How many kegs...

CanadianQuaffer · 09-08-2011, 01:24 AM

...should I set up my kegerator for?

I just bought Whirlpool compact fridge which will (barely) fit two 5 gal corny kegs and my 5lb co2 tank. I just don't know whether to go with 1 or 2 kegs. 1 will certainly be easier but 2 is obviously more desirable. Question is, can I drink enough beer to justify 2 kegs? lol. I have, on average, about 1 pint a day. Throw in a few nights when friends/family come over and I can expect two kegs to last 60 days or so.

Is that too long for beer to sit in a keg?

I am new to kegging so I really know very little here.

Thanks!

Nick

day_trippr · 09-08-2011, 01:32 AM

Choice is a wonderful thing.

Beer served using CO2 will keep a long time - certainly at least a couple of months. Go with two faucets. You won't regret it...

Cheers!

Fid · 09-08-2011, 01:36 AM

I built my kegerator set up with 2 kegs over thanksgiving weekend and by March I had gone out and bought a 3rd keg. I still don't have a tap for it but its nice to have that extra keg in there that is full and ready to be tapped when one of the others kick.

Plus having the extra keg helps keep the pipeline flowing... If you've just got 1 keg you have to wait until you finish it all before you can clean it out and keg a new beer which means you're also hogging a carboy to house the beer that's ready to go on tap next which means you can't brew in the meantime!! And that new beer is going to have to sit in the keg for a couple of weeks to condition nicely before you can start drinking it.

My vote is for setting it up for 2 kegs... even if you only put one keg on tap at a time.

**wilserbrewer** · 09-08-2011, 01:42 AM

IME the beer is best after conditioning for a few weeks in the keezer. With only one keg, you wont have a continuos supply of well conditioned beer.

**Golddiggie** · 09-08-2011, 01:44 AM

I can fit four kegs inside my brew fridge:

I only have three faucets/taps through the door, right now, though.

Considering adding a fourth faucet in the door within another month (or so). Until then I can either carbonate the fourth keg, or fit it with a picnic tap.

I installed the second bulkhead last night, along with a two port manifold, so that I can feed two different pressure sets (fed off of a dual body regulator now) to the kegs. I can do up to three kegs on one pressure so I can better match the brew to the PSI/CO2 level.

So, I would advise fitting as many kegs into the fridge as you can. If you get a dual body regulator, you can carbonate one keg while drinking from the other. Or if the same CO2 volume level works for both, just use a manifold with a single body regulator. You might even be able to fit another keg inside the fridge if you move the CO2 bottle to the outside (if you didn't already).

**gdc123** · 09-08-2011, 01:44 AM

I started off wanting a 2 keg system, but realized I wanted more before starting the build. I am now going to be set up for 4 kegs, one seltzer and 3 for beer might throw a cider in the mix also. I also plan to have a few extra kegs conditioning in the cold storage.

CanadianQuaffer · 09-08-2011, 01:56 AM

It's a compact fridge, 4.4 cubic feet, so 2 kegs is the max and I can still squeeze the 5 lb tank in there too. The regulator I have is this one:
http://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/product_p/dual%20reg.htm
Will that allow me to do anything special if I have a 2 valve manifold?

If I go for 2 kegs I will most certainly go for a dual tap tower (or taps through the door, I'm not sure yet). I'm just wondering if I can drink 80 pints of beer fast enough, lol!

Thanks for the advice so far.

What are your guys' thoughts on (for a mini fridge) a tap tower vs taps in the door?

Thanks!

Nick

strat_thru_marshall · 09-08-2011, 01:56 AM

i bought a chest freezer that holds 8 kegs.........

i find myself out of beer from time to time......

the more the better.

neut2004 · 09-08-2011, 02:05 AM

Buy more than you need and buy them soon. You'll want to have a keg full of beer ready to go when a keg kicks. Extra kegs are great for bulk aging, then you can bottle from the keg if you wish. The reason to get them soon is that used corny kegs are becoming scarce since pepsi and coke use plastic containers for their syrups these days and homebrewers are buying up old soda kegs like crazy. They used to be easy to find for $25 just a couple years ago, a quick look online tells me that they are at least $35 each now. New ones will put you back $100 or more.

**Golddiggie** · 09-08-2011, 02:05 AM

Single body regulator will only feed one pressure to the manifold. So, unless you modify the manifold to reduce the pressure coming out of it, you're stuck with just one pressure coming out of the manifold.