Help me decide-all grain or a kegerator

[Chriso]

Just remember that AG is a slippery slope. It's great - dont misunderstand me - but it encourages more and more spending. First it's a wort chiller. Then it's a grain mill. Then it's a bigger wort chiller. Then it's a 10 gal brewpot. Then it's a 100qt mash tun. Then it's a bigger burner. Then it's another regulator and propane tank so you can use two burners. Then it's another 10 gal kettle for a hot liquor tun. Then it's multiple mash tuns "just in case". Then it's an all-electric single-tier pump-based cart. Then it's two more March pumps. Then it's a heat exchanger coil in your HLT. Then it's converting from propane to NG. Then it's jumping to 20 gallon batches with your new 120qt kettle. I'm drowning somewhere in the middle of that list.

Kegging is more of an initial investment...up-front cost for kegs and a CO2 and a craigslist fridge and shanks and fittings and faucets (forward-seal, preferably).... but once you've got it assembled.... then the only thing you "really" lust after is more kegs.

 

[Choguy03]

I don't agree with that. The $600 you spend to get hooked up with a keg setup is a tough investment to make. For $60 you can make a MLT and you are set. Sure there may be little things that you get to help out, but not $600 worth. I know I haven't spent that much and I am quite happy with my AG setup.

 

[mmb]

Ummm, both?

Really. Both.

But get a few more extracts in yah first. It's good for the soul.

 

[Homercidal]

I don't agree with that. The $600 you spend to get hooked up with a keg setup is a tough investment to make. For $60 you can make a MLT and you are set. Sure there may be little things that you get to help out, but not $600 worth. I know I haven't spent that much and I am quite happy with my AG setup.

+ 1. Yes, you "can" get caught up in continual spending, but the reality is that it costs more to start in kegging, unless you happen to buy all cheap, used equipment, which is not always possible.

To start in AG, you basically need a bigger pot and bigger flame (turkey fryer) and MLT (cheap cooler and some pvc, essentially). The rest is stuff you ought to have anyway.

Of course you need to crack the grain, so a mill might make sense, but lots of places will crush it for you, so that's not likely to be a necessity. (I built my mill with scraps from work, so it only costed me a a couple of dollars for bolts and bushings. Try to be handy!!)

Plus, when you get to AG, you can buy in bulk, which means that once you've got the ingredients, you can brew more often for the same price, which will likely make your brewing much better through experience.

 

[Seawolfe]

If money was an issue, I'd start with AG and work towards kegging, because keg deals show up if you are patient. I'm not sure of the fuss about kegerators? We just put kegs with picnic taps in the (free) fridge. Heck, if you live in a college town, one might just show up cheap or free at semesters end.

All Grain:
- get the grain crushed a the LHBS
- buy a tamale pot at a grocery store (we just found a 52 quart one for $33)
- make a mash tun with a manifold (~$45?)
- buy or make a wort chiller (~ $25?)
- get a good thermometer if you don't already have one
- let friends and family know you need an outdoor burner and tank from their old turkey fryer setup, promise to return it for thanksgiving.

Let EVERYONE know you are looking for kegs and keg equipment cheap, check for deals, and build up your equipment as you go. Post a flyer at your LHBS.

Kegging:
- we started with two cheap kegs (used, $20 each?) and have grown the pack to 8.
- a friend gave us their old CO2 pony bottle and regulator.
- we got an old fridge for free, it holds 2 kegs and the CO2 bottle when all but the top shelves are out.
- tubing, spare o-rings, picnic taps and manifold for CO2 were maybe $50?

 

[Special Hops]

I don't agree with that. The $600 you spend to get hooked up with a keg setup is a tough investment to make. For $60 you can make a MLT and you are set. Sure there may be little things that you get to help out, but not $600 worth. I know I haven't spent that much and I am quite happy with my AG setup.

If you look around you can get set up with a kegorator for way less then 600. I did it for probably about $200.

