Kegging Equipment

Starting to gather everything I need to start kegging my beer. Have a couple kegs and a refrigerator so far. Looking for best pricing for a 5 lb. co2 tank and a twin body regulator for regulating two kegs. I've searched around and so far the best prices I've found are a 5 lb. co2 tank here http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/gas-cylinders-pid-430A-5E.html
for $67.50 shipped and the regulator for $95 at Midwest Supplies. Does anyone know of anywhere that has better prices? Thanks in advance!

Micromatic the best prices I could find on the web for CO2 tanks and quality regulators. I bought my tank and regulators from them. The price of their premium regulators is equal to or better than most other's economy regulators.

Some people will poo poo the idea of buying a CO2 tank. They will say that it is better to find a welding supply store and just rent the tank. When its empty, you just swap it for a full one. You can avoid having to get your own tank re-certified every few years by renting.

I for one like having my own "shiny new" tank. I found a fire extinguisher supplier 5 minutes from my house that will fill my 10 lb tank for $12 while I wait

John

The guy at my local carbonated beverage supply explained that by the time you pay the deposit plus rental for 6 months, you've already covered the cost of the tank including the first fill. Other places simply don't rent tanks. I figure the resale would be at least 50% of the purchase price which in this case is $137 for a 20lb. If I use it for 3 years and resell at $70, no loss in my mind. Get this... he said he'd give away the Cornies he had on hand, one for every pair of disconnects I buy. Apparently they're off the books since coke/pepsi have converted to bags o syrup. After I told him I only plan to run two kegs on the reg at a time but would like to age other batches in a few extras, he said he could probably work it out if I bought the 20lb tank too. Sounds almost too good. I didn't ask what the disconnects cost but i have to get down there to see what the cornies look like.

try these guys
http://www.brewersdiscount.com/productCat15948.ctlg

johnsma22 said:

I for one like having my own "shiny new" tank. I found a fire extinguisher supplier 5 minutes from my house that will fill my 10 lb tank for $12 while I wait
John

Click to expand...

I agree. The rental ones look like someone used them to hammer in railroad spikes. I prefer the shiny aluminum one I have, even if it means I have to drop it off overnite.

Look on eBay for a guy by the name of Tom Hargrave. I think his eBay store name is THARGRAV. If that's not it, just go to his website http://www.kegkits.com/

I got my brand new 10lb tank (with the big handle/valve guard) from him along with some other kegging bits. I think I paid about $65 for it as part of a package deal. If you have the room, pay the extra money for a 10lb tank. Refilling it at a local welding shop costs about $15 (about $3 more than a 5lb tank) and you save half the trips for refills.

He has single and dual regulators for good prices, too.

Check www.beveragefactory.com as well. I got all my kegging equipment from them and at the time I price compared, they were cheaper than Micromatic... I'm closer to them too though for shipping rates.

Example 5# new CO2 tank - $56.

The dual regulator I got was the one in the link below for $45.95 and works just fine for me.
http://www.beveragefactory.com/342-2.shtml

I appreciate all the responses! One question I have in my hunt I guess is when it comes to regulators. I'm wanting to keep 2 different styles of beer on tap at most times. Will I be ok just purchasing a double guage regulator that keeps me running the same pressures in both tanks, or should I spend the extra money and buy a double regulator (3 guages) that will allow me to control different carbonating pressures in each of the tanks? How often do the pressures vary and for what styles? Master plan is to have a lighter beer and a darker beer on tap at all times. Suggestions on where I should start?

If you like a variety of styles, you'll want to have the extra versatility of the double-regulator system. For example, if you had say... an American Brown Ale and a Bavarian Weizen on tap at the same time. The latter style requires roughly twice as much CO2 by volume as the former. If you had just one regulator, one of your beers would be either way over-carbed or way under-carbed.

Take a look at the this web page: http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/carbonation.html

It's a great calculator for setting the pressure based on style and storage temps. The rest of the site is pretty cool, too.