interested in getting into kegging but have a few questions

[2ellas]

Hello all,

I'm considering making the jump to kegging. I'm curious to know what the benefits are besides not having to bottle.

I'd also like to know what I should look for in a setup. I do 5 gallon batches and would like to have 2 kegs going at any given time. I have a spare fridge in the basement and would like to run the two lines to the kitchen which is directly above the fridge.

Any advice is welcome and appreciated!

 

[Remmy]

#1 for me is: Quicker turn-around time from when the beer is done fermenting to when you're drinking a carbonated beer.

#2: The bonus of not having to sanitize bottles, fill each one with beer and cap each bottle.

#3: Not having to wait 2-3 weeks for my beer to bottle condition. With kegging, I get to drink the beer the day after I rack it into a keg.

That's pretty much it for me.

 

[Hello]

Kegging is definitely faster. You can bottle from a keg if you wish to share. I do it all of the time. Kegging means I am drinking my finished beer faster, like that dude above said. Also, I have one vessel to sanitize, not a bunch. I just prefer it overall.

For your application, you need to look into a way to keep the lines from the fridge to the kitchen cold or you need to figure out how you need to adjust your PSI so that you're not getting straight foam to the kitchen. there are many people who have posted their setups that are quite similar in the DIY section.

Overall, kegging cost me a fair pretty penny up front, but I would do it again and again. Just today I racked a beer into a keg and stuck it on gas in under 30 minutes. Bottling took me hours.

 

[estricklin]

Remmy pretty much nailed the benefits of kegging. You will have to buy C02 though, but if your careful a bottle should last you a while.

I bought a complete 2 keg setup from kegco on amazon. The lids on my old ball locks actually leak a tiny bit when there isn't much pressure on them so I kinda keep my c02 off unless I need to serve or am actually carbonating. Next time I might buy new kegs dunno. Having a long line between the keg and your tap is very helpful for controlling foam, say 15-20 ft. If your tap is too far from your keg you may have issues with the beer not being cold anymore, as it sounds like your tap isn't going to be in a non refrigerated space.

 

[jmward21]

I keg and I love it. Besides what Remmy stated, the obvious reason is that it is f*ing awesome to have your own beer on draft!!! It is a sweet feeling to grab a pint glass and to pour yourself a pint of homebrew.

For your set-up, you will need to do some research on pressure drops. You will also have an issue with keeping the beer in the lines cold. You would need to insulate the lines and run a chilled coolant line along side of the 2 beer lines. Other wise, you will be drinking warm beer. I would suggest keeping it simple for now. Turn the fridge into a standard kegerator. Learn more by reading and messing around with your setup. Later down the road, make the system to send the beer upstairs.

 

[LandoLincoln]

My favorite thing about kegging is the fact that if you screw up the carbonation, you can fix it. With bottling, not so much.

Cleaning and de-labeling bottles is awful too.

 

[jmward21]

Here is a good read on line balancing. You would need to run a large diameter line, but I think the 10-14ft height change should work.

http://beersmith.com/blog/2011/07/14/keg-line-length-balancing-the-science-of-draft-beer/

 

[Onkel_Udo]

Hello all,
I'd also like to know what I should look for in a setup. I do 5 gallon batches and would like to have 2 kegs going at any given time. I have a spare fridge in the basement and would like to run the two lines to the kitchen which is directly above the fridge.

Thought this certainly is possible it will be a challenge. You will have either add a collar to that fridge or put one, maybe two, sizable holes in it. You then have to either:

1) Add a glycol feed and return line to your two beer lines that are likely about 12' long. You will need to insulate the whole bundle. You will need a pump with enough head to move the glycol and a resevoir for it inside the fridge.

2) Add a 4" insulated duct with the liquid lines in it and at least 3" return duct. There will need to be a blower one end of the duct.

In short, it would probably be easier to either go down the stairs to pull a pint or get a dedicated kegarator of some sort upstairs...depending on how fancy you get it is likely cheaper as well.

 

[2ellas]

Very good info! Does it help cut down on oxidation vs. bottling as well? How about the actual setup? Ball lock, pin lock, single pressure gauge with a splitter, dual pressure gauge without splitter, picnic taps, stout faucets? There's a lot of info out there but I'd like to see what folks more experienced than myself are using with success.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

Very good info! Does it help cut down on oxidation vs. bottling as well? How about the actual setup? Ball lock, pin lock, single pressure gauge with a splitter, dual pressure gauge without splitter, picnic taps, stout faucets? There's a lot of info out there but I'd like to see what folks more experienced than myself are using with success.

