Anyone using party pigs?

This idea seems a bit more interesting and useful than the "beer machine."

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It is advertised as a beer dispensing system, but secondary fermentation could be done in two of these and then they could be used to carbonate and dispense beer.

Instead of the $100+ for a model that will make one 2.5 gallon batch the cost is ~$39 each for 2.25 gallons.

Anyone with experience and comments on their system?

Back in the late 80's a place around here was selling beer in "party pigs" with a refund program for returning the empty pigs. Their cost was comparable to cases of cheap beer and they offered real draft for some better quality brews. I never got involved so have no experience with them. A friend of mine was enthusiastic about the beer (but he lived near the distributor and could just walk over and return or get a fresh one).

I tried them once or twice, then sold them.

Was a little difficult getting everything lined up and sealed properly. The threads on the screws are very fine and it take a long time to screw them down. Uses a pressure pouch that you put inside with the liquid. Little odd, but came in sani-pouches.

The worst part was a tried a store grade root beer extract in them, left for a few days, and came home and both of them had exploded all over the garage. Not the bottle itself, but somehow had shifted the seal around. Once blew out the seal and ripped it to shreads, the other knocked the whole end cap half off the bottle. Must have been quite a blast, there was spray everywhere. Nothing like a good sticky garage.

Neat idea, but the cost of pouches, and the pain of the end caps just wasn't worth it. Went out and got a corny keg.