Any Advice for compact kegging?

[r4dyce]

I posted this in the kegging forum but figured I'd post it here too since I've never kegged before and there's lots of helpful people here.

I don't really have the space/refrigeration to dedicate to a full 5gal corny set up. My goal is to set something up in the 1 to 2.5 gallon range to keep in our regular kitchen fridge (compact) or to bring with us on a boat (portable).

From what I've researched I guess my plan would be to either sugar prime in the keg, or force carb with a CO2 bottle in the basement and then use a small charger to keep up serving pressure in the fridge.

Questions:
Does my plan seem logical?

I've seen 1 gallon up to 1.75 gallon "cannon ball kegs" , something similar called a "torpedo keg" and also 2.5 gal corny. Does anyone have experience with these smaller kegs? Do any of them fit in a regular fridge with fittings attached? Any advantages/disadvantages?

Do I need different connections if I'm using a CO2 tank to force carb and then switching to the smaller cannisters to serve?

I realize it might cost similar to go up to a full 5gal setup but that really won't work in my situation. I also realize I could Google a lot of this, haha but I like to hear what others have tried.

Thanks in advance

 

[giraffe]

I brew with a friend and take a couple gallons home in a 3 gal corny keg each week. I have it in a mini fridge but i did use it on the bottom shelf of a full refrigerator in my last place. (It takes up a fair amount of space, but i only lived with one other person.) I keep a 5lb co2 tank next to the fridge and hit it with co2 every day or every 5 or 6 pints. While keeping it on constantly is ideal, this works well enough. Just change the psi when you force carb, and then turn it down for serving.

I used to use a party tap on a 10 ft line tied up when i used a normal fridge, now i have a proper tap in the min fridge. Both are fine.

The 3 gallon fits nicely in my frame backpack, so its ideal to bring places.

(dont sugar prime if you are going to travel with on a boat, there will likely be more yeast, it will be hard to get clear beer)

 

[alexnova]

I posted this in the kegging forum but figured I'd post it here too since I've never kegged before and there's lots of helpful people here.

I don't really have the space/refrigeration to dedicate to a full 5gal corny set up. My goal is to set something up in the 1 to 2.5 gallon range to keep in our regular kitchen fridge (compact) or to bring with us on a boat (portable).

From what I've researched I guess my plan would be to either sugar prime in the keg, or force carb with a CO2 bottle in the basement and then use a small charger to keep up serving pressure in the fridge.

Questions:
Does my plan seem logical?

I've seen 1 gallon up to 1.75 gallon "cannon ball kegs" , something similar called a "torpedo keg" and also 2.5 gal corny. Does anyone have experience with these smaller kegs? Do any of them fit in a regular fridge with fittings attached? Any advantages/disadvantages?

Do I need different connections if I'm using a CO2 tank to force carb and then switching to the smaller cannisters to serve?

I realize it might cost similar to go up to a full 5gal setup but that really won't work in my situation. I also realize I could Google a lot of this, haha but I like to hear what others have tried.

Thanks in advance

Yep, quite logical. I have some 2.5gal cornys and a 1.6gal Torpedo. Smaller kegs will naturally take up less space and be easier to stash in a fridge. The Torpedo doesn't take up much more space than a 1gal milk jug. There are also mini-regulators that take 74g threaded CO2 (and even N2) cartridges. You can also get a faucet adapter so you can attach a tap directly to a MFL liquid quick disconnect. This is my go-to set-up if I want to take more than a growler's worth or be super awesome and pour on nitro.

Here's my Torpedo with a creamer tap and mini-regulator:

The downside is that it's $$. I can probably get a full-size system for what this portable rig costs.

 

[jmcquesten]

I replied to the other thread from a temporary username. I have that BeerBox system for sale, it's brand new. It's a great portable serving solution.

View attachment 1487593203183.jpg

 

[JoeSTL]

I'm in the same boat. Don't have space for a kegerator, but want to start kegging. I also don't want to stop bottling completely. So I just bought a 3 gallon keg & regulator from Northern Brewer, and a 5 pound CO2 tank on Amazon. After I rearrange the shelves in my fridge, the keg and tank will fit nicely on one side. I will just use a party faucet to dispense the beer. So with 5 gallon batches, I'll keg 3 and bottle the rest. Can't wait to get it all hooked up!

 

[bfish]

….My goal is to set something up in the 1 to 2.5 gallon range to keep in our regular kitchen fridge (compact) or to bring with us on a boat (portable)……..

If I were in your situation I think I would be using soda bottles? Either carbing with sugar or using one of the carbonation caps (Liquid Bread or Kent or stainless). I don't find half cornies to be that portable.