Hey guys, I'm still relatively new to brewing (on my 4th brew now), and i'm starting to consider a keg setup. I know that it will be easier to keg my brews than bottling, which is why I want to go this route.
I've given myself three options, two mini keg options, and then obviously a full corny option.
I like the idea of the party options because I am still a college student, living in on campus housing (on campus apartment with a full kitchen, of course). While homebrewing isn't against the rules, kegging can be tough because of the "open container" policy the school's got. I can have a couple small kegs that are easily hidden, if anything ever happens. I'm worried about getting involved with the party systems though, because many of them aren't that much less expensive than the full 5gal system, and seem to last a fraction of the amount of time, and are almost more of a pain in the ass than they're worth.
I've done my research into the 5gal systems, and have even found a couple, decently priced kegs locally. I know that they are relatively small, and should be pretty easy to stuff into a fridge (I've got a mini fridge that SHOULD have enough room, but i'm not totally certain because it's not right in front of me at the moment, and won't be for a little while longer). My biggest question however is, how big does a CO2 tank really need to be? I'm a pretty avid paintballer, and have a couple old 20oz tanks left over from my early days in the sport. Can those be used? do they have a decent lifespan?
basically what it comes down to here is, are the party systems worth it in the long run? or should I just go all out and start with a 5gal system?
thanks in advance for the replies!
I've given myself three options, two mini keg options, and then obviously a full corny option.
I like the idea of the party options because I am still a college student, living in on campus housing (on campus apartment with a full kitchen, of course). While homebrewing isn't against the rules, kegging can be tough because of the "open container" policy the school's got. I can have a couple small kegs that are easily hidden, if anything ever happens. I'm worried about getting involved with the party systems though, because many of them aren't that much less expensive than the full 5gal system, and seem to last a fraction of the amount of time, and are almost more of a pain in the ass than they're worth.
I've done my research into the 5gal systems, and have even found a couple, decently priced kegs locally. I know that they are relatively small, and should be pretty easy to stuff into a fridge (I've got a mini fridge that SHOULD have enough room, but i'm not totally certain because it's not right in front of me at the moment, and won't be for a little while longer). My biggest question however is, how big does a CO2 tank really need to be? I'm a pretty avid paintballer, and have a couple old 20oz tanks left over from my early days in the sport. Can those be used? do they have a decent lifespan?
basically what it comes down to here is, are the party systems worth it in the long run? or should I just go all out and start with a 5gal system?
thanks in advance for the replies!