Making the jump to kegging

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Blue_State

Blue_State

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I am getting tired of bottling. It has to be the least fun step out of the entire process. I want to move to kegging, but I don't want to get up and invest $1,000 dollars overnight. Is there a way to start getting the components to keg without the huge upfront investment?

Basically, I am looking to do the same maneuver that got me into all grain. A part here or a part there that I was using for partial mash brewing until I got to all grain. Is this feasible?

Thanks for the ideas and thoughts.
 
I built mine but Im pretty sure you can one ready to go for around $350 to $450 from Best buy/HD ETC. All you would need is a keg for cheap.Check Craigslist.
 
JONNYROTTEN said:
I built mine but Im pretty sure you can one ready to go for around $350 to $450 from Best buy/HD ETC. All you would need is a keg for cheap.Check Craigslist.
Click to expand...

So basically a kegerator and a keg and we are good to go? It almost seems to easy.
 
Plug in and start kegging.Youll need to fill the c02 tank,but thats standard.If you use corny kegs youll need to change the tap that comes with the keg.I use a sixtel keg.If you go that route the kegerator is ready to go.And you can buy a commercial keg if you chose(same tap)
 
I'm moving slowly into kegging. I already had a minifridge for beer, 4.4cuft I think. For my birthday my wife bought me a kit that included a dual regulator, picnic tap, quick disconnects and lines, and a 2.5gallon keg. Costs $160 now, may have been less before Christmas. I got a full 5lb CO2 bottle from a local supplier. The whole keg fits in the little fridge with room for a case of bottles too. I paid a $100 refundable deposit on the gas bottle. This is without tap tower and such, but pretty easy. There is a recent thread that Home Depot is clearing kegorators for under $200. My path actually would have been cheaper had I bought 5galon kegs, but I like keeping a shelf in the beer fridge for bottles.
I bought from AIH, I'm happy. I do love the speed and convenience of the keg.
 
I never bottled because I didn't feel like dealing with it.The beauty of kegging is you auto siphon from primary to keg.(less than one minute) Tap it,stick in the fridge and the next day your drinking cold carbed beer on tap in your house...and that's a beautiful thing
 
I bought a fridge at an auction for $100 that will fit three kegs and the tank, all I have to do is drill it for taps (could just use a picnic tap too).

I got my kegging setup given to me, but if you look out for used ones, it's pretty cheap. Less than a couple hundred bucks for your CO2 tank, kegs etc.
 
JONNYROTTEN said:
The beauty of kegging is you auto siphon from primary to keg.(less than one minute)
Click to expand...

Wait, what? It takes you less than a minute to transfer 5 gallons of beer from a fermenter into a keg? Mine takes at least 5 minutes - what kind of auto-siphon do you have? Maybe I'm using one with narrow tubing, it never occurred to me that there might be ones with a bigger bore.
 
kombat said:
Wait, what? It takes you less than a minute to transfer 5 gallons of beer from a fermenter into a keg? Mine takes at least 5 minutes - what kind of auto-siphon do you have? Maybe I'm using one with narrow tubing, it never occurred to me that there might be ones with a bigger bore.
Click to expand...
I had the 3/8 hose and it took forever.The 1/2 is so much faster.Well worth the $15.I keep the bottom of the primary bucket higher than the top of keg while transferring,maybe that helps a little.But yes night and day between the two sizes.
 
kombat said:
Wait, what? It takes you less than a minute to transfer 5 gallons of beer from a fermenter into a keg? Mine takes at least 5 minutes - what kind of auto-siphon do you have? Maybe I'm using one with narrow tubing, it never occurred to me that there might be ones with a bigger bore.
Click to expand...

I have the large auto-siphon, I think it's 1/2" tubing. Takes a minute or so.
 
The one dirty little secret that no one talks about is CO2 leaks. They can drive you nuts.

I've had my keezer for 3+ years. Other than the first few kegs it's been rock solid.

Suddenly I've developed a leak somewhere in my system, and I'm going nuts trying to figure out where it is. It's such a slow leak that it is virtually undetectable, but it just emptied my 2nd CO2 tank in a month. At $15 per tank it's getting expensive. Thank god I switched CO2 providers. The old palce was charging me $25+ per fill.

Other than that, kegging is the way to go IMHO.
 
b-boy said:
The one dirty little secret that no one talks about is CO2 leaks. They can drive you nuts.

I've had my keezer for 3+ years. Other than the first few kegs it's been rock solid.

Suddenly I've developed a leak somewhere in my system, and I'm going nuts trying to figure out where it is. It's such a slow leak that it is virtually undetectable, but it just emptied my 2nd CO2 tank in a month. At $15 per tank it's getting expensive. Thank god I switched CO2 providers. The old palce was charging me $25+ per fill.

Other than that, kegging is the way to go IMHO.
Click to expand...

