sanke kegerators?

since i am getting into brewing a little late in the grande scheme of things, it seems the once copious amounts of corny kegs are now starting to become more scarce, and therefore more expensive...

sanke kegs on the other hand can be had more readily...

so i guess what im asking is, other than the fact that cornys used to be plentiful, why not just use sankes? also, i am posting to see what some of you HBT'ers have done for sanke kegerators, if at all...

 

Cornies are easier to come by for me. Unless I want to spend $40 on an empty keg and steal it from the brewery who owns it. Either way...sankes are harder to clean, and much heavier.

 

meh, im not buying the harder to clean argument... plenty of people just soak overnight w/ oxiclean

 

$30-40 is expensive for a corny? how much cheaper is the sanke keg?

 

Legally obtained sanke kegs start at about $100, which is significantly more than corny kegs. Even if you ignore the legal and ethical issues of stealing a keg from a brewery, corny kegs can be found for less than a keg deposit in most areas. Around here a deposit runs $35 and cornys sell for $25-$30.

 

soaking the dip tube on a sanke does not completely clean it. and no mater how easy the videos make it look, some times getting the locking ring out of a sanke is a real pain in the a**.

lets recap:

sankes are not as cost effective as a cornie
sankes are not easier to clean/sani than a cornie
sankes are not easier to come by vs a cornie
sankes are more cumbersome than a cornie.

Jamie, i think this myth is busted...

 

sanke is only good if you want to buy 5 gallons from a local brewery because well sanke is the standard and they don't use soda kegs aka cornies for kegging.

i suggest if you want to go sanke just get one sanke valve and have it so you have the option of buying a keg and using it.


-=Jason=-

 

Until you've tried it, I wouldn't trust "plenty of people". Yes, oxiclean may get the grime off, but it also leaves a film. I've never been able to get that film off with just spraying it. It takes a little scrubbing by hand.

 

ok, so at what point do cornies not become the homebrew standard? i don't think you can deny the fact that they def aren't as cheap (free) as they once were

 

I have a supplier with a several hundred I have been buying low and selling for $25 and there are several places like this throughout the United States. I find it had to believe the elusive cornie is on the endangered species list.

-=Jason=-

 

Yeah if you look around a little you should be able to find ball lock corny kegs for $25-30. Granted they aren't as plentiful and cheap as they once were but they are not exactly in short supply.

 

I surfed craigslist using searchtempest dot com, which allows multiple city searches based on mileage from your zip code. Within a week I found a source for pin locks at 20 a keg, pressure tested, just needed cleanup. Pin locks work just as well, and there is no cost difference in the disconnects when you order them.

Orlando

 

The source you found had them for 20 per in Orlando? If you could let me know where that would be great

Do ball / pin lock really make any difference besides the disconnects they require?

 

i believe the jist of your original question was which is cheaper and easier to get...

no, they are not free but are still cheaper than a sanke keg.

to answer your new question, probably when they are all gone, although i would hate to think of having to use sankes, unless they all have the bung cut out and replaced with a cornie lid.

im not worried about it, i have purchased enough to last.

 

do tell about these places throughout the us... i just called my pepsi bottling co and they don't sell the "pre-mix containers". he had never heard of the term "corny keg" either it seems...

 

Get what you can get. That's the bottom line.

Cornys are cheaper than Sankes just about anywhere.

Ball lock kegs are taller and thinner then pin lock kegs. If that doesn't matter to you there is no difference.
(Some pin lock cornys don't have pressure release valves - That may be an issue for you)

I don't buy any of the arguments against sanke kegs.
A sixtel is not any more cumbersome than a corny IMO.
Removing and cleaning the spear is not difficult at all - Once you get the hang of it, and have the proper tools around (Read: Ice pick or small screw driver) - Hey - You need specialty tools for pin lock cornys too...
Cleaning a sanke is gravy - Just like a corny
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that there are tons of people here that use cornys that can't get their hand inside to scrub. I've never hand scrubbed the inside of any of my cornys. I've never scrubbed the inside of any of my sankes either. I use a carboy brush for both, when necessary.
I haven't died yet, and my beer is just fine.

Use what you want. Cornys aren't going anywhere any time soon. The price may go up a little, but they won't disappear.

In the end, it comes down to what you have available to keep you beer cold, what kind of kegs you can get your hands on, and how many of them you can fit inside of it. That's what should ultimately make your decision for you.

 

I get abused 22.5L Sanke kegs for $15 from a local brewery (New Belgium). I use Kegman Kits on them and periodically have guest taps. I've even take my kegs to get filled at various breweries around the west and drive them home (Rogue, Terminal Gravity etc). I've never had any cleanliness issues and I've been kegging with Sankes since 2001.

 

I have sankes as well and am trying to get into kegging...I am going to by kegman kit for spring...does it work good??? Easy to install???

 

Popping out the ring gets old after a while when compared to corny kegs. The volume of beer is more with sanke kegs and you can simply get a keg of quality commercial beer (perfect if you live close to a great brewery) into your kegerator. The kegman setup is fine when you get the routine down, but not as easy as corny kegs.