Help me decide which keg to buy!

Hey everyone!

Well I've gone deeper into homebrewing and now it's time for kegging. I already have a CO2 cylinder, so I need a keg, regulator, bottle filler, and whatever other accessories necessary.

I'm assuming it doesn't matter if the keg is full to be able to carbonate the beer, right? You'll just waste more CO2. The reason I ask is that right now I'm only interested in doing 2.5 gallon batches and I don't think I'll get to 5 gallons for a while, but I'm not sure if I should get the 5 gallon keg.

I would like to buy this http://morebeer.com/products/cornelius-keg-25-gallon.html, but this one is reconditioned and cheaper http://morebeer.com/products/cornelius-keg-gaskets-replaced-ball-lock.html.

Also, the 2.5 gallon keg fits in my refrigerator, but the 5 gallon keg doesn't.

Based on what I've told you, do you think I should go for the new 2.5 gallon keg, or the used 5 gallon keg for cheaper?

http://www.homebrewing.org/FOUR-3-Gallon-Cornelius-Style-Pin-Lock-Used-Kegs-_p_4673.html

This. Four 3-gallon kegs for very reasonable- probably the best deal if you're looking for smaller capacity kegs than 5gallons.

One other question I should have asked: What are the differences between pin locks and ball locks? I've gotten a few answers by searching, but nothing too definitive.

I have 5 gal ball lock and would like to get a couple of 2.5 or 3 gal for the weekends at the cabin. I would get the 5 it's enough beer to serve friends n family and you can always get a smaller one for the fridge. Nice thing is that you can transfer beer from the 5 with just a hose and 2 ball lock fittings and no contamination by opening either keg. If I had to do it again I would still start with a 5.

I have ball locks but pin lock are cheaper now only problem is that they usually do not have a blow off valve which is one more thing you need to buy. I think they can be converted from one to the other.

Falcon3 said:

http://www.homebrewing.org/FOUR-3-Gallon-Cornelius-Style-Pin-Lock-Used-Kegs-_p_4673.html

This. Four 3-gallon kegs for very reasonable- probably the best deal if you're looking for smaller capacity kegs than 5gallons.

Click to expand...

That is great value. I'm definitely thinking about that. I'm trying to think long into the future to determine whether I would need that many, and I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have more than you need. I'll keep that one in mind as I look around some more.

Also, I just saw this one and it seems like it would be a worthy contender http://www.homebrewing.org/3-Gallon-Ball-Lock-Keg-W-Metal-Handles_p_3431.html

Is this one any good?

all_about_stouts said:

One other question I should have asked: What are the differences between pin locks and ball locks? I've gotten a few answers by searching, but nothing too definitive.

Click to expand...

The main difference is the posts to connect your tubing. They just connect differently. Some pin lock kegs are shorter and more wide, while ball lock kegs tend to be slightly taller and skinnier. Also, pin lock kegs usually don't have a pressure release valve, like ball lock kegs do.

Valtyr said:

The main difference is the posts to connect your tubing. They just connect differently. Some pin lock kegs are shorter and more wide, while ball lock kegs tend to be slightly taller and skinnier. Also, pin lock kegs usually don't have a pressure release valve, like ball lock kegs do.

Click to expand...

Yeah that's what I read somewhere online. How important is the pressure relief valve?

all_about_stouts said:

Also, I just saw this one and it seems like it would be a worthy contender http://www.homebrewing.org/3-Gallon-Ball-Lock-Keg-W-Metal-Handles_p_3431.html

Is this one any good?

Click to expand...

Aside from it being "Out Of Stock", it looks insubstantial compared to the classic corny kegs...

Cheers!

Basically one was Pepsi one was coke once you start buying one stick with it for compatibility sake. They both work they both move your beer and protect it from the nasties in the air. They allow you to carbonate your beer quickly and keep your beer carbonated.

In my opinion pressure valve is important. Corn kegs have a safe maximum working pressure of 130psi any failure of or accidental messing with your regulator can lead to a dangerous situation. I have never heard of one failing but I would rather be safe than sorry.

