Is home bar regulating easy?

[kirr4]

Hi everyone! Just joined

I was thinking about adding a draft keg system in my basement and was curious how difficult it is

The reason I say this is because I heard if you don't regulate the co2 in your beer, it can give you headaches and nausea. Is a draft system worth this risk? Or am I better off just installing a couple of large fridges and just purchasing bottles of beer?

I guess I'm wondering if its something I'm going to have to continuously monitor. Like, if I set it once, do I have to continuously monitor it every time I wanna use it? Or even monitor it daily?

Thanks!

 

[Franktalk]

The idea that draft beer gives you headaches is a myth.

 

[kirr4]

So I went to a bar and felt horrible at night. The next day I asked the water and he explained that maybe the co2 was set too high. That's when I started researching and heard about this issue.

 

[Jtvann]

Headaches and nausea ... no. Flat beer or foamy beer, yes.

In my opinion, it's easy and worth it. There is a fun factor of pouring your own draft beer vs bottles with friends.

What you need is a good constant temp source to store your beer. It should be set and forget. This can be as simple as a mini fridge for a keg, a commercial kegerator, a DIY freezer for multiple kegs, or a full blown walk in cold room. As long as the temp is cold and stable, you're good. Cold being anywhere from 35-41 degrees. Temp range is debatable like everything else.

Measure distance from kegs to taps to figure line length, CO2 pressure etc.

Once it's dialed in, you just need top make sure CO2 doesn't run out. I've been dispensing 3 kegs off one tank for about a year now with no adjustments.

 

[firerat]

Oh this should be fun......

 

[Jtvann]

So I went to a bar and felt horrible at night. The next day I asked the water and he explained that maybe the co2 was set too high. That's when I started researching and heard about this issue.

There's a bunch of things that can give headaches in beer. One of them is ... wait for it ....alcohol!

The CO2 in solution is not a factor.

 

[deuc224]

As some one who does/corrects this for a living, its a myth or should I say it would take an absurd amount of CO2 to make a difference and even then ur kidneys secrete base excess to compensate for the acidic nature of ur blood. Now if ur kidneys arent working correctly and ur drinking a hella lot of beer, then yeah it could happen, but by that time you have other seriously health problems that need addressing.

 

[Vale71]

You hear this nonsense about draft beer all across the world. The way it's explained is "draft beer has higher CO2 content than bottled and that gives you a headache". If only lay people knew that draft beer actually has less CO2 than bottled beer...
What made you feel horrible was either too much beer or bar food or a combination of the two.

 

[firerat]

Kegging systems sure can BE a headache.

 

[day_trippr]

A well implemented kegging system is a joy...

Cheers!

 

[grampamark]

A well implemented kegging system is a joy...

Cheers!

True, that. Achieving “well implemented” status may require more attention to detail than some folks anticipate, however. That said, once past the initial learning curve, maintaining a draft system really isn’t all that fussy.

 

[day_trippr]

It isn't that hard. Start with a carbonation table, figure out what pressure to use for the desired temperature to hit the desired carbonation level, do "set'n'forget" carbing, then use our favorite line length calculator to determine the minimum suitable line length for the tubing ID.

Once one gets through that process (which eludes most novitiate keggers) the rest is easy.
Skip that process and "keg life" will be a pita for sure...

Cheers!

 

[kirr4]

Then I guess I'll go for it! Any kegerator solutions you guys know of that isn't crazy expensive? I've noticed a tradeoff. If I buy a kegerator from Edgestar they're expensive but then I assume I can install the tap flush with the bar counter. If I go the cheap route, I essentially have to drill a hole into an off the shelf freezer and the tap sticks out the door.

Any ideas on how to cheaply create a kegerator that can I can still install the tap flush with the bar counter?

 

[Toxxyc]

So I went to a bar and felt horrible at night. The next day I asked the water and he explained that maybe the co2 was set too high. That's when I started researching and heard about this issue.

Tell them that the CO2 should go in the beer, not the room. What you're experiencing sounds like too much CO2 inhalation. Got nothing to do with beer. I just feel bloaty if I drink too much high-CO2 beer.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Then I guess I'll go for it! Any kegerator solutions you guys know of that isn't crazy expensive? I've noticed a tradeoff. If I buy a kegerator from Edgestar they're expensive but then I assume I can install the tap flush with the bar counter. If I go the cheap route, I essentially have to drill a hole into an off the shelf freezer and the tap sticks out the door.

Any ideas on how to cheaply create a kegerator that can I can still install the tap flush with the bar counter?

What are you putting in top of the counter? A beer tower like this?

If so, you can mount the tower onto the counter and run beer line from the fridge to the tower. That way you can pick any mini fridge that both holds the number and type of kegs you want, and that also fits nicely underneath the counter.

If you do, you need to consider the following:

1. How do I get the beer lines out of the fridge? Most mini-fridges do NOT have coolant lines in the top of the fridge, so you could drill a hole in the top of the fridge to route the lines.
2. How do I insulate the beer lines so that the beer between the fridge and the tap stays cold? Otherwise the first 1/2 pour of the night will be warm.

All told, these are easy problems to solve, just wanted to make sure you're thinking about them.

 

[NightFlight]

You hear this nonsense about draft beer all across the world. The way it's explained is "draft beer has higher CO2 content than bottled and that gives you a headache". If only lay people knew that draft beer actually has less CO2 than bottled beer...
What made you feel horrible was either too much beer or bar food or a combination of the two.

Don't forget drinking a hell of a lot of draft in the sun all day in the high 90s. You will dehydrate, wither up and feel like death. Just ask anyone who's gone to a Caribbean beach resort.

 

[NightFlight]

Then I guess I'll go for it! Any kegerator solutions you guys know of that isn't crazy expensive? I've noticed a tradeoff. If I buy a kegerator from Edgestar they're expensive but then I assume I can install the tap flush with the bar counter. If I go the cheap route, I essentially have to drill a hole into an off the shelf freezer and the tap sticks out the door.

Any ideas on how to cheaply create a kegerator that can I can still install the tap flush with the bar counter?

Shop around used on craigslist or kijiji. Got mine for a couple hundred bucks. People buy and then never use them all the time. I found they come up once a week or so used.

I see a Keezer in my future. I'm starting to see a huge wisdom of being able to chill many kegs for many weeks. Not to mention so many taps... and maybe even nitro coffee. I found I like beer, cider, home made pop and the list goes on. A keezer will solve all these wants.

 

[Cyclman]

I think that a chest freezer, kegs, and picnic taps, are an inexpensive upgrade, that very few people would regret. I am extremely anal with sanitation, so I love the fact that with picnic taps I can disconnect them from the kegs and clean them every time I use them. Beer faucets, Towers, and the like can be very attractive and can add for some people more of a sense they are in a brew pub or restaurant. I always figured that I would be one of those people, who wanted these accessories. I love my bling. Turns out, I never bothered to upgrade. I would rather spend money on ingredients or other equipment.