Considering kegging..., lots of questions Options

[OhioMurb]

Two years into this and I'm thinking about kegging. Bunch of questions:

Are those basic kits enough to get me off on the right foot?
How tall is a typical corny keg?
How large of CO2 tank do you need? I've got a spare beer fridge in the basement, but how many kegs/tanks will I be able to fit?
Can you setup multiple kegs to the same CO2 source?
Where do you buy your CO2?
Where do you buy your kegs?

What else should I be thinking about?

[WhiteSoxFan]

Edit - Non-productive post - sorry.

This post has been edited by WhiteSoxFan: Nov 21 2008, 09:36 PM

[WayneE]

5 gal corny's are about 25" tall.
You can get any sized co2 tank. Smaller ones need to be filled more often. A 20 lb is a good size if you have the room
You can set up many kegs from one co2 tank, if you want different carbonation levels, you will need secondary regulators.
You can get Co2 from welding shops. You can lease a tank and then just exchange it for a full one.
Chi Co. is one place to get kegs at a pretty good price and good service too
http://www.chicompany.net/index.php?main_page=index

[AUGIE91]

Consider buying more swing tops brother, I've arrived at that conclusion when looking at the LARGE cost of all the kegging equipment. Unless you have a lot of buds coming over to drink your beer. I'm really the major drinker of my beer so bottling is just more cost effective for me....I'm thinking maybe a next step for me is getting the freezer so I can lager, then MAYBE moving onto kegs, but bottling with swingtops is such an ease I'm having trouble justifying the need for kegs. Go Reds!

I'm gonna get me some of these bad boys before I consider moving onto the kegs.....

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/Pr...spx?ProdID=4722


This post has been edited by AUGIE91: Nov 21 2008, 09:52 PM

[kenlenard]

Once you get into it, you'll like it and wonder why you didn't do it sooner. I put a kegging page on my site to cover some of the basics... click the link in my signature and go to KEGGING. Good luck.

[stangbat]

Two years into this and I'm thinking about kegging. Bunch of questions:

Are those basic kits enough to get me off on the right foot?

Depends. What kits are you talking about? To get you going so that you can at least serve beer, the answer is probably yes.

How tall is a typical corny keg?

Ball lock cornys are about 25" tall without quick disconnects. QDs make them a little taller (maybe an inch). They are about 8.5" in diameter. Pin lock kegs are shorter and bigger in diameter. I don't have dimensions for a pin lock keg.

How large of CO2 tank do you need? I've got a spare beer fridge in the basement, but how many kegs/tanks will I be able to fit?

This is really personal preference. The general rule is the bigger the better. And having an extra tank is nice. You'll run out of CO2 at the most inconvenient time. Or you'll have a CO2 leak and not realize it and have an empty tank at the worst possible time. I have three tanks.

Can you setup multiple kegs to the same CO2 source?

Yes. Use a manifold, or a tee fitting.

Where do you buy your CO2?

Welding shops or fire extinguisher shops. I get mine filled at a fire extinguisher shop.

Where do you buy your kegs?

Online homebrew shops. Other brewers. Craigslist. The Brewboard classifieds. Your brew club. Anyone but The Keg King. (IMG:style_emoticons/brewboard/wink.gif)

What else should I be thinking about?

You never have too many kegs!

Finally, if I had to choose between the best brewing decisions I have made, it would be a toss up between kegging and going all grain. If you forced me to chose, I'd probably say kegging is the best move I've made. For the most part I'm the only person that drinks my beer and kegging is worth it. You'll never be sorry that you started kegging.

[sidney porter]

Typical Co2 tanks are 2.5, 5, 10, and 20lbs. With 5lb being the most popular, the cost to fill is in the labor rather than the gas so say it cost $15 to fill the 5lb, the 20lb might cost $20. Plus you would not need to get it filled nearly as often. The downside of the larger tank is it is harder to move around and if you plan on taking your kegs with you to an event it is a pain. For traveling there are other solutions: keg charge (takes the little bb-gun co2 cartidges) and paintball tanks. You could actually get away with using the paintball tank(s) as you primary tank. They come in 9oz, 12oz, 16oz and 20oz. But in the long run they cost more to fill.

If you do a search on paintball, you will find out more about that option. Some people fill their own but that requires having another larger tank.

I pesonally have a 5lb, 20oz paint ball, and a keg charger. I wish that the 5lb was either 10 or 20lbs.

Multiple kegs can be run off of one Co2 source. 2 main options is if you want to be able to serve at 2 different pressure. You would need a dual regulator. I would say that most keggers serve all of their kegs at the same pressure as mentioned you can use a manifold or T's. I think a T works fine for 2 kegs after that you end up with a lot of lines and connections that can be messy and an increase chance of leaks. I serve 5 beers with a 4 port manifold one of thse lines has a T to feed to kegs. Everything is at the same pressure.

I recommend 2x the number of kegs that you plan to serve. So if you plan to serve 2 beers at a time get 4 kegs.

The picnic faucets are harder to use. I recommend 18 inches or so of extra line compared to a normal faucet. That being said you can get a good pour with picnic faucets.

[BrewingDan]

In my opinion, kegging allows you to enjoy the fruits of your labor more enjoyably. Pouring fresh draft beer that YOU made is AMAZING!!!!