In my opinion pressure valve is important. Corny kegs have a safe maximum working pressure of 130psi any failure of or accidental messing with your regulator can lead to a dangerous situation. I have never heard of one failing but I would rather be safe than sorry.

day_trippr said:

Aside from it being "Out Of Stock", it looks insubstantial compared to the classic corny kegs...

Cheers!

Click to expand...

Ha I guess it has to be In Stock in order to buy it! I missed that part. But I guess I'd rather get a better quality one instead of save just a few bucks.

One thing I'm thinking about is, I'm not going to be doing a lot of big batches, since it's really just me and my immediate family drinking it. So if I did buy one 5 gallon keg, I would be wasting a lot of CO2 carbing up a half filled keg. I know CO2 is cheap but I'd rather not buy a keg that I won't really use. If I eventually decide to do 5 gallon batches, I can either keg some and bottle condition the rest, or just buy a 5 gallon keg later down the road.

From what I've read on here, the pin lock kegs automatically release some pressure when they reach a certain PSI. Also, you can always press one of the poppets with a screwdriver to relieve some of the pressure. I wouldn't say they're absolutely necessary, but are definitely nice to have.

Anyone have opinions on used kegs? Because I do love the price and size of this one: http://www.homebrewing.org/3-Gallon-Cornelius-Style-Pin-Lock-Keg-Used_p_4540.html

But I have no idea what to expect with used kegs. I'm not picky, but if I have to replace so many parts that I might as well have purchased a new one, then it's just not worth it.

I bought used ones the only things I have had to replace was o rings. 5 bucks took care of it and it was a kit with all seals from local brew store. I also didn't need to replace any till I had it for 2 years. Not saying that the one you get won't need orings right off the bat. I have been using my first one for 7 years now. I am ready to get more, I want to get more so I can keep some hard lemonade on tap.

Ok so I'm now between the following two kegs:

3 Gallon Corny: http://www.homebrewing.org/3-Gallon-Cornelius-Style-Pin-Lock-Keg-Used_p_4540.html

Short 5 Gallon Corny that will fit in my fridge: http://www.homebrewing.org/5-Gallon-Low-Profile-Keg-Used-Short-22_p_3545.html


The only problem is that I'll only be filling the 5 gallon keg to about half. What kind of problems or bad outcomes can I expect from this?

Get the 3.

They're smaller easier to move and more portable for bringing beer with you to parties or to the lake. Also you may be able to get two your fridge.

I never knew they made short 5gal ball locks like that.

insanim8er said:

Get the 3.

They're smaller easier to move and more portable for bringing beer with you to parties or to the lake. Also you may be able to get two your fridge.

I never knew they made short 5gal ball locks like that.

Click to expand...

Yeah I agree with you. But every time I decided to click "Add to cart", I start thinking about the other one. I like the size of the 3, but then again it's the same price for the extra volume of the 5, and the 5 is a ball lock, which I've read is slightly better.
Edit: It also says no manual pressure relief valve for the 3.

Ugh. I'm not very good at making decisions.

Personally, I'd go with the 5. If you purge with co2 before filling, there shouldn't be much of an issue with the extra space. And if you ever decide to make bigger batches or even combine a couple batches, you'll already have a keg that will fit.

I've actually had my eye on that same keg. Sadly, I can't justify another keg right now.

I think it really depends on what quantity you want to brew. Consistently. If I was only doing 2.5gallon batches if get the 3 gallon for all the stated reasons. Fits I. Fridge no wasting of co2. If you think you will switch to larger 5 gallon batches anytime soon I'd get the 5. Really all your weighing out is. Are you willing to waste CO2 filling half a 5 gallon keg until you decide to brew 5 gallon batches. Or will you brew 2.5gallon batches for the foreseeable future. I'd get the three gallon until I decided to brew 5 gallon batches. Worst case when your next brew (5gallon batch) is ready to go in the keg. The remaining beer already in your 5 gallon can be transferred to the three. So. You can never have too many kegs.


Sent from somewhere to someone

$50 is a great price for a used 3 gallon keg.

Grab them.

