Enough of bottling!

[jbb3]

As I was bending over the tub rinsing oxi-clean off bottles with hot water, I thought; You know, I LOVE brewing AND drinking my own beer, but this bottling stuff sux!

I mean, it's kinda cool seeing bottles of your own brew. And the bottling itself is not all that bad. But all the upkeep and maintenance of all those bottles... And I almost always pour it in a glass anyway!

So, given this is Cyber Monday and all... I went crazy and bought an Igloo 7.1 cu ft chest freezer and (2) ball lock kegs! KEEZER TIME!!!

I was also looking at faucets, regulators, tubing, shanks, couplers, disconnects, manifold, and, and, and... holy crap!

About the only thing I decided for sure is to buy SS faucets and shanks. Everything else...

Is there a sticky or a thread that someone can point me to that provides recommendations on all the crap you need to build a keezer? Not the keezer itself but all the kegging stuff??

From what I've read; tubing size/type/length matter to having a good pour from your taps. I REALLY don't want to spend all this time and money only to pull a handle and get a glass full of foam if I can help it.

Any help, recommendations, pointers, tips tricks, etc... would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[FloppyKnockers]

I was in the same boat as you a couple weeks ago. After trolling the interwebs for info on building one, I gave up and bought a two-tap KegCo. If you're insistent on building one I did find someone else's build here that looks like he knows what he's doing. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f252/my-keezer-build-462561/ . For parts and pieces, check out bevereagefactory, kegconnection, or kegerator dot coms.

Good luck, man. I want to see pictures.

 

[beersk]

Depending on how much you drink, bottling is practical for many people. Kegging is also totally awesome and easy. If I were you, I would've just gone with picnic taps to start. They're simple and easy to maintain and very easily replaceable/cheap.

As far as bottle maintenance, you just need to rinse them really well after pouring a beer and store them upside down. That's all you really need to do. When you want to bottle another batch, all you should need to do is sanitize them.

 

[brewprint]

I did the same thing a couple of weeks ago. Bottling sucks big time...when it's 50 beers. Bottling can also be done out of the keg which is just awesome.

I went with a 2 picnic tap system, single regulator. You will need to buy a digital temperature controller. I bought a Ranco 111000 on Ebay for $45. I bought an extension cord to wire it and used a video on youtube. So far so good.

I also decided that I should've just bought a 3 keg system so I ended up getting another picnic tap and a T connector. This way all 3 kegs will be the same pressure but at this stage in life I don't care. I've been using 5oz of priming sugar for EVERY bottled beer so how much different could it be?

I ordered used pin lock kegs and everything that I ordered was from Homebrewing.org. That's Adventures in Homebrewing. Their prices are good/competitive and I had about a 30 minute conversation on the phone with a guy there. So because of all the help and time I ordered from them.

 

[ph0ngwh0ng]

Hi! I was once in your situation. I can relate.

CO2 tank: If you have access to quick refills locally, go with the biggest you can afford (10 lbs or more). Otherwise, go with two tanks (what your budget affords).

Beer line: Is cheap. Buy mucho. Go for 15' for each keg. You can underestimate, but never overestimate beer line length. Hoppy beers will color and "flavor" those so be prepared to change them often. DO NOT BUY OETIKER CLAMPS.

Faucets, shanks, etc: Depends on your keezer build. Go for what you like.

Bottle filler: You'll be able to rig yourself something. Plenty of DIY threads out there (look in the stickies). DON'T BUY THE BLICHMANN FILLER (unless you're rich)!!!

Useful links:

http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php
http://www.mikesoltys.com/2012/09/17/determining-proper-hose-length-for-your-kegerator/#calc

Cheers!

 

[Monkey-BB]

Once you go to kegs you'll never go back to bottles.....
Unless you have a little bit left over from the fermentor!

 

[LandoLincoln]

Air side:

CO2 tank: Go as big as you can. A 20 pound tank costs about twice as much as a 5 pound tank but holds four times the gas. A 20 pound tank costs about 1/3 more to fill than a 5 pound tank. Bigger equals more economical, plus less trips to the gas store to refill.

Regulator: I'd start out with a single valve regulator and then later on if you decide you'd like more then it's pretty easy to add on more later.

Air line: I like the red rubbery stuff that they sell at places like kegconnection.

Hose clamps: Nothing fancy needed. Simple hose clamps from Home Depot or Lowes will be fine.

Air line quick disconnects: Depends on if you have ball lock or pin lock kegs. Just get the right ones. Go with the ones that have MFL swivel connectors instead of just the barbs. They're more pricey but those MFL connections really come in handy.

Liquid side:

Quick disconnects: Pretty much the same advice as the air disconnects.

Beer line: Inside diameter and length are important. If you're making a keezer you'll want to go with 3/16" ID tubing, and at least 10' per line.

