Enough of bottling!

[brewprint]

I just poured my first...well 5 glasses from the keg. A Sol clone. It's been at 9 psi for 6 days. It's carbonated but not quite how I'd like it. I think for the next keg I'm going to do 30 psi for 24 or 36 hours then back down to 9.

 

[atoughram]

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


View attachment 239803

Hmm.. double product cold bed....

 

[atoughram]

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

Wow... What do you do in the evenings after a long day out in the woods?? Needlepoint?

I leave to go elk hunting for nine days. Growlers wont work..

 

[poptarts]

ok well thats different, i was picturing you with a 12 gauge in 1 hand and a beer in the other.

 

[jbb3]

Ok, I have come to the brutal realization that the cost of the freezer is only a SMALL part of putting together a keezer... :smack:

I was initially going to buy a dual body regulator so I could burst carb one keg while the other kegs were at the target pressure. Now, I'm looking for places to reduce cost without sacrificing quality or too much functionality.

Are you guys suffering through two weeks of set it and forget it carbing? Or do you have other methods of burst carbing without using a dual body regulator??

 

[FloppyKnockers]

Air side:A 20 pound tank costs about twice as much as a 5 pound tank but holds four times the gas.

We get it, we get it. You're awesome at math...don't rub it in.

 

[brewprint]

Ok, I have come to the brutal realization that the cost of the freezer is only a SMALL part of putting together a keezer... :smack:

I was initially going to buy a dual body regulator so I could burst carb one keg while the other kegs were at the target pressure. Now, I'm looking for places to reduce cost without sacrificing quality or too much functionality.

Are you guys suffering through two weeks of set it and forget it carbing? Or do you have other methods of burst carbing without using a dual body regulator??

Here's what I plan to do next. I have a single body regulator. Since I'll have 2 more batches ready to keg this weekend; first I'm going to disconnect the keg that's been under pressure for a week. Then I'm going to hook up the other two kegs and put them at 30 psi for 24-36 hours. Then put them down to 9 and hook up the other keg and leave them alone.

If you remove the line from a keg it's not going to lose anything unless there's a bad seal.

 

[LandoLincoln]

Ok, I have come to the brutal realization that the cost of the freezer is only a SMALL part of putting together a keezer... :smack:

I was initially going to buy a dual body regulator so I could burst carb one keg while the other kegs were at the target pressure. Now, I'm looking for places to reduce cost without sacrificing quality or too much functionality.

Are you guys suffering through two weeks of set it and forget it carbing? Or do you have other methods of burst carbing without using a dual body regulator??

I use the set it and forget it method, and my beer is carbed up usually in 11 days.

 

[atoughram]

Or do you have other methods of burst carbing without using a dual body regulator??

Seal the keg, chill it down to serving temperature, put 35psi of C02 on it and shake it until you can hear any gas flowing into solution.

It's not the best way but it works.

I keg condition all of my brews, but I'm rotating 8 kegs and probably 8 cases of bombers so there is always beer around.

 

[poptarts]

just shake it at desired psi. if you set and forget at say 12, just fill up the keg, get it cold and shake it around, then top off with 12 again and keep repeating till it doesn't accept any more co2. then set it on the gas and give it a day or 2 and you will have perfect carbonation. doing it this method prevents over carbonation.

 

[jbb3]

I use the set it and forget it method, and my beer is carbed up usually in 11 days.

Would be fine once I get my pipeline full. But one of the things that swayed me to kegging, other than no/less bottling, is the reduced time to carb.

The shake method sounds interesting...

 

[jbb3]

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

Thanks for the RiteBrew tip! Overall, their prices seem to be the best.

 

[doug293cz]

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.

Why don't you like the Oetiker clamps?

Brew on

 

[ColeVet67]

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.

Adventures in Homebrewing - i Have personally been to this place (visiting a friend in Michigan) Huge place, people are friendly.. would deff order anything from them..

 

[ph0ngwh0ng]

Why don't you like the Oetiker clamps?

Brew on

While having a clean look, I find myself disassembling things often for cleaning/changing lines, and oetiker clamps are a pain to get off. Might use them for co2 lines though.

 

[Sport303]

While having a clean look, I find myself disassembling things often for cleaning/changing lines, and oetiker clamps are a pain to get off. Might use them for co2 lines though.

Just slide a razor blade underneath the free end and pop it off. When you get home from the emergency room, do another one.

I can usually pop them off by prying up the free end with a screwdriver without much fight. I think their equal pressure around the line and their ability to maintain their "roundness" when tightened are more important than the look. But I realize many (most?) people use worm drive clamps with no issues at all. Some pre-assembled draft equipment I've bought has worm drive, too.

 

[ubnserved]

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


View attachment 239803

Doesn't the beer get kinda warm? Lots of head on the first part of the pour.