- Used Sanyo Fridge on ebay - 90 shipped
- 20 lbs CO tank on ebay ~ 60 shipped
- Had a corny keg already but figure about ~25
- Regulator & misc hoses, picnic tap - ~50

Total - $200 (plus 25 if you don't have a corny)
I used a picnic tap for about a year and then upgraded to a two tap tower when I added my second keg. But it just goes to show it does not have to be so expensive.

 

[Choguy03]

a corny is more then 25. You still have to get is shipped unless you get lucky. A used fridge for $90 I think you just got really lucky.

Edit: Technically you got a fridge and put a keg in it. I think kegerator means tower and all that as well.

 

[mmb]

a corny is more then 25. You still have to get is shipped unless you get lucky. A used fridge for $90 I think you just got really lucky.

Edit: Technically you got a fridge and put a keg in it. I think kegerator means tower and all that as well.

Kegerator means a keg in a refrigerator. A tower is just making it fancy.

And every used fridge (4) I've ever "bought" has been free in the paper or on the side of the road. They do exist, Virginia.

 

[Special Hops]

a corny is more then 25. You still have to get is shipped unless you get lucky. A used fridge for $90 I think you just got really lucky.

Edit: Technically you got a fridge and put a keg in it. I think kegerator means tower and all that as well.

Yeah I got lucky on the fridge. But if you are patient and look around I bet you can find similar deals

And yes - At first I did have a fridge with a keg in it and a picnic faucet. But it got me kegging and not have to bottle any more. Then later I upgrade to the tower etc.

I was just trying to say that if you look around and are patient you can keg for a lot less then you might think.

 

[Choguy03]

Well I hope I get the same deal as you guys did. I pray because I don't want to bottle anymore either. I have been looking on craigslist and ebay for fridges in my area and nothing. The cheapest I could get a corny to me is like almost 40 a piece, that is including shipping. The CO2 tank I haven't really looked around, but that would probably be the cheapest thing to get.

 

[Laurel]

I ended up buying all-new stuff because I couldn't find stuff that I wanted used, and ultimately, I know I'll be happier with a kegerator that I like to look at than I will be with one that I saved a couple hundred dollars on. All together, I spent $600 plus the cost of kegs for all-new stuff, including Perlick Faucets. I don't consider picnic taps on a keg in the fridge to be a kegerator though. I think a kegerator is a draft-beer setup complete with real taps in a dedicated fridge.

 

[RC0032]

I ended up buying all-new stuff because I couldn't find stuff that I wanted used, and ultimately, I know I'll be happier with a kegerator that I like to look at than I will be with one that I saved a couple hundred dollars on. All together, I spent $600 plus the cost of kegs for all-new stuff, including Perlick Faucets. I don't consider picnic taps on a keg in the fridge to be a kegerator though. I think a kegerator is a draft-beer setup complete with real taps in a dedicated fridge.

and that brings us to the question: was it worth building one over just buying one. Im in the same boat at you, no where to hid something ugly and it needs to be wife approved and match the kitchen. That means SS and professional looking in my case. For $600 (plus say $100 for shipping) I can have that.

 

[Laurel]

and that brings us to the question: was it worth building one over just buying one. Im in the same boat at you, no where to hid something ugly and it needs to be wife approved and match the kitchen. That means SS and professional looking in my case. For $600 (plus say $100 for shipping) I can have that.

Mine came out to $600 including shipping.

From what I've seen, the kegerators premade cost around $650-$700 and are designed for the sankey style kegs, only have one faucet, and don't use perlicks. Kegconnection has "homebrew" style ones for around the same amount that come with everything, but then you have to factor in shipping, and there's still SOME assembly required. IMO, DIY is a slightly better way to go because it's less expensive(slightly), looks just as nice (he's selling you converted sanyo fridges), and you get to control the quality of the parts you're putting into it.

 

[beerthirty]

All grain. A better beer and cheaper than extract so you can save towards kegging equipment faster.