Picnic taps: A very easy and economical way to start kegging. No shame in starting off with these. But if you want the whole shebang...

Faucet assemblies:

Tail piece for faucet: Typically, chrome shanks have a tail piece built in to the shank and stainless shanks do not, so do yourself a favor and go all stainless and get stainless tail pieces. Chrome and beer don't like each other, and chrome will tarnish and eventually dissolve, leaving you with garbage that needs to be replaced. Just go stainless and get stainless 3/16" tail pieces and the associated rubber gasket that goes with them.

Shanks: Again, stainless is highly recommended. You'll notice a lot of people have shanks that are way way longer than what's needed to go through their keezer collars. This is because the more mass the shank has, the cooler the shank stays, and the less foaming issues you may encounter. I'd recommend a 3" shank.

Faucets: Stainless and forward-sealing, which usually means Perlicks. Leave them to your kids when you die, because they'll still be working long after you're not.

Other stuff:

Faucet wrench: Very useful and cheap.

DIY beer line cleaner: Incredibly useful.

 

[LandoLincoln]

Oops. I forgot about the air distributor.

Air distributor: Figure out how many kegs your keezer can hold and just buy an air distributor than can service that many kegs. Yes, they're ridiculously pricey for a metal bar and some valves, but...eh. Buy once, cry once. Make sure that the valves are all check valves which will prevent beer from going from one keg to other kegs in the event of one keg being over-pressurized and over-full.

 

[poptarts]

I highly recommend KegConnection, all their parts are nice quality, they use the real stuff. And if you buy the kits the come pretty much assembled. I just jumped in for black Friday and my stuff came Monday, stupid fast free shipping. Still getting everything hooked up and assembled and cleaned.

 

[brewprint]

Remember to measure for the size of the co2 tank. I have a 6.8 cuft magic chef keezer. I can hold 3 kegs and another 1 possibly 2 3 gallon kegs. I CANNOT fit larger than a 5lb co2 tank inside. Now if I get rid of a keg I could but that's not feasible. If you build a collar and install the co2 on the outside then you could. I could fit another 5 gallon keg or possibly 2 with a collar.

 

[ChefRex]

I highly recommend KegConnection, all their parts are nice quality, they use the real stuff. And if you buy the kits the come pretty much assembled. I just jumped in for black Friday and my stuff came Monday, stupid fast free shipping. Still getting everything hooked up and assembled and cleaned.

Kegs next to the ****ter? But at least it's barricaded

Don't get rid of all your bottles, I had kegging capabilities when I started to brew and have since learned the beauty of bottle conditioning.

 

[tg123]

good recommendations above. I'd also recommend MFL over barbs. I have barbs on mine and they're a pain to work with especially if you need to change the lines. Planning on upgrading everything later when I get rich (which may never happen)

I bought most of my keg setup from BirdmanBrewing since they had the best prices at the time. I also see pretty good prices at RiteBrew. It's good if you make a big order because the shipping is combined. If you need a couple of things, the additional shipping cost may not be worth it. I shopped around for a bit and compared prices before I decided on ordering from BirdmanBrewing

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Kegging is Da Sh*t ! I cant stand cleaning up bottles after a party let alone washing them.Plus it just feels cool pulling a tap in your own house.The only advise I can give is a Perlick flow control tap.Works like a charm.Some might call it cheating...I call it a perfect pour EVERYTIME!

 

[jbb3]

Man, there is some great information here!



Lando should write a sticky! Everybody shared some good information. The more you read the more you learn. And I learned not to put kegs near the toilet. It just doesn't look right...

I like the idea of the flow control Perlicks. The keezer will be downstairs on a carpeted floor so having the ability to shut the valve to prevent accidental spills due to a bump of a tap or an equipment failure of some kind, would be a good thing to have.

 

[beersk]

Some might call it cheating...I call it a perfect pour EVERYTIME!

Pour 2 beers in a row, that second one won't have a perfect pour...it might have very little head.
Either way, both kegging and bottling have their place. For parties, definitely kegging. If you don't drink much, brew small batches, and it's for personal consumption and aging, definitely bottling. But they're both great in their own ways. Personally, I like to do both. I brew 7 gallons, bottle a gallon, and keg the rest so I have an archive.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Pour 2 beers in a row, that second one won't have a perfect pour...it might have very little head.
Either way, both kegging and bottling have their place. For parties, definitely kegging. If you don't drink much, brew small batches, and it's for personal consumption and aging, definitely bottling. But they're both great in their own ways. Personally, I like to do both. I brew 7 gallons, bottle a gallon, and keg the rest so I have an archive.

Ill admit I pour only for myself so not many two in row.Why would two in row=little head? I dial it down on first pour to minimize foam(tower setup) and then leave it wide open for the night.Never had a problem.

