Current Bottler, Future Kegger - Advice Appreciated!

[Brew_G]

The subject says it all - I'm a fairly new homebrewer (started brewing last October) and have been bottling since Day One. I don't really mind bottling, but there are a number of reasons why I'd like to go to kegs.

My plan is to have three beers on tap, and I figured I'd patiently wait until I found a few cornies at a good price, then slowly start buying stuff for my kegerator build. Thanks to a recent equipment sale by an HBT member (jwad), I was able to score four ball-lock kegs at a great price, so now I'm looking into my next purchase(s).

Right now, Beverage Factory has Perlick 630SS faucet/shank combos for 25% off their marked price (including coupon code - http://www.beveragefactory.com/draftbeer/faucets/faucets/perlick630_stainless_combo_shtml). They also have a Taprite dual body regulator for what I think is a decent price ($99.99 plus an additional 5% off).

So...a couple things:

1) What's the consensus on Beverage Factory customer service?
2) How do these prices look? Do folks think I can wait a bit and get better prices at a future date? Shipping for all of this would be a little under $20.

I realize I have plenty of other things to buy, but I can get those locally or at no shipping cost. I'm also in no huge rush, so I'm OK with waiting for a little bit if I can get the regulator and faucet combo at a better price in the future.

I'm really excited to start my build and eventually have kegged homebrews flowing on a regular basis, so feedback is appreciated!

 

[SteveH aka shetc]

Price looks good on the combo - you'll love the 630ss.

 

[dontpanic13]

I actually ordered that same combo since it was the cheapest around by quite a bit. I ended up ordering them through ebay since shipping came out to be cheaper but it was still sold by BeverageFactory, still waiting on delivery but so far so good.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Perlick-630...teel-Draft-Beer-Shank-Combo-Kit-/111753988023

 

[Brew_G]

Price looks good on the combo - you'll love the 630ss.

Thanks. I've been researching this for a while, and it seems to me that folks really like the Perlick stainless stuff. Glad to hear that those prices are good.

By the way...I plan to pick up a three-way manifold to go with the dual body regulator just in case I decide to go with an extra tap in the future.

 

[GaBrewZoo]

Why be in a hurry. I watch craigslist every day and catch the GREAT deals. My first find was two ball lock kegs for $40. I then found a sankey keg, regulator, two 5# co2 tanks and a chrome tap and 4" shank for $90. I had an old fridge and got connectors and picnic taps and have been using that for about 9 months. My daughter got married a couple months ago and I was making the beer for it, and found 6 pin lock kegs that I picked up for $75. They were still full of Coke and Sprite syrup. I had been planning on building a 4 tap collared keezer, and found a larger coffin style keezer with 7 Perlick 650SS taps, 2 stout taps, 4 place secondary regulator, 5# co2 tank w/reg, nitrogen tank w/reg, temp controller and already built for less than it would have cost me to build the 4 tap keezer. Like I said, patience pays off. If you don't need it now, keep your eyes open and wait.

 

[Brew_G]

Thanks for the reply, GaBrewZoo.

I guess the big thing for me is that when it comes to the parts more prone to fail I want to make sure I get higher-quality stuff. Also, getting them new removes doubt about past performance and potential issues with it. That's why I'd like to get the 630s and a new Taprite regulator. I really want to go all-out for this.

I'm going to wait for a fridge, and I've got my sights on some other second-hand stuff, but I want to take advantage of good prices for the regulator and faucets/shanks when they come up.

 

[alukaiser]

Get long (8 ft+) serving lines. I got 3 footers for my first setup and had constant foam issues - took me like two years and a helpful LHBS guy to figure it out.

I really like fittings that you can screw on and off, it makes cleaning the lines out so much easier. Its not really descriptive but its one of these dealios: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002EAJXW/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Brew_G]

Good advice on the fittings, @alukaiser. I hadn't thought of that before.

