My family has been getting beer kegs since 2004, beer keeps going up a little at a time.. Like in 2010 yingling was around $55 a keg, and it has been inching up for years, this year it went from $69 at the start of the year to $90 per keg as of November with word being it is going to $100 in january. I've finally crossed the line of either I need to stop drinking or make my own. I like beer, so I'm leaning toward making my own.
So my family does wine from our grape vines which we keep expanding, and just got started on cider and beer.. There are seven of us splitting the gear as we are all local to each other, and odds are I'll have some friends want to make their own so I figured it best to go big right from the start.
I have the following:
Keg fridge for half barrel kegs with CO2 setup and single faucet with a commercial keg. A spare CO2 bottle because they always go empty on sunday when none of the shops are open.
A keezer being built, will hold 6-7 5 gallon kegs should be done in a couple days.. Just repainted the outside as it had a little rust on the top, retired the freezer just the other day, it was still holding sub-zero and not an energy hog. Ordered an Inkbird ITC-308 for controlling the temperature of the keezer, popped it open and the relays are 15 amp rated so I think I'm good to go running directly off that unit. (as for the timeline, I could have it done tomorrow, I own a machine/munitions manufacturing shop so building a keezer is like tying my shoes, only reason it is not done is the parts have not come in yet).
Got a CO2 regulator for the new keezer, along with a seven port manifold, so I can gas six kegs and use the shut off valves and use the seventh for force co2ing a new keg.
1 5 gallon ball lock torpedo keg, I ran across a local seller of pin lock kegs and got another 6 of the pin lock 5 gallon kegs. Got the connectors for the kegs. And I'll hit up my local beer shop for the bulk beer line local shop seems to be about the same price as Ebay. So might as well support them.. I could probably use Vinyl line from the shop, it looks like beer line, but I'd rather not cut corners.
12 4 gallon PET water bottles, I use most of them for getting filtered water from the local grocery store, I have a large RO water unit but I have found it takes everything out of the water which can be a problem.
2 7 gallon carboys, and about two dozen airchecks
15 gallon pot with drain and thermometer.
2 10 gallon mash tuns, one false bottom.
I have a stainless steel wort chiller.. After the first batch it is clear I need a pump to move ice water to finish the job, my 72F Florida tap water can't cool the wort much below 95F.
So what else is nice to have? I was thinking a 15 or 30 gallon cone bottom inductor tank, I was thinking if I find a beer I like it would make sense..
So my family does wine from our grape vines which we keep expanding, and just got started on cider and beer.. There are seven of us splitting the gear as we are all local to each other, and odds are I'll have some friends want to make their own so I figured it best to go big right from the start.
I have the following:
Keg fridge for half barrel kegs with CO2 setup and single faucet with a commercial keg. A spare CO2 bottle because they always go empty on sunday when none of the shops are open.
A keezer being built, will hold 6-7 5 gallon kegs should be done in a couple days.. Just repainted the outside as it had a little rust on the top, retired the freezer just the other day, it was still holding sub-zero and not an energy hog. Ordered an Inkbird ITC-308 for controlling the temperature of the keezer, popped it open and the relays are 15 amp rated so I think I'm good to go running directly off that unit. (as for the timeline, I could have it done tomorrow, I own a machine/munitions manufacturing shop so building a keezer is like tying my shoes, only reason it is not done is the parts have not come in yet).
Got a CO2 regulator for the new keezer, along with a seven port manifold, so I can gas six kegs and use the shut off valves and use the seventh for force co2ing a new keg.
1 5 gallon ball lock torpedo keg, I ran across a local seller of pin lock kegs and got another 6 of the pin lock 5 gallon kegs. Got the connectors for the kegs. And I'll hit up my local beer shop for the bulk beer line local shop seems to be about the same price as Ebay. So might as well support them.. I could probably use Vinyl line from the shop, it looks like beer line, but I'd rather not cut corners.
12 4 gallon PET water bottles, I use most of them for getting filtered water from the local grocery store, I have a large RO water unit but I have found it takes everything out of the water which can be a problem.
2 7 gallon carboys, and about two dozen airchecks
15 gallon pot with drain and thermometer.
2 10 gallon mash tuns, one false bottom.
I have a stainless steel wort chiller.. After the first batch it is clear I need a pump to move ice water to finish the job, my 72F Florida tap water can't cool the wort much below 95F.
So what else is nice to have? I was thinking a 15 or 30 gallon cone bottom inductor tank, I was thinking if I find a beer I like it would make sense..