Ready to purchase my first keg system...

[bluedragoon85]

Hi,

I have been looking around for a while to find a good (cheap) draft system. From what I have seen, Midwest Supplies and Keg Connection have the best deals. I am leaning towards this one one keg connections, but I wanted to get your guys opinion first. Keg Connection or Midwest Supplies? If anyone has any other good alternatives, feel free to post

BTW: I'm leaning towards both of these because I would really like a dual keg setup. I am not interested in force carbonation.

 

[snazzy]

Just got mine from kegconnections. Two tap fridge kit w'out kegs.

Came in less than a week and shipping did not seem unfair.

Curious, why are you not interested in force carbing?

 

[bluedragoon85]

Curious, why are you not interested in force carbing

Well, I was thinking of just naturally carbing the beer in the keg. I will probably start force carbing later on, but it isn't a big deal for me now. As long as I can properly carb the beer inside the kegs I will be happy.

 

[snazzy]

Cool, just thinking that you will have less crud to clear out of your kegs before they are clear.

But there is something to be said for natural carbing.

 

[bluedragoon85]

Cool, just thinking that you will have less crud to clear out of your kegs before they are clear.

True... I guess I was wrong to say I wasn't interested in force carbing but, I plan on just naturally carbing my beer at the start and see how that goes

 

[jwright]

I just came across your post - I am at a similar point - but maybe a day or two ahead. I just bought a system tonight after reading, comparing and reconfiguring systems for days. I really liked the kegconnection systems - they seemed very complete and well thought out - the customer service guy (Ben) was very responsive to email questions and they have many good recommendations on this board. Great prices, and a full selection of parts/accessories.
I actually bought from Terry @ Kegglebrewing.com (his ebaystore is a bit easier to use than his website). I came across his name here a few times - all good. He answered about 10 emails, usually within the hour. The systems seem very similar to kegconnection but he is less expensive. The kegs with his kit are rebuilt, cleaned and polished. He was able to put together just the system I wanted, with near-new condition kegs for a better price.
I thought you might like another source to investigate- now keep in mind, I haven't recieved my system yet - you could be reading a 'this guy ripped me off' post in a few days, but so far I have been extremely impressed - definately worth a look.
jason

 

[jwright]

Opps - forgot Terry@kegglebrewing=Pedalbiker here on the boards.

 

[JesseRC]

I recommend Kegconnection. Ben is very helpful and will create a configuration to you're liking. Call him and tell him what you want. Let them make the connections themselves so you atleast save on not having to buy worm clamps. THey are out of san marcos and have delivered to my home in San Antonio twice. Really great customer service.

 

[jldc]

+1 for kegconnection. I don't know about the others, but I've had great luck with them.

 

[tek210]

+1 for kegconnection.
I just got my kit in from kegconnections yesterday, everything looks great. I would recommend them. Call Todd and he can work up whatever kit you need.

 

[Baja_Brewer]

+1 for midwest, I was very pleased with what I recieved from them for the cost

and +1 for pedalbiker, he has great products

 

[MikeG]

The advice on the equip is spot on but I'd like to address the force carbing.

When you rack your beer into the keg from your primary or secondary it'll be flat. You have two choices to carb it: do it like the bottle and add sugar and wait three weeks or you can put it in the fridge, hook it up to the CO2 (which you are going to have to do anyway to get purge the air out) and just leave it for a week - you don't need to rock it and slosh it to 'force' carb it. Just chill it and chill!

I can't imagine the cost of CO2 is higher than the cost of sugar to carb it so that's a wash and you'll get much clearer beer (which most of us seem to desire) if you just simply hook it up to the CO2. Neither way is "right" or "wrong", just something to add to the discussion.

 

[ruffdeezy]

My parts are from keg connection as well, very happy with service and everything

 

[xxdcmast]

I had been on the fence for a while but today I finally took the plunge and ordered this kit.

Brew Logic Dual Tap Draft System- with Reconditioned CO2 Tank :: Midwest Supplies Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies

I looked at the one you posted from keg connection but this one has the dual regulator setup so I can do different pressures.

In the future I am planning on building myself a kegerator/keezer and will get myself some perlick handles but this is a good start to kegging. Cant wait for it to come. No more bottling for me.