 

[LandoLincoln]

Some more stuff I thought of:

Swivel barbs: If you're going MFL with your quick disconnects, then you'll need to get the corresponding swivel barbs and nuts. 3/16" for liquid side, 5/16" for the gas side.

Air distributor - barb or MFL?
Some air distributors have MFL connections and some have simple hose barbs. I'd recommend just simple hose barbs. There's not much need to remove air lines from the air distributor once everything is set up, and the barbs will be cheaper, since you won't have to buy another set of swivel barbs / nuts.

 

[beersk]

Ill admit I pour only for myself so not many two in row.Why would two in row=little head? I dial it down on first pour to minimize foam(tower setup) and then leave it wide open for the night.Never had a problem.

Huh...well, my system pours the first beer perfectly, then if a beer is immediately poured after that, the lines have had a chance to get cold and the beer pours with very little head. Maybe I'm doing something wrong...
It always seemed to me that picnic taps pour the same every time. Wonder why that is.

 

[jbb3]

Ill admit I pour only for myself so not many two in row.Why would two in row=little head? I dial it down on first pour to minimize foam(tower setup) and then leave it wide open for the night.Never had a problem.

For me, beer is like a Lays potato chip, you can't drink just one...

The beauty of the flow control, you can adjust each pour as you pour (so I read and watch videos).

This guy is a little wordy... but shows a good demo.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Huh...well, my system pours the first beer perfectly, then if a beer is immediately poured after that, the lines have had a chance to get cold and the beer pours with very little head. Maybe I'm doing something wrong...
It always seemed to me that picnic taps pour the same every time. Wonder why that is.

Just guessing but maybe your temp/O2 ratio is off on the cold side.The first beer is a little warmer and gives a good pour After that its to cold. When I first setup my keg I figured why not get the iciest cold beer I could get.The beer was carbed with no head and kinda gassy tasting.I turned up the temp and it corrected the problem.leaving the first beer a little foamy but the rest are good

 

[jbb3]

Some more stuff I thought of:

Swivel barbs: If you're going MFL with your quick disconnects, then you'll need to get the corresponding swivel barbs and nuts. 3/16" for liquid side, 5/16" for the gas side.

Air distributor - barb or MFL?
Some air distributors have MFL connections and some have simple hose barbs. I'd recommend just simple hose barbs. There's not much need to remove air lines from the air distributor once everything is set up, and the barbs will be cheaper, since you won't have to buy another set of swivel barbs / nuts.

Sounds like MFL/Swivel barbs for liquid and hose barbs for gas is the way to go. That should save some money at least!? THX!

 

[LandoLincoln]

Sounds like MFL/Swivel barbs for liquid and hose barbs for gas is the way to go. That should save some money at least!? THX!

I'd recommend MFL connections for both gas and liquid at the ends of the lines where they meet the keg quick disconnects, and hose barbs at the other end of each line.

 

[beersk]

Just guessing but maybe your temp/O2 ratio is off on the cold side.The first beer is a little warmer and gives a good pour After that its to cold. When I first setup my keg I figured why not get the iciest cold beer I could get.The beer was carbed with no head and kinda gassy tasting.I turned up the temp and it corrected the problem.leaving the first beer a little foamy but the rest are good

I have mine setup to pour right the first time. I could use a fan in my kegerator to cool the lines, that'd help.

Those flow control faucets look nice too.

 

[poptarts]

I finally got my stuff all set up, kegs out of the bathroom , everything seems nice. Those faucets do work like the guy in the video you can pretty much shut them off with the flow dial.

 

[atoughram]

Once you go to kegs you'll never go back to bottles.....
Unless you have a little bit left over from the fermentor!

I went to kegs... and then back to bottle partial and full batches.

Kegs are kinda hard to take camping, hunting, fishing....

 

[poptarts]

Thats what growlers are for, and hunting and beer shouldn't mix like ever.

 

[Monkey-BB]

Thats what growlers are for, and hunting and beer shouldn't mix like ever.

I like to keep a nip of whiskey in my hunting bag... That 1/2 hour you wait after you arrow a deer...to recover it is the perfect time to enjoy a nice nip.

 

[jbb3]

I went to kegs... and then back to bottle partial and full batches.

Kegs are kinda hard to take camping, hunting, fishing....

Here you go! A portable kegerator to take camping, hunting and fishing !!


View attachment 239803

 

[wtaylor3]

Here you go! A portable kegerator to take camping, hunting and fishing !!


View attachment 239803

I'm not sure SWMBO would enjoy it, but I need three of these lol

 

[ltwhiskers]

I empathize. I still haven't made the jump to kegging. Just use the 22 ozers instead of the 12. Less bottles that way.