Few keg questions

[AndyRN]

1. Where do you guys like to buy used ball lock kegs? I found a guy on ebay selling pairs of two for $100 plus $25 shipping. He says he will throw in a new o-ring kit as well.

2. Where do you go to get CO2 filled? Do most places that fill CO2 sell/rent the CO2 tanks or should I buy one ahead?

3. How long does homebrew keg beer last?

Thanks.

 

[day_trippr]

1 - sounds like the Florida outfit that generally gets good reviews. I bought my kegs years ago when they weren't anywhere near so dear.

2 - most places do tank exchanges, and sometimes you can end up with something gnarly. I don't recommend buying tanks unless you know for sure of a reasonably priced and easily accessible refill-on-demand site, lest you wave bye-bye to a new tank.

fwiw, my lhbs has a tank program which is convenient enough to make up for the small premium. I have three tanks in their program.

3 - "Lasts" is a nebulous metric. Most aroma and flavor characters attenuate with time and the rate increases with temperature. Keeping a good beer cold will definitely extend its original character versus sitting at room temperature while waiting for space in a kegerator.

The longest I've kept one keg on-line was an epic stout that I nursed for almost six months before its replacement was ready...

Cheers!

 

[dnslater]

1. Where do you guys like to buy used ball lock kegs? I found a guy on ebay selling pairs of two for $100 plus $25 shipping. He says he will throw in a new o-ring kit as well.

2. Where do you go to get CO2 filled? Do most places that fill CO2 sell/rent the CO2 tanks or should I buy one ahead?

3. How long does homebrew keg beer last?

Thanks.

As long as Homebrew is kept cold and away from oxygen/light/heat - it will last a long time. I have tried bottles of my homebrew that were 3 years old and they were great. Usually stouts, porters and Belgians. Of course hops character will fade fast, so hoppy ales should be dranks in couple of months. Also beers like cream ales and wheat beers are better fresh.

 

[j1n]

Look for co2 tank deals on craigslist. i got 20lb tanks for $35 each. Price difference from 5lb of co2 vs 20lb is only a few dollars at most places that do exchanges. Dont waste your time with 5lbs tanks. use use a 5lb just to pus the beer outo f the keg in the kegerator. 20lbs for carbing.

Get new kegs. you can find deals on new kegs for $80. its a little bit more but you get a brand new keg and no need to recondition or replace o rings.

It depends on how you store it. cold temps will help it last longer.

 

[Rev2010]

I get my tanks refilled at a Gases supply business in the vicinity. They charge me $11 for a 5lb tank refill which is great. The price can vary wildly depending on the place and some give insane prices. One place I called wanted $33 to refill a 5lb tank. I laughed in his face and hung up. I have two tanks, always good to have a backup if it runs out.


Rev.

 

[drgoodbrew]

great question. here's my 2 cents...

1) my local HBS does a huge online business and they are awesome to deal with--> adventures in homebrewing www.hombrewing.org. unless you find a better deal loacally or on craigslist, they are a great start. also check out keg connection.com

2) i bought a 5lb and 10lb tank from the above mentioned HBS and get them filled there for $2/lb. tanks are only good for so long before they need to be re-tested (5 years?). also check out local RV/camper retailers, as they usually fill most types of common gas (propane, co2, etc.).

3) depending on what you're making, it can last a long time. i've had kegs go in 4 hours (parties) and have conditioned beer in kegs for over a year. as long as you keep them carbed and in a cool place, they will be fine.

as for ball locks, my preference is for pin locks...i find them easier to work with and use, but that is my preference.

 

[philipCT]

A fellow homebrewer suggested I go to our local beer distributor to get CO2 refills. Same price as everywhere else but a lot closer to me. While I was there, chatted with the president, who was very friendly and enthusiastic about homebrewing, showed me around, and offered to help me out with any keg-related small parts I ever needed too. Showed me their parts room where they had hundreds of different types of parts.

While I was there, I also bought 4 ball-lock cornies for $35 each. Yes, they were pretty beat-up, but one of the warehouse guys pressure checked each of them before I left. I spent about an hour and a half cleaning them up, after which they looked like any of the used kegs you buy from any online places for $60 each.

On balance, a pretty sweet deal, so it may be worth checking out if you have a beer distributor locally.