 

[fastricky]

Yup, I just dealt with Ben recently at KegConnection... he was attentive and put up with my barrage of questions and flip flopping on which system to get... I wound up getting both a CO2 and a Nitro system in the end - Do it right, do it once!

 

[tek210]

I had been on the fence for a while but today I finally took the plunge and ordered this kit.

Brew Logic Dual Tap Draft System- with Reconditioned CO2 Tank :: Midwest Supplies Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies

I looked at the one you posted from keg connection but this one has the dual regulator setup so I can do different pressures.

In the future I am planning on building myself a kegerator/keezer and will get myself some perlick handles but this is a good start to kegging. Cant wait for it to come. No more bottling for me.

I ended up getting the dual body reg with mine as well from Kegconnections, basically added and removed components to make the exact setup I wanted. I think either pace will give you a good setup.

 

[thrawn86]

I can't imagine the cost of CO2 is higher than the cost of sugar to carb it so that's a wash and you'll get much clearer beer (which most of us seem to desire) if you just simply hook it up to the CO2. Neither way is "right" or "wrong", just something to add to the discussion.

I filled my 10# tank for 9$ at the local industrial gas supply place (kept my alum tank too!) which should last upwards of 20 kegs. definitely a money saver.

force carbing is so EASY, definitely give it a shot. chill, crank it up to serving pressure, and shake until you don't hear bubbling from the gas tube. easy, done. 15 minutes max.

another +1 for kegconnection here. everything came assembled nice and neat, though I did have to replace the main orings on the keg (came with free replacements).

 

[kornkob]

On another note, I personally suggest that you have the following supplies on hand at all times to deal with issues that come up. (And this is AFTER you have a system up and running)

-a complete set of spare seals and gaskets for the entire system. At least one of each item. then if you blow a seal or break a gasket, you can recover quickly.
-one spare gas in and one spare gas out
-10 feet of tube
-a cobra tap
-keg lube
-star san or a small container of bubbles (for leak detection)
- a separate, distinct set of tools (screwdriver, wrench and the like) that is used for your beer system only so you can always find them. Pack them in a small container with all the above stuff. If you ever go mobile with your beer, take your 'kit' with you.


There is NOTHING worse than having a bunch of friends over or hauling your keg somewhere and not having the parts you need to fix the thing that just failed. Spend the extra $30 on spare parts. It's worth it.

 

[tek210]

On another note, I personally suggest that you have the following supplies on hand at all times to deal with issues that come up. (And this is AFTER you have a system up and running)

-a complete set of spare seals and gaskets for the entire system. At least one of each item. then if you blow a seal or break a gasket, you can recover quickly.
-one spare gas in and one spare gas out
-10 feet of tube
-a cobra tap
-keg lube
-star san or a small container of bubbles (for leak detection)
- a separate, distinct set of tools (screwdriver, wrench and the like) that is used for your beer system only so you can always find them. Pack them in a small container with all the above stuff. If you ever go mobile with your beer, take your 'kit' with you.


There is NOTHING worse than having a bunch of friends over or hauling your keg somewhere and not having the parts you need to fix the thing that just failed. Spend the extra $30 on spare parts. It's worth it.

Good tip, will have to start putting the pieces together.

 

[JesseRC]

I'd get the orings from mcmaster, do a search here for the part numbers. I was able to buy the silicone ones ( a life time supply) for under $20.

 

[bluedragoon85]

Thanks a lot for the advice!

After investigating a bit more and reading the advice here I decided to buy the 2 keg system from kegconnection.com. I just received my kit today and it all looks great! Unfortunately I haven't made any beer and I am waiting for my beer ingredients to arrive, so the actual kegging will take a while. Also, after going through many threads and browsing online I decided it would be a better idea to just force carb my beer. It just seems so much simpler so I retract from initially saying I wanted to naturally carb my beer. I think I will go with the "set and forget" method by setting the pressure at about 12 psi and just leave it there for about a week or 2 before serving.

 

[tek210]

Thanks a lot for the advice!

After investigating a bit more and reading the advice here I decided to buy the 2 keg system from kegconnection.com. I just received my kit today and it all looks great! Unfortunately I haven't made any beer and I am waiting for my beer ingredients to arrive, so the actual kegging will take a while. Also, after going through many threads and browsing online I decided it would be a better idea to just force carb my beer. It just seems so much simpler so I retract from initially saying I wanted to naturally carb my beer. I think I will go with the "set and forget" method by setting the pressure at about 12 psi and just leave it there for about a week or 2 before serving.