Start simple:

Either two sixtels or two ball-locks
CO2 from a local welding supply (smaller is better if you put it in the fridge, larger is better any other time)
Two picnic taps with AT LEAST 6' and preferably 10' lines
I only think a single gauge is needed but I carbonate to about the same levels for all my beers...I am a heathen
Gas splitter with shut-off valves

 

[jmward21]

Starting out I would suggest no stout faucet. That requires a different gas tank, regulator, etc.

With your 2 tap setup, I would do a 2 gauge "single output" regulator with a "Y" splitter. I have all refurbished coke kegs (fittings replaced with ball locks). Pin locks are cheaper, but ball locks are more widely used. Like I said before, I would skip on the upstairs delivery for now. I would just convert the fridge and then upgrade down the road.

This would be about as cheap as possible and you would still need to buy a CO2 tank and the kegs themselves (about $300 total). You can piece it together for cheaper if you find deals on craigslist.
http://www.kegconnection.com/2-faucet-basic-homebrew-kegerator-kit/

To step it up a level, buy faucets and bulkheads. This will cost another $45
http://www.kegconnection.com/2-faucet-fridge-homebrew-kegerator-kit/

The options are endless. What is your budget and are you "do it yourself" guy? You can make this as cheap or extravagant as your heart desires.

 

[Yesfan]

I agree with the others to skimp on the upstairs delivery for now. I could probably do the same thing with my setup, but I don't mind using a growler to minimize trips up/down the stairs to the keezer.


If your budget will allow, I would get a dual body regulator. This will let you carb up one keg while serving from another. This would also allow you to serve two beers at two different pressures. Don't skimp on getting a few extra used kegs. You're going for a two tap setup, but it wouldn't hurt to have at least double the amount of kegs (4-5) for that setup. I use my extra kegs from everything to aging a batch to holding cleaner/sanitizer to run through my lines.

Another thing is to make your own beer gun so you can bottle off the taps.



Kegging is a wonderful thing. :fro:

 

[2ellas]

Looks like the upstairs delivery is not a viable option at the moment and I'm fine with that. I like the idea of the growler fill to keep trips to the basement at a minimum. As for budget, I think I can get approval for about $250 from the boss/wife. I'm a diy'er to the max so the more I can do myself, the better.

 

[2ellas]

One other question I have is what would be needed to connect a 1/6th keg to a normal ball lock or pin lock set up? Is that even feasible/worth doing?

 

[Newsman]

Well, Pin-locks are cheaper, and you can't really mix up which is gas in with which is liquid out. On the other hand, the pin locks are fatter (I think) and so require more space. Also the lids don't come with a manual PRV, which a lot of people like. On the other OTHER hand, it's not that big of a deal to replace the PRV with a manual PRV or just use a key or something on the gas in post to release pressure.

 

[jmward21]

One other question I have is what would be needed to connect a 1/6th keg to a normal ball lock or pin lock set up? Is that even feasible/worth doing?

You would need a couple of things. The first is you need to purchase a Sanke Coupler. This is the standard American coupler for 1/6, 1/4 and 1/2 barrels. The sanke runs anywhere from 25 to 50 dollars depending on brand.

The second is where you have options. You can either make up new gas and beer lines. Switch them out as needed. Or you can purchase this neat conversation kit. It is made only for ball locks. The convesation kit is $30. I purchased one of these and it worked great. No need to change anything in your set up. Just thread up the fittings onto the sanke and then connect the ball locks as usual. One watch out is the height of keg will grow quite a bit with the sanke, conversation fitting, and ball lock fitting installed.

This is a picture of my setup a couple of months ago.

 

[jmward21]

Also, if you only want to run a 1/6 barrel on one of your taps, just buy the sanke and save the money on the corny keg and fittings. To help with the budget you could run 1 1/6 barrel and 1 corny.

Honestly the options are limitless. Just decide what you want and start creating a list of parts. There are plenty of premade kits but you will save money if you piece it together.

 

[2ellas]

Very nice setup. I thought the 1/6 kegs were more than 5 gallons though. But then again, I'm not sure where I even heard that.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

Very nice setup. I thought the 1/6 kegs were more than 5 gallons though. But then again, I'm not sure where I even heard that.

How big is a half barrel...your know, a regular keg? 15.5/3 = 5.16 gallons so technically you are correct.

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/buying-beer-in-kegs.html

 

[jmward21]

They cost more to buy, if thats what you mean. A 1/6 barrel is about the same size as a corny. Only go 1/6 barrel if you buy commercial beer.

 

[uncleleon]

Best investment in home brewing!