Every craft beer lover or homebrewer needs a growler. It’s one of those things you need if you want to try all kinds of different beers from craft breweries or even to share your own homebrew with friends. But a step up from a growler is a pressurized growler which will keep your beer fresher a lot longer. So today we’re going to do a Nutrichef pressurized growler tap system review. You’ll find that it’s a great mini keg that is well worth the money when it comes to pressurized growlers.
You’ll find that there’s a lot of pressurized growlers to choose from in the market place today. In recent years there’s been a huge increase in craft beer sales, microbreweries, and homebrewing. Let’s face it, with so many great beers out there now we want to try as many different beers as possible. And even though many beers have the same ingredients each one can have a completely different flavor profile.
So now let’s start our Nutrichef pressurized growler tap system review.
The Nutrichef growler models being covered are:
- PKBRTP100 (128oz)
- PKBRTP100.5 (128oz)
- AZPKBRTP50 (64oz)
- PKBRTP50.5 (64oz)
The Differences Between Each Nutrichef Pressurized Growler Model
Before we get to the meat and potatoes of the review we need to cover the difference between the models by size. First, let’s look at the 128 ounce growlers and the difference between the Nutrichef PKBRTP100 and the Nutrichef PKBRTP100.5.
Well, what’s the difference? The answer is there really is no difference between those two models. The PKBRTP100.5 is the newer model of the two growlers. The same goes for the 64 ounce version. The PKBRTP50.5 is the newer model of the AZPKBRTP50 Nutrichef pressurized growler.
So that brings us to a really big and important question. Is the new model better than older model? Well, according to Nutrichef the answer is no. When asked that exact question of any differences between the PKBRTP100 and PKBRTP100.5 their answer was:
“There is no difference between both units. Specs, feature and manufactured date. Sometimes because we have little conflicts we change the model number one or two digits.”
That leads us to the conclusion that there is also no significant difference between the 64 ounce AZPKBRTP50 and PKBRTP50.5 models.
Some Facts On The Nutrichef Pressurized Growlers
Well, let’s finally start our dive into our review of the pressurized growlers from Nutrichef. The Nutrichef growler tap system will keep beer vacuum pressured and fresh for up to 2 months. The pressurized growler works with a disposable CO2 cartridge that is not included in the box. However, the Nutrichef growlers use any brand of universal threaded 16g CO2 gas cartridges.
Having a CO2 gas cartridge also means that you need a way to regulate the pressure that’s going into the mini keg. You can check the current PSI from the regulator gauge and fine tune the pressure by rotating the adjustment knob to enjoy a perfect head on every beer.
Nutrichef has also used a high quality stainless steel with their pressurized growler tap systems. Each of the accessories in the tap dispenser kit is constructed with S/S 304 stainless steel. What is S/S 304 stainless steel? The short answer (there is a long answer) is it’s a commercial grade steel that’s found in food processing equipment, appliances, heat exchangers, and other manufactured items where quality is an important concern. It’s also known to have a high resistance to corrosion. The tap faucet handle, which is not stainless steel, functions only to begin dispensing beer from the mini keg. The pressure release valve allows for safe removal of the tap hardware.
All of the pressurized mini kegs from Nutrichef are laser marked at the fill level. A metal screw is included on the lid for easy portability, transportation and storage. None of these growlers should have trouble fitting in your standard size refrigerator. That includes the 128 ounce growlers.
Nutrichef Pressurized Growler Tap System Review
What’s In The Box
- Stainless Steel Keg
- Brass Tap
- Assembly Hardware
- Neoprene Koozie
Technical Specs
- Keg Liquid Volume Capacity: 128 oz.
- CO2 System: 30 PSI, Safety Pressure Regulated
- Standard Threaded CO2 Cartridge Compatibility (Not included)
- Construction Material: Food Grade 304 Stainless Steel
- Total Assembled Height: 7.5’’ x 6.9’’ x 19.5’’ -inches
Pros
With our Nutrichef pressurized growler tap system review you’ll find that these mini kegs have a lot going for them. You should find that the growler is easy to put together. As you assemble the growler, you’ll find that the machining around the dispenser and regulator is very precise. There are very few connection points which leads to a lower likelihood of leaks and failure. In addition to the few connection points the Nutrichef mini kegs use high quality O rings with some extras included in the box. So you should have anything bad happen inside your fridge.
The CO2 pressure gauge is also great as it prevents you from blowing out the beer too quickly, but also allows you to preserve the quality of the beer while in storage. The delivery system is valve controlled. Other systems offer very little adjustment when it comes to delivering the CO2 into the keg. This added control leads to a better beer from the first pour all the way through the last pour. You shouldn’t find any sputtering or foaming when using it.
Cons
Let’s face it. These mini keg growlers are still fairly large pieces of equipment. You may need to adjust your shelving in your refrigerator to make these growlers fit. Especially, the 128 ounce versions. If you have a smaller fridge you may need rework the fridge space even more. The mini keg can lay down in your fridge without consequence, but you do need to be aware that the keg can roll if it’s bumped in to.
CO2 cartridges aren’t included with the growler. Now, they do fully disclose that the gas cartridges aren’t included but it would be nice to have. With regulations and logistics it’s understandable why they don’t do it. But it’s kind of like buying a kids toy that doesn’t include the batteries.
Some have noticed minor issues with the regulator on their mini keg. The best word that could probably be used is “sensitive”. If you have an issue with this mini keg it will most likely be with the regulator. At times, the regulator shows a rise in pressure even though there was no adjustment made to pressure. Others may stop working after a few months. With that said, Nutrichef does have an excellent customer service department to help resolve the problem.
The Nutrichef Technical Support Department can be contacted at 718 535 1800 Press 2 then 1 from Monday to Friday 9 AM to 5 PM EST. Of course, you can also contact the company you purchased the growler from.
Lastly, the Nutrichef pressurized growler tap system is only a single wall construction when there are other pressurized growlers in the market that are a double wall construction. This will impact how long your beer will stay cold for without keeping it in your fridge, on ice, or additional insulation. Luckily, Nutrichef does offer an insulated sleeve for each of the growlers.
- Pressurized Growler Koozie – 64 Ounce Part Number PRTPKBRTP5010
- Preurized Growler Koozie – 128 Ounce Part Number PRTPKBRTP1001
Final Thoughts On Our Nutrichef Pressurized Growler Tap System Review
We’ve covered a lot in our Nutrichef pressurized growler tap system review, and we hope you found it informative. If you do decide to purchase a growler from Nutrichef we think you’ll be completely happy with it like a lot of other happy customers. Overall, it’s a very high quality growler without many issues. It’ll keep your beer fresh for a very long time and is small enough to fit in your fridge.
We’d love to hear your comments on this pressurized growler or if you have anything we can add to the article that would be useful to someone else in their product search.
