I need to find a way to quickly transfer beer (retail bought) from a
keg to an open container without manual labor (beyond starting the
transfer) and preferably without carbonation. This transfer process
should take no longer than 10 minutes and the setup should be minimal
so I could quickly drain several kegs consecutively. Help please!

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Request for Question Clarification by redhoss-ga on 24 Aug 2006 05:13 PDT

You say you want to do this with "without manual labor". Do you mean
that you do not want to remove the fitting in the neck of the keg
(called the SanKey). The SanKey can be quickly removed and then there
are any number of ways to transfer the beer.

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Clarification of Question by x2dz4l-ga on 24 Aug 2006 15:29 PDT

Hi, I am not sure what the SanKey is all about but if it is can be
easily (< 5 minutes) and safely removed, I would be fine with that
being part of the solution. My goal is to be able have a setup that
will allow me to quickly transfer beer from store bought kegs into an
alternative container. By quickly, I mean quick to setup and quick to
transfer.

Thanks for your attention.

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Clarification of Question by x2dz4l-ga on 24 Aug 2006 15:35 PDT

Based on a quick search that I did, I should ask the question: do all
kegs have SanKeys?  For example, would a solution that includes SanKey
removal work for all types of beer or do some beers come in kegs
without SanKeys? Focus on Budweiser, Miller Lite, Bass, Guinness.
Would like solution to work for kegs that these beers are sold in.
Thanks.

Okay x2dz4l, I think I have an easy solution to your problem. First
you wanted to know about the types of valves used on different brands
of beer kegs. Here is a complete list:

http://kegman.net/b2c.html

It looks like Budweiser and Miller Lite use the "American SanKey".
Bass and Guiness use other valves. However, looking at the pictures
and using common sense, they all can be easily removed. They are
obviously removed every time a keg is cleaned and refilled. Here is a
detailed description of how to remove an American SanKey:

http://www.hbd.org/hbd/archive/4783.html#4783-9

Here we have an empty 1/2 barrel beer keg. This one just happens to be a 
Miller keg. These are designed to hold 15 gallons of liquid, and a maximum 
charge pressure of 60PSI.
And here is the only way in and out of the barrel, the neck. This fitting is 
known as a "SanKey" in the industry.
The first step, and the most important is to blow off the charge pressure. 
This can be done while still in the tapper, by turning off the C02 gas, and 
opening the tap. At all times in this process, it cannot be stressed enough 
that you must allways check to be sure that a charge has not built up in the 
barrel. Things such as heat, will cause it to be recharged, or any small 
residue of beer, that is still active can create pressure. I use a small 
wooden dowl rod to press down on the ball valve in the center of the 
fitting.
Now if you carefully examine the very top rim of the neck, you will see 
stainless spring ring holding the stem assembly together
Note that the leading edge of the ring has a taper to allow for a removal 
tool to get a start
I will use a metal awl, and a small straight blade screwdriver. The awl 
first to get in behind the taper edge, pry the leading edge out, and then 
use the screwdriver to work the ring out of the channel. It is quite easy to 
do this, once the ring is started out.
HEY !! DID YOU REMEMBER TO BLEED THE PRESSURE BEFORE STARTING AFTER THIS 
RING WITH A SHARP METAL TOOL ???
Keep your head clear of this anyway, while performing this operation, and 
you may only lose a few fingers instead of your face
Well if you made it this far, you now have the ring out of the neck, and 
here it is.
Note that there is a Keyway notch on the neck And also one on the stem
You need to rotate the stem in the neck until these keys line up, and you 
will be able to lift out the stem
Out it comes, only this one piece
A close up view of the stem head valve assembly. There is an "O-ring", if 
you need to replace this it must be a food grade "O-ring"
Well now you have it Clean your barrel with hot soapy water, rinse well in a 
  sanitizing solution. Do the same for the stem, and steel ring. and you are 
ready to go !

