Here is the process and why I love my mini keg:
-Show up to the brewery with the 128oz mini keg. Its marked on the bottom with "128oz" making it legal to purchase beer and transport in CA, along with the sealable cap (included). The brewery fills it (128oz = 2 growlers = 8 pints) and tags the mini keg with a paper tag. Because Keg Smith is not a brewery themselves, its legal to fill the mini Keg. Breweries cannot fill other breweries containers, but they can fill Keg Smiths. I have 4 local breweries near me, I have not even be questioned or refused from them, they just always talk how cool the mini keg is!
-Get home, remove cap, screw on top tap (with foam blocker in tab) on mini keg.
-Screw in the Keg Smith 4 Banger 16 gram CO2 cartridges Keg Smiths 4 Banger 16 Gram C02 Pack - Four Threaded Food Grade 16 Gram CO2 Cartridges (4)
-Turn the flow regulator to 8-10 psi, and pull the Tap. Beer will now be flowing!
-When you are done for the night, simply turn the regulator off, leave the mini keg pressurized to preserve the beer and prevent it from going flat. (Growlers cannot do that!) Place the mini keg in the fridge to keep the beer cold.
-Once the beer is gone, simply fill the mini keg with hot water and drop a Keg Smiths Mini Keg Tablets cleaning tablet (1 per 64oz) and let it sit for 10 minutes and pour out, air dry.
I recommend getting the Keg Smiths Keg Kooler - 1 Gallon Keg Kooler Jacket - Keep your Keg Cold Longer Kooler Jacket, it will protect the mini keg and hold extra CO2 cartridges, but more importantly it will keep your mini keg cold longer. I had it on the patio at all afternoon into the night 80 degrees going down to 73 degrees outside air temp, and the beer remained cold!
Its the perfect solution for transporting beer, even wine and other beverages that need to be carbonated, keeping it cold, and bringing enough for everyone to enjoy. Your buddies will be impressed on easy and functional it is and you will love the convenience of just one mini keg & easy flow of beer a lot more than legging 2 glass growers that break if dropped, not stay cold and let the beer go flat.
Note - There is plastic round part in the tap called a "foam blocker" that keeps foam from spewing out the keg. It preserving your beer along with saving you time waiting for foam head to reside. Great little feature on the tap!
Bottomline - If you are buying beer in growlers, step up and get the Keg Smith mini keg system.