Got my kegs, A little overwhelmed beyond that

[bboyeruga]

So I recently got a great deal on 4 reconditioned ball lock kegs for $50 each. I'm trying to figure out everything else I need. Here's the list I've got:

• 2x Ball Lock Gas Line Assembly (4')
• 2x Ball Lock Picnic tap Beer Line Assembly (10')
• Dual Regulator
• Growler filler
• CO2 tank
• Beer line cleaning kit
• O-Rings
• Keg Lube

I've also got some questions on the logistics of kegging vs bottling.

I'm only one person and don't drink my beers fast enough (my fridge has bottles back to 6 months ago). My question is how do you guys manage having variety available? Can you drink a keg partially then hook up another keg? I'm trying to stick to a 2 keg keezer build in the near future.

Also welcoming any advice or "I wish I had gotten this earlier".

 

[USAFSooner]

So I recently got a great deal on 4 reconditioned ball lock kegs for $50 each. I'm trying to figure out everything else I need. Here's the list I've got:

• 2x Ball Lock Gas Line Assembly (4')
  
• 2x Ball Lock Picnic tap Beer Line Assembly (10')
  
• Dual Regulator
  
• Growler filler
  
• CO2 tank
  
• Beer line cleaning kit
  
• O-Rings
  
• Keg Lube
  

I've also got some questions on the logistics of kegging vs bottling.



I'm only one person and don't drink my beers fast enough (my fridge has bottles back to 6 months ago). My question is how do you guys manage having variety available? Can you drink a keg partially then hook up another keg? I'm trying to stick to a 2 keg keezer build in the near future.



Also welcoming any advice or "I wish I had gotten this earlier".

That looks pretty close to a complete list you can change out to shanks and taps later. For the line cleaner you can make one for cheap from a 1 gallon pump sprayer from Lowes or HD. You unscrew the wand from the handle, add a brass fitting and a firestone beer out ball lock post. Add hot water, oxy free, click your beer line one and pump it to push the cleaner through.

You can swap kegs out half way. Just don't depressurize them. Don't forget hose clamps.


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[Foosier]

As far as dealing with keeping a variety of beer. With 2 kegs you can obviously keep 2 different brews going at one time. I ran off one keg for the longest time and just kept drinking the keg until the next brew was ready then filled bottles off the keg to make room for the next brew. This worked pretty well. I also have not found a favorite recipe yet. As a result, I do not have a beer I keep on tap constantly. I keep trying different styles. This keeps it fresh for me. I try to brew to the limits of my equipment and how fast I drink my beers. It seems like you already know what this is for you. Kegging just makes this a bit easier to manage.

 

[decoleur]

consider getting a three way gas distributor so you can attach a beer gun or just purge the air out of your fermentation chamber without having to disconnect a keg. rite brew has been having some sick sales recently.

Cheers!

 

[insanim8er]

You got everything you needy to dispense. Like mentioned above, you may want shake and faucets at some point.

I suggest you read up on how to balance a keg system (just google it. There are several good sites)

You'll also want to learn how to carbonate your kegs by using a beer carbonation chart (it'll tell you the proper PSI depending on the temp and beer style)

I have over 20 five gallon kegs and 14 three gallon kegs. I swap mine out all the time since I only have a 2 faucet kegerator (but it does a 3 gal with the two 5) I just disconnect and put it in the basement. Sometimes I keep a keg or two in the basement fridge and have them connected to picnic taps...

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

Here is a good reference chart for temps and PSI to give you the volume of co2 to compare against style guidelines.


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[bboyeruga]

Wow. Awesome feedback guys. Thank God I just made $10K by selling my car. This list is getting pretty expensive. Luckily I got the Kegs for $50 each.

 

[USAFSooner]

There's a guy on here from IL selling CO2 tanks by the name of Scotty. He should be able to get you a used tank fairly cheap.


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[day_trippr]

[...]I suggest you read up on how to balance a keg system (just google it. There are several good sites)[...]

Actually, there is only one good site to learn how to balance a dispensing system...

Cheers!

 

[Stealthcruiser]

bboyeruga, where in Atlanta are you located?

 

[bboyeruga]

West Midtown. You?

 

[bboyeruga]

Okay, so my next question is should I just spring for more taps and build my keezer right? I've got 4 kegs, so let's assume I have 3 drinkable at any one time. Is it worth it to spring for the extra tap or just rotate around 2?

Also, I'm a bit confused about primary vs secondary regulators. How best should I daisy-chain them to reduce cost, but also have enough CO2 spots to prime 1 keg while serving 2 or 3 more?

 

[bboyeruga]

Also, I'd like to eventually get a nitrogen tank and do iced coffee or a nitro tap. Any special requirements from a regulator standpoint? I'm guessing it would need to be separate or not in line with the CO2 one described above (obviously).