I was thinking of 10' lines, since I've read about the foaming issues. I figure that I shouldn't have space issues with three kegs in a full-sized fridge kegerator.

 

[doug293cz]

Good advice on the fittings, @alukaiser. I hadn't thought of that before.

I was thinking of 10' lines, since I've read about the foaming issues. I figure that I shouldn't have space issues with three kegs in a full-sized fridge kegerator.

10' lines should work well, unless you want to serve highly carbed beers. In that case take a look at the calculator here to determine what line length you need.

That's a good price on the Taprite dual body (I think I paid $105 for mine), and Taprite is a good brand. I agree with getting known good items for the critical parts of the system. It can save a lot of grief later.

Brew on

 

[TheMadKing]

http://www.homebrewsupply.com/learn/kegging-101-from-cleaning-to-pint.html

Give this a read

 

[bkboiler]

I've had good experiences in person with beverage factory and also using their online system and talking to them on the phone.
I have a kegco regulator, co2 bottle, and all associated fittings and shank from them. Never had an issue.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Buy the flow control perlick faucet.It will take all the aggravation out of kegging.Foam,long lines,balancing ETC.You will not find a single bad comment about them.
With the flow control I used the 4 ft lines the tower came with and get perfect pours.I tried 7 ,9,10 ft lines as most do here and got no head after the first or second pour..Now its perfect with no long lines to deal with.They will be your kegging best friend

 

[Brew_G]

Awesome feedback, everyone. I really appreciate it!

And that kegging primer from homebrewingsupply.com is pretty money.

 

[TheMadKing]

Awesome feedback, everyone. I really appreciate it!

And that kegging primer from homebrewingsupply.com is pretty money.

Hey thanks! Appreciate the appreciation

 

[Brew_G]

Just bought the regulator and faucet/shank combo.

It begins...

 

[hifidelity]

Beverage Factory service is second to none. One of the nuts that holds the faucet on the shank (it may have a name but I forgot it) of the first Kegco 309 I bought from them (I've bought 2 309's from them) was machined incorrectly and wouldn't thread on the faucet. I called them up and explained the problem and they were more than happy to ship one to me for free.

 

[Brew_G]

Beverage Factory service is second to none. One of the nuts that holds the faucet on the shank (it may have a name but I forgot it) of the first Kegco 309 I bought from them (I've bought 2 309's from them) was machined incorrectly and wouldn't thread on the faucet. I called them up and explained the problem and they were more than happy to ship one to me for free.

Great to hear! I hope I don't have to deal with their customer service, but I really wanted to make sure that the higher-end pieces of equipment were covered just in case of malfunction or failure. You simply can't do that with second-hand equipment.

Disconnects, lines, manifold, tank, new o-rings, and fridge are still in the list. And then the build, of course!

 

[Brew_G]

Next question: Should I go with barbed or MFL connections for the gas lines?

I'm planning to go with MFL connections for the beer lines (to go win Accuflex Bev Seal tubing), but I'm wondering if there's any real benefit to going MFL for the gas lines. I figure that, since it shouldn't be necessary to change out/disconnect the gas lines very often, then there's no real benefit to complicating matters by trying to go with MFL.

Thoughts?

 

[GaBrewZoo]

I have the Accuflex with the John Guest connectors. LOVE EM. So I have MFL liquid and barb gas. No reason to use MFL gas, and have to buy barb swivels. More money and an extra potential leak source.

 

[Brew_G]

I have the Accuflex with the John Guest connectors. LOVE EM. So I have MFL liquid and barb gas. No reason to use MFL gas, and have to buy barb swivels. More money and an extra potential leak source.

Just what I was hoping to hear. Thanks!

 

[Brew_G]

630SS combo and regulator were delivered yesterday; tubing, fittings, disconnects, o-rings, and manifold should arrive on Friday!