You don't need a pressure relief valve, but you can always buy a lid with one later if you want. If you need to reduce pressure, you can depress the "in" poppet. I never purge mine, once I get them in the kegerator (but I do when I fill them- again, you can just push the poppit in the "in" to purge).

You can certainly use a 5 gallon for 1/2 batch- but you can't prime and carb naturally (too much headspace for that) so it would limit you to only force carbing, and they are bigger than you want. If you need a 3 gallon size, and you have a 2.5 gallon batch, you can add priming sugar to the keg (same as with bottling) and let it sit and carb naturally and then put it in the kegerator. That's something that is nice to be able to do.

I do 10 gallon batches- but I still use a few 3-gallon kegs. I love those small ones!

A ball lock keg isn't "better". It just has different connections. I have 13 ball locks- so I generally would stick with them as to not have to swap out my kegerator parts to use a pin lock keg. Otherwise, they are basically the same.

Alright everyone, I bought the 3 gallon keg! Thanks for all the help. I just don't think I'll be making 5 gallon batches for a long time, if I even ever do. And if I ever want to do a bigger batch, I can just buy a 5 gallon keg when I need it.

all_about_stouts said:

Alright everyone, I bought the 3 gallon keg! Thanks for all the help. I just don't think I'll be making 5 gallon batches for a long time, if I even ever do. And if I ever want to do a bigger batch, I can just buy a 5 gallon keg when I need it.

Click to expand...

You'll never not want that 3 gal keg even if you move to 10 gal batches, trust me. You'll probably want to get more. I do them in pairs, so a 6 gallon finished batch fits two kegs.

I don't think that particular keg will work, due to the bottom rubber, but using spartan kegs you can make a awesome portable kegerator on wheels with two taps using a maxcold 70qt igloo cooler and two kegs. I love mine.

I just bought 2 of those low profile 5 gallon kegs.

Damn things are getting hard to find these days.

Thanks for the link!

Valtyr said:

The main difference is the posts to connect your tubing. They just connect differently. Some pin lock kegs are shorter and more wide, while ball lock kegs tend to be slightly taller and skinnier. Also, pin lock kegs usually don't have a pressure release valve, like ball lock kegs do.

Click to expand...

Both pin and ball lock kegs have relief valves. The difference is that ball locks have one that can be activated manually and pin locks are solely mechanical. The option of a manual valve aids in purging the oxygen out of the keg after transfer and to relieve pressure when empty.

Ball locks are taller and more slender than pin locks so if height is an issue, pins are the way to go but if floor space is your concern then ball locks will be better.

Both have a method of identifying "gas" in and "liquid" out. With pins it's as simple as 2 pins = gas and three pins = liquid all of my pin lock connectors are also color coded (black - beer / grey - gas). On ball lock there are the words printed on the rubber IN and OUT and the posts are slightly different in size.

Pin lock kegs seem to be a little less expensive than ball locks and I have heard reasons ranging from "there were more pins available because it was a Coke keg and they cover a larger market than Pepsi" to there is a greater demand for ball locks because of the relief valve.

It really comes down to preference and cash available.

I started out with 2 pin locks but did not like the" mechanical only " relief so when it came time to get more kegs I went with ball locks. I still use both and switching from one to the other is simple with threaded fitting as opposed to barbed ones.

nasty_rabbit said:

Both pin and ball lock kegs have relief valves. The difference is that ball locks have one that can be activated manually and pin locks are solely mechanical. The option of a manual valve aids in purging the oxygen out of the keg after transfer and to relieve pressure when empty.

Ball locks are taller and more slender than pin locks so if height is an issue, pins are the way to go but if floor space is your concern then ball locks will be better.

Click to expand...

This is not entirely true.

I have pin locks with NO PRV on the lid. The lid is flat.

I also have several pins that have standard manual PRV just like a ball

And I have several pin locks that are the same diameter as a ball. They're spartan kegs. Tall and skinny. It all depends on the brand you get.

