Looking for kegging advice...

[QuixoticDevice]

Hey all,
Here's my situation: I'm getting married next spring and I'm using that as an excuse to jump into kegging. We've found a venue that doesn't require that we buy booze from them(so many of them do these days! It's a scam, I tells ya!), so my plan is for me and members of my brew club to brew up a bunch of kegs to be served at the reception. We have access to a kitchen and will have a designated bartender. So far so good, right? This is where I need some advice, however. What's going to be the best/most economical/coolest looking setup for the reception that I'll be able to put together? The catch is, that I'd also like to buy as little as possible that I can't eventually tie into my permanent, home-based, kegging setup which I'm envisioning as a full sized fridge in the basement with taps out the front, running up to a tower in the kitchen, or both (I think it's possible, but that's an argument for another thread. In fact, it's already another thread). I'm a pretty handy guy, so building some sort of contraption won't be a problem(might even be a plus. I do love contraptions!).

Here's what I'm thinking of as primary options:

1) Just get a tank, reg, air manifold, and gas lines, and put the kegs in barrels of ice with picnic taps for everything.

Pros:
Cheapest
Most different kegs could be served at once

Cons:
Looks kludgy
Will end up with multiple picnic taps that I probably won't use again
Requires the purchase and transport of tubs/barrels and lots of ice.

2) Get a kit including actual taps that I would ultimately install in a fridge or tower at home. I was imagining either something along the lines of Biermuncher's rolling kegerator design, a board with tap handles, or even a tower with multiple taps that I could mount somewhere in front of the barrels or tubs holding the kegs and ice.

Pros:
Would look better than a tangle of picnic taps.
Psychological effects. (vis. Beer out of an honest-to-goodness bar tap always seem much classier than the same beer out of a picnic tap.)
Will be able to reuse the taps (Recycle, reduce, reuse! Close the loop!)

Cons:
Slightly pricier (but it would be money I'd be spending eventually anyway)
More construction/setup
Same ice/tub issues for keg chilling.

3) Just rent or construct a jockey box.

Pros:
Easiest setup
No need to chill the kegs before use.
If I build one myself, I'd still have the taps to use for my home system.

Cons:
$$$!
Haven't actually found a place in town that rents them yet.
Don't really see myself using a jockey box all that often after the big day.
If I built one, what would I do with the coils when I was done?

4) Construct a more mobile kegerator system instead of my fixed, full sized fridge design.

Pros:
Will have a fully functional kegerator when I'm done.
Will look the classiest.

Cons:
$$$$$!
Would prevent me from enacting my crazy home-based keg plans.
Would only hold a couple kegs at a time, all other kegs would need to be kept cold somehow before they got switched in.

5) Some other crazy thing that I haven't though of yet, but you folks might have!

Pros:
Could be awesome

Cons:
I didn't think of it...


Okay, this post went a little long... Thanks for reading this far! So what do you all think? What would you do in my situation? I'm leaning most strongly towards option #2, at this point, but not even the very wise can see all ends.

Any and all input is greatly appreciated.

 

[Hammy71]

I would personally go with the Biermuncher's rolling kegerator design. A bar tender pulling pints out of a picnic tap will be a little tacky.... (although pulling a beer outta a trash can has it's own issues!!! lol). But the bottom line is easy clean up. You just have one of your buds roll it away after the reception. The last thing you want to be worried about is hauling away a bunch of kegs in ice and containers after your wedding. Most, if not all, of the parts you'll need for the rolling kegerator will be used for your kegging set up at home. I dunno...just my 2 cents.....

 

[lincoln]

At some point your wedding will become self aware and then you will be just along for the ride. (well at least it was for me) So don't plan on being able to help out much, have some one else tasked and responsible for moving things. (After all you job is to show up on time, soberish, and with out a date)

buying a few party taps is not the worst, you will find a use for a couple. Also you can remove the faucet and use the hose and disconnect to attach to your real taps.

if it was my gig i would do the keg tubs with party taps under a skirted table. Another option if you wer planning to do a chest freezer with a Irish coffin box(i think that is what they are called, drift tower but with a box at the top) you could clamp it to the table.

edit>> forgot about Biermuncher's rolling kegerator, just drape it with a black table skirt and put a plant of top or something.....