Seeking kegging wisdom.

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

ATXweirdobrew

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Messages
121
Reaction score
0
Location
Austin
Hello all, I have been in the brewing business for alittle over half a year now and I am already fed up with bottling. I am saving my pennies and dimes for a dual tap kegerator and I am wondering if any of my fellow brewers have any bits of wisdom for me before I embark on this adventure. Any hints, tips, lessons, or stories on what to do and not do based on your own experiences would be well appreciated.
 
I just got mine. The only advice I have is get what you want, don't buy something planning to change it later. Get what you want the first time, you'll love having the kegs!
 
mkw87 said:
I just got mine. The only advice I have is get what you want, don't buy something planning to change it later. Get what you want the first time, you'll love having the kegs!

+1. I bought a dual tap a year ago. Wish I had a 4 tap now.
 
And I would probably go with a pin lock set up vs. ball lock. It seems ball lock kegs are hard to come buy now and they are more expensive. I bought a couple ball lock's last year for $30. This year they are around $50 plus shipping. My LHBS doesn't carry them anymore.
 
I am happy with a two tapper that has room for three kegs. As soon as one kicks I have another carbed and ready. I have four kegs. One out, one in, gas on for a week or two. I found mine on Craigslist and bought two more kegs.
 
Thanks for the great replies so far. I am seeking to get the dual tap, I just dont really brew way too much with how busy my life is. I typically brew only about 3 batches a month and would still like to bottle one every now and then so I can have something more portable to take to a friend's house.

I am not worried about finding ball lock kegs because my LHBS always has about 20-30 lying around for people to buy.

One other question, has anybody noticed a lack in taste when they force kegged compared to letting the carbonation set in withen a week or so?
 
If I understand you correctly, I think you're referring to cranking up the gas on a keg and shaking for a short time vs properly setting the pressure and letting it sit for a week or so.

If that's the case, here's my response. I've never noticed a difference. To me, one could notice a difference if you went direct from 1 week primary to 3 weeks secondary to shaking a keg as opposed to letting it sit on the gas for some time. But that has more to do with aging the beer an getting some of the green out.

I usually have a supply of uncarbed beer in kegs aging so that's never an issue for me. But if you dont have that luxury, I would set the gas properly and let it sit if for no other reason than extra conditioning.

Plus, the force-shaking, let-er-rip method is tough to get the right carb level.

That's my 2 cents.
 
I force carb mine and let them sit for a week or two before they go into the keezer. After they chill they still take on a lot more CO2, so even the way I force carb they are only semi carbed until they are chilled. Green beer is green beer. Just like bottles, aging is they key. That is why I now have four kegs & four fermentors. Brew to glass for me can be 12 weeks. Your mileage may vary.
 
Exactly what I was referring too. I do not mind waiting a few extra days to have my beer acheive a more refined taste. Quality comes with time.
 
By more taps then you think you need. Buy a bigger keezer or kegger. I did everything twice so you don't have to. Buy PERLICK SS faucets upfront, they are better, easier to keep clean and when you tear them down they look brand new after years of use. Buy quality beer lines, don't skimp on the cheap home depot vinyl tubing. Buy long 10' and trim down if needed, don't waste time on the short lengths. Don't buy new CO2 tanks, check with the place you are going to fill your tank and see if they fill or exchange. Consider just getting one from them for exchange purposes. Nothing worse than trading in your brand new Aluminum tank for some old POS tank, brought tears to my eyes. Invest in a bottle of real leak detection fluid for finding CO2 leaks so you don't blow $10-$20 of CO2 in a day.
 
Lot's of kits and kegerators come with 5'-6' long beverage lines, which often isn't long enough for a balanced system, so get some 10' lines if you can and trim if needed. If you have the option for perlick faucets do it, otherwise you'll probably end up upgrading to perlicks later. Try using the set and forget carb method for at least the first couple times. You'll likely have a few small issues with balancing the system to start with, and burst carbing often results in overcarbed kegs (especially for those new to kegging), which will make balancing the system near impossible. Once you get the system balanced and working well, carb however you like. Buy an ugly used CO2 tank and swap it at a welding shop rather than buying a new shiny tank. It's much easier to swap than fill most places, and you can always ask for nice clean tank. Submerge the gas side conenctions in water or use leak decector fluid to test it after getting it assembled. It only takes a tiny leak to empty a tank overnight. Remember that we'll be here to answer any questions if you run into issues.

Edit: Apparently samc types faster than me.
 
When I first got my kegerator I really kicked it up a notch. I brewed every week until everything was full. Now I can't brew untill something is empty. (see my sig) I make 6 gallon batches using a couple half gallon liquor bottles as mini fermentors for the extra and bottle a few extras every batch. I pour the extra into the bucket after the fermenation slows down. Today I filled a keg plus two 22'z and three 12'rs. I brew every couple of weeks. Sometimes I have to take a week off to empty some bottles.
 
Pay attention to the kegs. There are many different versions of ball locks. Out of six kegs I somehow ended up with 4 different types. It is a real pain to keep the correct parts around to rebuild.

I might be wrong but I think there is only one type of pin lock. This reason alone is almost enough for me to convert.
 
http://www.thenerds.net/HAIER.Haier_BrewMaster_HBF05EBSS_Beverage_Dispenser.HBF05EBSS.html

I got this on sale for like $375 and free shipping 2 years ago. I bought a 3-tap tower and perlicks for mine. It holds 3 pin lock kegs and a 5-lb CO2 tank perfectly. I added a small cpu fan / cell charger DIY on the bottom to circulate cold air up. I also took [3] 12" runs of 1/2" copper pipe and threaded the beer lines through them in the tower. I might get my first pour of the night to be 1/2 pint, but thereafter no foam.

Highly recommended way to go. And no, I don't get any change in taste by force carb'ing. And I do the 30-psi-rock-for-2-min approach. I am a man with little patience.
 
Thanks for all the great advice. Here is the kegerator I am looking at http://www.beveragefactory.com/draf...tor/HBF05EBSS-3_Triple_Faucet_Kegerator.shtml.

Of course I am upgrading to the better regulator and be using pink locks since they are cheaper and easier to come by. Ill most likely will have to wait alittle to upgrade to the perlick tower and ill get a good cleaning kit from my LHBS along with the drip tray which will both be cheaper there.
 
Back
Top