Plus, there is no way I could brew as much as I do with bottles. I'd have cases piled high to the ceiling.

[Boo Boo]

In my opinion, kegging allows you to enjoy the fruits of your labor more enjoyably. Pouring fresh draft beer that YOU made is AMAZING!!!!

Plus, there is no way I could brew as much as I do with bottles. I'd have cases piled high to the ceiling.

I agree with you except for the bottle thing. I would still brew, and yes, I'd have bottles stacked to the ceiling. Well, I still
have bottles stacked to the ceiling and have kegs ( only 8 ) almost all full. Jeez, you just reminded me that I need more kegs. (IMG:style_emoticons/brewboard/hehe.gif)

[Yeasty Boy]

One thing to consider about tank size, depending how tight your budget is, it's a lot easier to let go of 5# that leaked into the ether than 20#, and it happens at least once to almost everyone. Other than that one thing, 20# is pretty nice. I have a 5 and 10, so I run off the 10 and can use the 5 when I'm getting the 10 refilled, and also take the 5 to get-togethers, move around for purging, etc. If my 10 was 20 it would be ideal.
When I first got into kegging it was from a fridge. I built a shelf to make the bottom strong and flat, and was able to squeeze in four kegs and a tank. You can drill a hole for the tank (if you know where to drill) and get five ball-locks in many fridges; pinlocks are a bit fatter, so not sure about those.
A friend of mine, before coming to his senses and getting a chest freezer, actually had a good idea to build a collar onto a fridge, that would let him lay down kegs on shelves at a slight angle so the diptube touched bottom. He was figuring something like 12 kegs like that. I think someone else did something similar and posted pics on the web somewhere.
I actually would get all pinlocks if I could start anew. Right now I have (I think) 9 BL and 3 PL. The ball locks are all different manufacture, different diptubes, different posts, etc. PITA if you don't keep them all together, otherwise it's twenty minutes of mix-and-match to find compatible pieces. With my pin locks, they are all the same. Pretty sure only one company made them, or at least used the same design.

[beeronice]

I'd just like to remind people that the height and diameter of the keg is _not_ dependent on it being pin or ball. It depends who made them, and _generally_ certain places made only certain types.

I have all pin, and some are taller and thinner, some are shorter and fatter. My fridge fits three, but wouldn't fit four no matter what. Fridges are far far far from being standard size or shaped (IMG:style_emoticons/brewboard/smile.gif)

[Boo Boo]

One thing to consider about tank size, depending how tight your budget is, it's a lot easier to let go of 5# that leaked into the ether than 20#, and it happens at least once to almost everyone. Other than that one thing, 20# is pretty nice. I have a 5 and 10, so I run off the 10 and can use the 5 when I'm getting the 10 refilled, and also take the 5 to get-togethers, move around for purging, etc. If my 10 was 20 it would be ideal.

I have 2- 5 pounders and 2- 20 pounders. The 2 - 20 pounders I got for free, all I had to do was recertiify and fill. I use the 5's for dispensing and the 20's for everything else.

[frogman]

I too want to get into kegging. I'm tried of cleaning all those bottles. I found this guy on the net prices look good and he is flexible. I called him last week and asked if I could swap out the two way manifold for a four way and he said no problem for only $10-15 bucks.

http://stores.kegconnection.com/StoreFront.bok

[gnef]

I will have to echo what others have said about kegging. It is one of the best things I did for my brewing hobby. Bottling was such a pain, and kegging made things so much easier. I went to kegging before I went all-grain. I even went to kegging before controlled fermentation temperatures.

Kegging allowed me to brew many many different beers, and be able to taste a little bit of them, and allow me to age some for well over a year. This would be very difficult to do with bottles. I currently have close to 30 kegs filled with libations (beers, wines, meads, ciders), and have a total of a bit over 70 kegs. I also have 7 CO2 tanks, and a beergas tank. My kegerator is a 6 faucet, five are forward seal, and one is a stout restrictor faucet.

What i'm trying to say is, kegging is awesome. Yes, it can cost a lot, but it doesn't have to in order to start. When I started kegging, i found a deal on craigslist for a couple kegs, less than 20 a piece. I later found a co2 tank and regulator for around 30, bought the disconnects, tubing, and picnic tap, and I was ready to go.

If budget is important for you (and it was for me when I started - I began in college, and still is, even now when I am working), then keep a lookout on craigslist, and the classifieds here. I had to wait a number of months to find those deals. I kept a lookout, and gradually built up my stockpile for a very reasonable amount of money. All my kegs were bought for less than 20 a piece, co2 tanks were all around 20 a piece, etc. Save money for it, and when the deals come around, you will be prepared to purchase.

You can do it! When you do, you will not regret it, and your brewing will most likely be the better for it.

[OhioMurb]

Thanks for all the input. The only other problem I see is that I usually have 5-6 beers on-hand. So if I go to kegging, can I have a system setup for 3 kegs, for example, and just keep rotating them?

For example, can I have a keg setup, stop about half-way, unhook it and tap another keg? Can I "reseal" that partial keg with CO2 and keep it stored off of the gas?

This post has been edited by OhioMurb: Nov 23 2008, 02:50 PM