 

[Stealthcruiser]

West Midtown. You?

Southside, Hampton...........'Bout 6 miles North of Atl. Raceway, off 19/41

 

[bboyeruga]

Southside, Hampton...........'Bout 6 miles North of Atl. Raceway, off 19/41

Awesome. Well if you're ever wanting to have a group brew day or swap, let me know.

 

[b-boy]

Okay, so my next question is should I just spring for more taps and build my keezer right? I've got 4 kegs, so let's assume I have 3 drinkable at any one time. Is it worth it to spring for the extra tap or just rotate around 2?

Also, I'm a bit confused about primary vs secondary regulators. How best should I daisy-chain them to reduce cost, but also have enough CO2 spots to prime 1 keg while serving 2 or 3 more?

You can never have enough taps. That being said, they are easy to add at any time, so I'd see how the 2-tapper works out.

As far as regulators, you really only need one unless you want to server or carbonate at different pressures. All you need is one regulator and a splitter to add multiple gas lines. You can even use a series of Ts if you want to keep costs down.

http://www.rebelbrewer.com/shop/gas-side/3-way-air-distributor/
http://www.rebelbrewer.com/shop/gas-side/stainless-tee-gas-splitter/

 

[b-boy]

Okay, so my next question is should I just spring for more taps and build my keezer right? I've got 4 kegs, so let's assume I have 3 drinkable at any one time. Is it worth it to spring for the extra tap or just rotate around 2?

Also, I'm a bit confused about primary vs secondary regulators. How best should I daisy-chain them to reduce cost, but also have enough CO2 spots to prime 1 keg while serving 2 or 3 more?

You can never have enough taps. That being said, they are easy to add at any time, so I'd see how the 2-tapper works out.

As far as regulators, you really only need one unless you want to serve or carbonate at different pressures. All you need is one regulator and a splitter to add multiple gas lines. You can even use a series of Ts if you want to keep costs down.

http://www.rebelbrewer.com/shop/gas-side/3-way-air-distributor/
http://www.rebelbrewer.com/shop/gas-side/stainless-tee-gas-splitter/

 

[Stealthcruiser]

Awesome. Well if you're ever wanting to have a group brew day or swap, let me know.

Will do!
I am a member of the South Atlanta Homebrewers, and we get together for some LARGE brewdays sometimes, to the tune of 3, 55 gallon drums for our club brewin' setup!

I'll message ya' next time we put one together, and folks bring their "personal" setups as well, since there is already some brewin' goin' on!

 

[Howhownow]

Two is a good start, just make sure to build in such a way that it would be easy and aesthetically pleasing to add 1-2 additional taps. Maybe run with the 2 picnic taps until you decide if you need the additional line.
I have had a 2-tapper fridge for years, and I keep variety by bottling a 12-pack+ out of each keg before carbonation, then add carb drops. I even did a write-up that was on the front page here for a minute.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/My-Easy-Kegging-and-Bottling-Procedure-homebrew-talk.html

 

[bboyeruga]

Two is a good start, just make sure to build in such a way that it would be easy and aesthetically pleasing to add 1-2 additional taps. Maybe run with the 2 picnic taps until you decide if you need the additional line.
I have had a 2-tapper fridge for years, and I keep variety by bottling a 12-pack+ out of each keg before carbonation, then add carb drops. I even did a write-up that was on the front page here for a minute.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/My-Easy-Kegging-and-Bottling-Procedure-homebrew-talk.html

That's a fantastic idea. I'm getting ahead of myself. I guess all I really need right now is a CO2 tank, gas lines, picnic taps, and a regulator. No real point to shelling out all the cash right now for everything.

Also i love the bottling idea. I bought about $150 in different color combinations to differentiate my beers and I was wondering what was a good way to keg+bottle. Question, do those carbonation drops every over carbonate? I've had some trouble lately getting perfect carbonation (most of mine end up slightly overcarbed to the point where they overflow out of the bottle within 10-30 seconds). That's one reason I was going to invest in a beer gun and start upping the quality of the brews I give away.

 

[bboyeruga]

Will do!
I am a member of the South Atlanta Homebrewers, and we get together for some LARGE brewdays sometimes, to the tune of 3, 55 gallon drums for our club brewin' setup!

I'll message ya' next time we put one together, and folks bring their "personal" setups as well, since there is already some brewin' goin' on!

Awesome. Yeah, let me know. I'd love to come one day.

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

... I was wondering what was a good way to keg+bottle.

You should also give the Biermuncher's bottle filler thread a good read.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/we-no-need-no-stinking-beer-gun-24678/

That way you can fill bottles and cap directly from the keg which will leave your bottles sediment free as there won't be any fermentation occurring in the bottle to carb it.