I'm really only in need of a fridge and CO2 tank at this point. I suppose I do need a faucet wrench and a hole saw/step bit, but I have pretty much everything on the way. I'm not expecting to get a fridge for at least a few months, so it's going to kill me to have all this gear available and not be able to put it all together!

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Should have spent the money on the flow control. LOL Check craigslist for the fridge and tank.The tank condition doesn't matter as long as its still certified.It gets swapped out everytime you get a refill

 

[Brew_G]

Should have spent the money on the flow control. LOL Check craigslist for the fridge and tank.The tank condition doesn't matter as long as its still certified.It gets swapped out everytime you get a refill

I'm starting pretty much from scratch, so I was pushing it just to buy at this price on the 630SS combo! Getting the flow control faucets and shanks would have been a bit much.

I've been looking on craigslist for a tank, but I'm shopping around for a good price. I'm thinking of getting a 10-20 lb tank, rather than a 5 lb tank, so it's all about the waiting game. As for the fridge, the wife and I are probably getting a new one for our kitchen in the next few months, so I'll just use the old one (Kenmore side-by-side) for the kegerator.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

I'm starting pretty much from scratch, so I was pushing it just to buy at this price on the 630SS combo! Getting the flow control faucets and shanks would have been a bit much.

I've been looking on craigslist for a tank, but I'm shopping around for a good price. I'm thinking of getting a 10-20 lb tank, rather than a 5 lb tank, so it's all about the waiting game. As for the fridge, the wife and I are probably getting a new one for our kitchen in the next few months, so I'll just use the old one (Kenmore side-by-side) for the kegerator.

I have a 10# tank.It last a long long time.I probably only fill the tank 3 times a year.I don't use a regular fridge but I think most here don't use a side by side.Not that it cant be done.Im sure someone will chime in with more experience with those.I would think the side by side wouldn't work if you want a 1/2 barrel of commercial if you take a homebrew break.Im a 3 season brewer.To hot in the summer and way to many other things to do.Its nice to have the option

 

[Brew_G]

I have a 10# tank.It last a long long time.I probably only fill the tank 3 times a year.I don't use a regular fridge but I think most here don't use a side by side.Not that it cant be done.Im sure someone will chime in with more experience with those.I would think the side by side wouldn't work if you want a 1/2 barrel of commercial if you take a homebrew break.Im a 3 season brewer.To hot in the summer and way to many other things to do.Its nice to have the option

No plans or desire to have a commercial keg in my kegerator, and there will be plenty of room for my three-tap setup with an extra keg for aging/conditioning. I'm really not worried about that. The only reason I'd go with a different fridge is for aesthetic reasons and if I came across one free of charge. It'll sit in my basement anyways, so it's not like it'll be sitting in the middle of the dining room and needs to be super pretty.

I brew once a month, on average, all year round, so I expect to have a regular pipeline of seasonal beers. Brewday is less than four hours (and possibly as little as three hours), so I can sneak in a brew in the morning and be ready for my day by noon.

 

[Brew_G]

Farmhouse package came today, and they made a mistake that I thought they might - they sent me MFL gas disconnects instead of barb. I'll have to give them a call and get the right ones sent...

 

[Brew_G]

So tonight I FINALLY picked up the final piece of my kegerator puzzle: the refrigerator. I grabbed an 18.2 cu ft fridge from Craigslist and will hopefully get around to the build this weekend or next. I have everything else now, including a full 20 lb tank, so it's just a matter of measuring out, drilling the holes, installing the shanks/faucets and then letting 'er rip!

I'd debated building a keezer, but decided on the easier kegerator route. I just don't have the time or wherewithal to do a keezer build, so the kegerator works just fine for my needs. It'll reside in my basement, so it'll be more functional than a piece of furniture, so I'm absolutely good with it. Besides...it's got plenty of space for all my beer and a freezer that will allow me to keep all my cold brewing items in one place.

Can't wait to get it going and finally pull that first beer from my own tap!