Valid point on the CO2 leaks. The leak can be anywhere in the system and can be difficult to find and fix. But once you get the system balanced you'll love kegging. You'll even be able to move carbed beer into bottles if you so choose. I'll do this if I want to take homebrew to a party or give away as gifts.
 
b-boy said:
Other than that, kegging is the way to go IMHO.
Click to expand...

Yep, can't believe it took me so long. By the time you have siphoned from fermenter to bottling bucket, you are done in the kegging world. But just getting started in the bottling world.

Many people enjoy bottling, I am not one of them :rockin:

+1 to the leaks, drive a person crazy. Mine was right up front, went through a whole 5lb tank the first night I kegged. For me it was the connection at the Y splitter.

Future advice for the OP: Just because it comes connected and tightened down from the manufacturer/distributor, doesn't mean it's air-tight! Use thread tape and tighten'er down :)
 
geoffm33 said:
+1 to the leaks, drive a person crazy. Mine was right up front, went through a whole 5lb tank the first night I kegged. For me it was the connection at the Y splitter.

Future advice for the OP: Just because it comes connected and tightened down from the manufacturer/distributor, doesn't mean it's air-tight! Use thread tape and tighten'er down :)
Click to expand...

Yes - I go through my system and tighten down all the worm clamps whenever I swap kegs. Always make sure to use lots of keg lube on any gaskets. Swap out gaskets on a regular basis, or whenever you see any wear. A $.50 gasket is a lot cheaper than a tank of CO2.

Sometimes you get a finnicky keg that doesn't always seal properly. Once you identify it, make sure to mark it so you know to test it. I have one I've relegated to Star-San/beer line cleaner duty because it's a such pain-in-the-ass to seal.
 
pretty much +1 to all, check craigslist and home depot, I saw a chest freezer for $153 at home depot, with a few inexpensive mods you could come in with a brand new unit for under $300. $60-$70 for each keg. plan on $400 all together but well worth the investment! enjoy! and I also have been victim to co2 leaks. tighten down your lines on a regular basis.
 
OH yeah one more thing, be prepared to shut your lights off and pretend your not home!!! once the neighbors get wind of you having home brew on tap, they will try to hang out past their welcome and drink all you beer!!! you are warned!!
 
Make sure you get a long line from keg to tap....really long...cuts way down on foaming. Don't be tempted to force carb by keg-shaking. Let it sit in cold storage as long as you can wait.

That's my advice.
 
JohnSand said:
I'm moving slowly into kegging. I already had a minifridge for beer, 4.4cuft I think. For my birthday my wife bought me a kit that included a dual regulator, picnic tap, quick disconnects and lines, and a 2.5gallon keg. Costs $160 now, may have been less before Christmas. I got a full 5lb CO2 bottle from a local supplier. The whole keg fits in the little fridge with room for a case of bottles too. I paid a $100 refundable deposit on the gas bottle. This is without tap tower and such, but pretty easy. There is a recent thread that Home Depot is clearing kegorators for under $200. My path actually would have been cheaper had I bought 5galon kegs, but I like keeping a shelf in the beer fridge for bottles.
I bought from AIH, I'm happy. I do love the speed and convenience of the keg.
Click to expand...

I am having trouble finding the thread, but that home depot clearance would be awesome. I was thinking about building my own, but $200 is a great deal. I checked on the website...may have missed it.
 
At this point in time, I'd seriously look at Pin Lock kegs over Ball Lock kegs.

Pin locks are easier to get and can be significantly cheaper. If I was starting out again, I'd probably go Pin Lock. When I started, Ball Lock kegs were ~$25. Now they are ~$60+. You can still find Pin Locks for those prices on occasion.

Ball Lock:
http://www.homebrewing.org/5-Gallon-Cornelius-Keg-Ball-Lock-Used_p_70.html

Pin Lock:
http://www.homebrewing.org/product....m=ProductAds&gclid=CJ-Cprn37sMCFQenaQodNWUATA
 
b-boy said:
At this point in time, I'd seriously look at Pin Lock kegs over Ball Lock.

Pin locks are easier to get and can be significantly cheaper. If I was starting out again, I'd probably go Pin Lock. When I started, Ball Lock kegs were ~$25. Now they are ~$60+. You can still find Pin Locks for those prices on occasion.

http://www.homebrewing.org/product....m=ProductAds&gclid=CJ-Cprn37sMCFQenaQodNWUATA
Click to expand...

Though do take this into account when sizing kegerator/keezer's as the pin locks are wider than ball locks. For example, I can fit two ball locks in my kegerator, but only one pin lock.

Here is a list of differences:

http://www.cornykeg.com/resources/corny-keg-tips/cornelius-kegs-pin-lock-ball-lock/
 
One word of caution about using a chest freezer is that the ****er will freeze your beer quick if set at a low temp. You gotta put a fan in there to move air from bottom to top. I haven't yet, but putting your temp probe in a jar of water within the freezer might help too.
 
normonster said:
One word of caution about using a chest freezer is that the ****er will freeze your beer quick if set at a low temp. You gotta put a fan in there to move air from bottom to top. I haven't yet, but putting your temp probe in a jar of water within the freezer might help too.
Click to expand...