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[Howhownow]

I have tried the homemade bottle fillers with a good bit of success. In my experience, I always lost a bit of beer, and it was always kind of a hassle. Filling before carbonation is a really low-stress process for me, and I can easily do it alone and lose no beer. I have had carb drops overcarb an occasional beer using these: http://www.hopgoblin.com/Brewers-Be...iY3J0SqKuM3pawZq-C9BRm2pZQaAqVB8P8HAQ&click=2
I Just ordered these with high hopes: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/prime-dose-carbonation-tablets-200-count.html
A bit pricey ($.20/beer), but for me worth it for the convenience.

 

[bboyeruga]

You should also give the Biermuncher's bottle filler thread a good read.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/we-no-need-no-stinking-beer-gun-24678/

That way you can fill bottles and cap directly from the keg which will leave your bottles sediment free as there won't be any fermentation occurring in the bottle to carb it.


Sent from somewhere to someone

Yeah, I read through that. Seems like a lot more hassle. Money isn't really an issue at this point, so I'm just looking for convenience.

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

To be honest I forgo the stopper and all that and just jam the bottling wand in the end if the picnic tap, bleed the keg, set regulator to 3PSI to push, and fill with minimal foaming and decent carbonation still in the resultant. There are certainly better(some more expensive) ways to do it. But in the end it's all trivial because we all strive to brew the best beer to us with the resources available. Give 20 homebrewers a recipe wind up with 20 different beers and all that.


Sent from somewhere to someone

 

[bboyeruga]

To be honest I forgo the stopper and all that and just jam the bottling wand in the end if the picnic tap, bleed the keg, set regulator to 3PSI to push, and fill with minimal foaming and decent carbonation still in the resultant. There are certainly better(some more expensive) ways to do it. But in the end it's all trivial because we all strive to brew the best beer to us with the resources available. Give 20 homebrewers a recipe wind up with 20 different beers and all that.


Sent from somewhere to someone

Yeah, I was wondering why no one did this. I mean, when they fill growlers at a store, they don't use counterpressure or chill the bottles.

I dropped $500 on a full set of connections and serving equipment last night that I'll just need to play with. Now to figure out what kind of keezer I want to build!

 

[coolharry]

Yeah, I was wondering why no one did this. I mean, when they fill growlers at a store, they don't use counterpressure or chill the bottles.

Most places don't do any of that for growler fills because its assumed that the growler will be consumed quickly, within a day or two. A new place opened near me and has a counter pressure growler filling station, and the way they fill you could let that growler sit as long as any bottle without much depreciation in quality.

 

[Howhownow]

Well, you have come to the right place for keezer inspiration!

 

[bboyeruga]

Well, you have come to the right place for keezer inspiration!

Yep. Went through all 500 pages of the kegerator thread. Need to do some measurements and head to Home Depot.

 

[ericbw]

So I recently got a great deal on 4 reconditioned ball lock kegs for $50 each. I'm trying to figure out everything else I need. Here's the list I've got:

• 2x Ball Lock Gas Line Assembly (4')
  
• 2x Ball Lock Picnic tap Beer Line Assembly (10')
  
• Dual Regulator
  
• Growler filler
  
• CO2 tank
  
• Beer line cleaning kit
  
• O-Rings
  
• Keg Lube
  

I've also got some questions on the logistics of kegging vs bottling.



I'm only one person and don't drink my beers fast enough (my fridge has bottles back to 6 months ago). My question is how do you guys manage having variety available? Can you drink a keg partially then hook up another keg? I'm trying to stick to a 2 keg keezer build in the near future.



Also welcoming any advice or "I wish I had gotten this earlier".

I even think the growler filler is "extra" right now. The rest of the list is good. Like people have said, a single regulator and manifold is also a good way to go. Then you can expand to 4 or however many kegs you have.

Also if you shop right at places like keg connection, you can get a dual regulator without the third gauge, which is useless anyway. If you want multiple regulators, that's the way to go.

Lots of choices.

 

[bboyeruga]

I even think the growler filler is "extra" right now. The rest of the list is good. Like people have said, a single regulator and manifold is also a good way to go. Then you can expand to 4 or however many kegs you have.

Also if you shop right at places like keg connection, you can get a dual regulator without the third gauge, which is useless anyway. If you want multiple regulators, that's the way to go.

Lots of choices.

Yep. I bought everything at keg connection. Got their 4 tap fridge system with only 3 taps. Dual primary reg and 3 way distributor. That gives me the ability to serve 3 beers at 2 different pressures or 3 at the same pressure and the ability to force carb on the fourth.

 

[bboyeruga]

For those interested, I got the 4 tap system at KegConnection. It was amazing. Already put together and worked perfectly. Here's a picture!