It looks like the major concern is to bleed off the pressure before
opening the keg. Although this only covers the American SanKey I feel
pretty certain that it will be obvious how to remove the other valves.
From the pictures it looks like some unscrew and others use a
retaining ring.

After the valve is removed the beer can be siphoned into an
alternative container. I would think that 15.5 gallons could be
sipnoned in a few minutes with no labor required other than starting
the siphon.

This kit is stated to remove ALL valves:

http://kegman.net/keg_kit.htm

Here is contact info for a company that sells removal tools:

Bevcon International (BCI)

6400 Highway 51, South 
Brighton, TN  38011 

Toll-Free: (800) 284-9410
Phone: (901) 476-8000
Fax: (901) 476-4811 

Please ask for a clarification if there is any of this that you don't
agree with and we can try something else.

Redhoss

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Request for Answer Clarification by x2dz4l-ga on 25 Aug 2006 16:36 PDT

Thanks for the thoughts redhoss. As I previously mentioned, I really
need this process to be quick and safe. Can you comment on how long it
should take to execute the process you described (excluding transfer
time of beer) and help me understand the real risks of doing this?  I
am somewhat concerned about your comment "Keep your head clear of this
anyway, while performing this operation, and you may only lose a few
fingers instead of your face." I've read on a few websites that
something like this can be quite dangerous. Is that true?

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Clarification of Answer by redhoss-ga on 26 Aug 2006 07:17 PDT

I understand your concerns. I would absolutely not suggest anything to
you that I consider to be dangerous. Once you relieve the internal
pressure in the keg, there is no hazard at all. One similar thing I
can think of would be working on an electrical appliance. A very
dangerous project with the power on becomes very safe after the
breaker is flipped. I have not removed a snap ring from a SanKey, but
I have removed many snap rings of the same type from other devices.
Once you become skilled at the operation it should only require a few
seconds to accomplish. You might want to purchase one of the tools for
removing the snap rings since you seem to plan on doing this quite
often. Here is another explanation of the removal process with some
real good pictures. I found this earlier and then lost the link.

http://home.insightbb.com/~benschoep/keg/sankey.htm

I believe that the only way you will be able to accomplish what you
describe in your original question is to remove the SanKey (or other
valve). I see nothing that would prevent you from doing this safely if
you follow the instructions.

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Request for Answer Clarification by x2dz4l-ga on 26 Aug 2006 10:31 PDT

Thanks for the further clarification redhoss. One final thing - you
mentioned the first step is to "relieve the internal pressure in the
keg." I am unfamiliar with tapping kegs. Could you explain the best
way to relieve the internal pressure in a keg? Do I simply attach the
tapper (is that what the pump is called?) and open the valve until I
don't hear anything releasing any more?

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Request for Answer Clarification by x2dz4l-ga on 26 Aug 2006 10:39 PDT

Also, in your assessment, what's the advantage of opening the keg and
siphoning the beer vs. simply tapping the keg and letting it run? My
hope was to find a solution that would 1. transfer the beer quicker
and 2. minimize carbonation vs. the speed and carbonation associated
with tapping and letting the beer flow out through its regular valve.
Thanks.

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Clarification of Answer by redhoss-ga on 26 Aug 2006 10:55 PDT

In the instructions it says, "Things such as heat, will cause it to be
recharged, or any small
residue of beer, that is still active can create pressure. I use a small 
wooden dowl (should be dowel) rod to press down on the ball valve in
the center of the fitting."

I would suggest that anything that will depress the ball valve could
be used. However, a soft material such as wood or plastic would
probably be best. You could attach the tapper, but that would just
take more time.

The reason that I suggest removing the valve is that you said that you
did not want to carbonate the keg. Also, if you use a standard keg
pump someone would have to continue pumping while the keg empties and
there would be lots of foam. You stated that you wanted a minimum of
manual labor. Siphoning is about as easy as it gets.

Prompt and thorough. Thanks for your help.