I am going to see if I can score a quick kegerator. That would be the best bet. If that isn't in the cards, then I think I am looking at doing a kreezer build. Ideally, I want three taps. 2 for beer, one for soda for my wife. One will do just fine though until I make a full commitment to 3. I think that is the way I am going to go for now.
 
I just got a line on a $100 dollar chest freezer. 5.1 cf. If that works out, I think I will be pretty damn happy. Then I will make the investment for the freezer conversion. I am still going to run over to home depot and see if there is a clearance kegerator. Who knows...may get lucky.
 
What about the Keg Cooler complete units that Home Depot and others sell for about $400? Looks like an easy route to go...?
 
BowAholic said:
What about the Keg Cooler complete units that Home Depot and others sell for about $400? Looks like an easy route to go...?
Click to expand...

I am going to look at that in about 2 hours. If it makes sense, I am going to go for it.

Plus, 10% discount for military members and veterans. Thanks Home Depot.
 
To answer your original question, you can definitely control costs by doing it a step at a time. You can start with CO2, 1 keg, picnic tap inside the fridge/freezer. Then as you modify the freezer, you can add taps 1 at a time. You should be sure to get a manifold early on in the process.
 
ericbw said:
To answer your original question, you can definitely control costs by doing it a step at a time. You can start with CO2, 1 keg, picnic tap inside the fridge/freezer. Then as you modify the freezer, you can add taps 1 at a time. You should be sure to get a manifold early on in the process.
Click to expand...

Thank you. That was exactly the answer I was looking for.

Any recommendation on what to use or just one of the ebay picnic tap setups to start?
 
Blue_State said:
I am going to look at that in about 2 hours. If it makes sense, I am going to go for it.

Plus, 10% discount for military members and veterans. Thanks Home Depot.
Click to expand...

Looks like it has everything but a couple of 5G kegs...don't see how you could put a system like that together for much less $$...
 
No dice at Home Depot. I have a good shot at a $100 dollar chest freezer, 5 cf. That and a picnic setup and I get going very easily. That is the plan as of 2:10.
 
Blue_State said:
Thank you. That was exactly the answer I was looking for.



Any recommendation on what to use or just one of the ebay picnic tap setups to start?
Click to expand...


A basic picnic tap is fine to start. When you buy taps, I understand it's worth the extra to get perlicks because they stick less. I have chrome, not stainless.
 
Update on the move to kegging.

I purchased a new CO2, Dual Reg, Tubing, locks and Picnic Tap for $130.
I am going to grab a keg today, I figure for around $50...looking for 2.

I have a fridge in the garage with room, I can modify that without the wife shooting me.

So I am now into kegging for about $230. This was my goal to get into this without dropping $800. I will by the end of the year spend that, but this is easy to do this way.

Thank you everyone for the excellent advice.
 
Look at adventures in homebrew fur dented used kegs. They look bad but work!
 
Blue_State said:
I am getting tired of bottling. It has to be the least fun step out of the entire process. I want to move to kegging, but I don't want to get up and invest $1,000 dollars overnight. Is there a way to start getting the components to keg without the huge upfront investment?

Basically, I am looking to do the same maneuver that got me into all grain. A part here or a part there that I was using for partial mash brewing until I got to all grain. Is this feasible?

Thanks for the ideas and thoughts.
Click to expand...

I am in a similar boat and I decided to go the baby steps route to start with...


I purchased a kit like this...
http://www.williamsbrewing.com/25-GALLON-KEG-INJECTOR-SYSTEM-P3349.aspx

My thought is .. It easily fits in my 4.4 cubic foot beer fridge, could probably sneak it in the main fridge if I had to. It allows me to start the path to "full" kegging with a working system for the smallest investment. I usually only do 2.5 to 3 gallon batches, so this size of keg works fine for me. If I do a larger batch, I can just bottle the rest (still half the bottling). As I want, I can add a 5 lb tank, a Co2 regulator and then eventually permanent taps built into the beer fridge, etc...
 
KokomoSam said:
I am in a similar boat and I decided to go the baby steps route to start with...


I purchased a kit like this...
http://www.williamsbrewing.com/25-GALLON-KEG-INJECTOR-SYSTEM-P3349.aspx

My thought is .. It easily fits in my 4.4 cubic foot beer fridge, could probably sneak it in the main fridge if I had to. It allows me to start the path to "full" kegging with a working system for the smallest investment. I usually only do 2.5 to 3 gallon batches, so this size of keg works fine for me. If I do a larger batch, I can just bottle the rest (still half the bottling). As I want, I can add a 5 lb tank, a Co2 regulator and then eventually permanent taps built into the beer fridge, etc...
Click to expand...

I did something very similar except I went straight to the 5 lb CO2. Otherwise, I have the picnic tap as well. Also, I have a outdoor fridge which is pretty much for beer. I am going to build a shelf into the bottom of it to hold up my kegs.

I am hoping for my fall project to be putting together a kreezer.
 

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