/10 Sizes Wrench Set, Ratchet Box End SAE 42160 – via Amazon, note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link You can also put a wrench through the handles. In my experience it was possible to loosen and tighten the ball lock posts on this keg with a wrench, however… it’s not easy. If you’re going to get one of these, you should pick up a socket to tighten and loosen posts. Here’s a Craftsman 11/16″ Deep Well Socket working with the 11/16″ Ball Lock Post on this keg. Much easier! See: CRAFTSMAN Deep Socket, SAE, 3/8-Inch Drive, 11/16-Inch, 6-Point (CMMT43336) – via Amazon, note that multiple variations of this product may be available, as such a different version may appear at this link A look at the gas side dip tube, poppet and post. This uses what appears to be a standard universal style poppet. A look at the liquid side dip tube, poppet and post. The liquid side dip tube is about 14″ in length. A look at the lid. Standard ball lock/pin lock size lid. Includes a manual PRV like most ball lock keg lids do. That’s a good thing. It should vent automatically for safety reasons, but the manual PRV is super handy for relieve pressure when required. A close up look at the lid For size comparison next to a standard Cornelius Style Ball Lock Keg This standard ball lock keg measures about 25″ in height The Torpedo 10 Gallon Ball Lock is about 18 1/2″ in height

Using your Keg the First Time

New kegs come from factory environments. It’s important to give this keg (and any brand new keg) a thorough cleaning. A good soak in a strong PBW solution, maybe a second PBW soak for good measure, followed by a thorough rinse and round of sanitizer.

Official Specs of MoreBeer’s 10 and 15 Gallon Ball Lock Homebrew Kegs

10 Gallon Torpedo Keg

Total Capacity: 10.1 gal.

Max Pressure: 130 psi

PRV Rating: 85 psi

Height: 18-1/2″

Diameter: 15-1/2″

Made from 304 Stainless Steel

15 Gallon Torpedo Keg

Total Capacity: 15.2 gal.

Max Pressure: 130 psi

PRV Rating: 85 psi

Height: 24-5/8″

Diameter: 15-3/4″

Made from 304 Stainless Steel

Top down compared to a standard ball lock corny keg Measuring the top of MoreBeer’s 10 gallon Torpedo Keg I’m seeing a diameter of about 15 1/2″. That’s right in line with official specs. For size comparison next to what I would call a standard/old style 10 gallon Cornelius style ball lock keg For size comparison, next to a 2.5 Gallon Ball Lock Torpedo Keg

10 Gallon Torpedo Keg as a Fermenter!

The 10 Gallon Torpedo Pictured with a Kegland BlowTie Spunding – Hands on Review

Kegs are well-built stainless steel vessels that are pressure capable. You can easily move them around and they are built to be bumped around a bit. Using a keg opens up some really interesting possibilities….

Fermenting under pressure with a Spunding Valve

Naturally carbonating in the fermenter/Krausening – again with the aid of a Spunding Valve

Transferring from fermenter to serving keg under pressure

Transferring already carbonated beer from fermenter to serving keg under pressure

Oxygen-free (or near oxygen-free) transfers

Use as a UniVessel. Ferment and serve in the same vessel. Simplify your process and clean less.

Use CO2 produced by fermentation for flushing kegs and carboys – requires a BlowTie Spunding Valve.

Illustration: Using expelled CO2 from fermentation to flush kegs, carboys and such. A side benefit if you use the Kegland BlowTie Spunding – for fermentation is that you can use expelled CO2 for flushing kegs and such. See my Hands on Review for more on that.

Converting 10 Gallon Torpedo Ball Lock to a Fermenter!

Two real things need to be done to use these as fermenters… #1 an airlock solution and #2 a way to transfer or serve without pickup up yeast and hop trub.

Air lock solutions…

Spunding Valve. Use a ball lock Spunding Valve on the gas side – either fermenter under pressure or open up the valve to let gas flow freely.

Remove the gas side poppet and use a blow-off tubing going into a container of sanitizer.

Modified keg lids are available that have a hole dripped for a stopper and airlock.

Transfer solutions…

Replace the liquid out dip tube with a Torpedo Keg Buoy… keep reading!

Trim the liquid out dip tube so that you leave trub behind – the downside of that is that it’s a guessing game and changes from beer to beer.

Siphon – nah… that’s no fun. Siphoning takes some of the benefits of keg-fermenting away.

Using the Torpedo Keg Buoy For Fermentation Transfers

The Torpedo Keg Buy consists of a float, flexible silicone tubing and a short dip tube. It replace the liquid out dip tube of your keg. It’s designed to pull beer from the top or your keg while serving. That gets you clearer beer that’s carbonated more quickly (as compared to the beer on the bottom) and leaves trub behind. The float goes down with beer level and should settle on top of any trub layer. I don’t know that this was intended to be used as part of a fermentation setup, but hey, it’s a good idea. Here’s the Torpedo Keg Buoy Installed in the 10 gallon keg So, a problem with this idea, is out of the box, the tubing is just too long to work in the 10 gallon keg. The excess tubing causes the float to hang up on the way down. As you can see from all the segments, I had a lot of trial and error while testing. I ended up trimming about 13″ off. I’m not saying I have this process completely dialed in yet, but I feel like it’s close, if not all the way there. If you try it, please test for yourself and don’t over-trim your tubing. Filling up the keg with water for one of several transfer tests A gravity transfer test draining into my stainless steel brew area sink. I also tried a CO2 pressure transfer test. I considered lifting this full keg to somehow get the test lined up, but that I realized I have EVABarrier Tubing and DuoTight Fittings – which basically makes me a super hero when it comes to plumbing draft lines – so I just got a coil of tubing out and ran across my brewing area. This is the result of my final gravity test. Hard to see because of lighting, but the Keg Buoy is sitting at the bottom of the keg and almost all of the water is drained. It’s really just a couple ounces. I tried to measure, but there wasn’t enough liquid to accurately pour. The modified Keg Buoy. Using this and a Spunding Valve allows you to convert the 10 gallon Torpedo Keg to a fermenter. Since the Buoy floats, there’s no guessing dip tube lengths and you can transfer under pressure. Look for more info in a future revision of this review as I continue testing.

Conclusions

This keg is versatile. It can function as a keg, as a fermenter and as a UniVessel. MoreBeer has done a great job with the design and build quality is good. Availability problems have plagued larger homebrew kegs for years. I’m glad that MoreBeer has filled this need with these awesome kegs.

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Related: Build a Spunding Valve! – How and Why

Also: Kegerator Tips & Gear | Keg Repair Part #s | Recent Keg Finds