These are all spartan pins and you can see the lid and they're tall/skinny

The kegs that you have pictured are not readily available here (north Georgia). The only experience that I have are with Cornelius kegs. Below are pictures describing what I was talking about. The first two pictures are the manual vs mechanical reliefs and the third shows the height difference. These kegs were in the $35.00 to $40.00 range. What is the average cost of the ones that you have shown? I also noticed that the lids are different from one keg to the next. Are they original or aftermarket lids?

Great thread, as I'm deciding myself. I'm a 2.5 gal brewer now.. the More variety the better.!
Going for that 4 pack of 3 gal PIN corny's . Great price.!
So to get this straight- --
You CAN swap out and change the threads from Pin ► Ball..?
or IS this adapter (mentioned above) that's threaded and NOT Barbed the easy way to go.?
My Co2 is set for BALL Lock. Can that easily be changed.? with a conversion kit ?

?? Can you have a system that uses both PIN and BALL or must you either adapt or Convert.?
thxs

If you are going to really get into brewing, you are going to want 3 gallon kegs eventually. But if you buy 3 gallon kegs you are going to want 5 gallon kegs soon. I got 16 full sized kegs and now want a few 3 gallon kegs. I think they would be neat to bring onto a boat or to a picnic, but pretty useless for 5 gallon batches, 10 gallon batches etc. Having a few would come in handy for my 13 gallon batches.

I used to have pin locks but, then mixed kegs and am now all ball lock. I like the ball locks because they are taller and narrower, allowing 9 to fit in my keezer. If I had a shorter fridge the pin lock may fit better. All things considered I like the ball locks better. If you want to invest in long term kegging I'd suggest buying 5 gallon ball locks. If you want to get started now buy these 3 gallons and have them around for future use for party and picnics, when you have many 5 gallon kegs.

Update:

I got the keg in the mail a few days ago. It came pressurized so I know the seals are all good, but I ordered new seals anyway. I already have my CO2, regulator, and the gas line and fittings. It's in pretty good condition. Doesn't look like any dents in the steel, the black platic (or rubber?) top and bottom are in rough shape but overall not too bad. Worth it for $50!

I have a beer that's done fermenting that's just waiting to get put in the keg. I'll probably put it in today or tomorrow.

The only thing I need is some equipment for the liquid side. I should probably get a picnic tap, but I would also really like the ability to bottle from the keg. I know I pay another $75 for a Blichmann beer gun, and spend more on the fittings, hoses and other accessories, but is there a cheaper way?

Does anyone else use a different method to bottle from a keg?

Check out the "we don't need no stinking beer gun" thread. Essentially using a bottle wand jammed into the end of a picnic tap used to fill bottles works pretty good and a lot cheaper.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/we-no-need-no-stinking-beer-gun-24678/

Sent from somewhere to someone

GilSwillBasementBrews said:

Check out the "we don't need no stinking beer gun" thread. Essentially using a bottle wand jammed into the end of a picnic tap used to fill bottles works pretty good and a lot cheaper.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/we-no-need-no-stinking-beer-gun-24678/

Sent from somewhere to someone

Click to expand...

Ahh! Now that's exactly what I'm looking for! I will definitely check that out. Thank you.


Also, does anyone have some tips on cleaning out a keg thoroughly? Mine still smells like Coke. I'll google it also, but figured I'd ask here anyway.
Thanks!

all_about_stouts said:

Ahh! Now that's exactly what I'm looking for! I will definitely check that out. Thank you.


Also, does anyone have some tips on cleaning out a keg thoroughly? Mine still smells like Coke. I'll google it also, but figured I'd ask here anyway.
Thanks!

Click to expand...

Replace all o-rings.

Photopilot said:

Replace all o-rings.

Click to expand...

Really? That will help with the coke residue? I'll swap them out tonight.

all_about_stouts said:

Really? That will help with the coke residue? I'll swap them out tonight.

Click to expand...

Yes. There are some inside the posts, some on the posts, and a big one around the lid. They are need to be replaced.

Yooper said:

Yes. There are some inside the posts, some on the posts, and a big one around the lid. They are need to be replaced.

Click to expand...

Yeah I have them all. I'll replace them and clean all those areas while I do. That should definitely help.