This is just another rookie here looking to clarify some of the terminology. When you said you wanted to naturally carb, did you mean with sugar? I thought force carbing was the method of high pressure, shaking and it is ready in 15 mins? Thought set and forget for a week was kind of standard carbing.

 

[Heineken]

There are multiple methods to carb with a keg. I am too impatient to set and wait for a week. Typically, i crank up the PSI to 30 for two days and then turn it down to about 10-12 PSI for a day and then try it out. its been ready every time. so three days and ready to drink.

Forced carbing is faster but haven't tried that yet.

 

[944play]

If the CO2 comes from a gas bottle, it's force carbonation regardless of how patient you are.

 

[tek210]

If the CO2 comes from a gas bottle, it's force carbonation regardless of how patient you are.

Ok cool that clears that one up. Off to the welding supply store right now to get my new tank filled. Gonna get my first 2 batches on keg today and start a little force carbonation myself.

 

[JesseRC]

Ok cool that clears that one up. Off to the welding supply store right now to get my new tank filled. Gonna get my first 2 batches on keg today and start a little force carbonation myself.

YOu might want to call a few places. Some places will only do an exchange, and some will fill, and finally some will fill , but you have to leave them there. If this is a nice new aluminum tank, you might want to find one that fills them. And just so you know, they usually charge about the same for 5, 10 or 20# fills. So if you ever get another tank, get a 20# tank, its cheaper to fill.

 

[tek210]

YOu might want to call a few places. Some places will only do an exchange, and some will fill, and finally some will fill , but you have to leave them there. If this is a nice new aluminum tank, you might want to find one that fills them. And just so you know, they usually charge about the same for 5, 10 or 20# fills. So if you ever get another tank, get a 20# tank, its cheaper to fill.

I was referred to this one by some local brewers, they fill and I can wait. Several people recommended the place so I am going to give them a try.

 

[tek210]

Well for any Rhode Island brewers out the I recommend Cranston welding supply. $11 and I was out of there in less than 5 mins.

 

[RandalG]

So if you ever get another tank, get a 20# tank, its cheaper to fill.

I was wondering about this. Is there an advantage to having a bigger tank other than needing to get it filled less often? And how many kegs can I expect to carb off a 5# tank or does that vary?

 

[thrawn86]

ack double post

 

[thrawn86]

I've heard anywhere from 8-12, depending on how much gas you use cleaning and stuff.

YOu might want to call a few places. Some places will only do an exchange, and some will fill, and finally some will fill , but you have to leave them there. If this is a nice new aluminum tank, you might want to find one that fills them. And just so you know, they usually charge about the same for 5, 10 or 20# fills. So if you ever get another tank, get a 20# tank, its cheaper to fill.

My local ind. gas shop said they normally do swaps, but since 10lb wasn't a popular size they were happy to refill it.

 

[bluedragoon85]

I have a question regarding the "set and forget" method. From what I have read you just set the pressure to 10-12 PSI and leave the keg alone for about a week or 2 before serving. However, when you are ready to serve do you dial down the pressure? Or do you usually just leave it at the 10-12 PSI for serving as well?

 

[944play]

However, when you are ready to serve do you dial down the pressure?

Short answer is no, 12psi is a reasonable serving pressure if your beer line is long enough.

For the long answer, google "draft line balancing".

 

[Trubadour]

Just wanted to give my +1 for KegConnection. I received my 2 keg kit 2 days after I ordered it - I was amazed. Customer service is great. I actually decided to upgrade to the 4 keg kit and swap out the stock faucets for Perlicks, and they are more than happy to help and accomodate.

 

[JesseRC]

I tell you , shopping with them is addictive. If they had a store presence in SA , I'd be broke.

 

[Arkador]

I am close to picking up the phone and ordering
Brew Logic Dual Tap Draft System- with Reconditioned CO2 Tank :: Midwest Supplies Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies

I think i am done with botteling beer..... i did just spend the money on 2 12packs of 22oz bottles, but i guess that is what a beer gun is for!

 

[Moose777]

Here's a very helpful site for balancing.

Summary

It really is not too difficult to set up a draft system that is balanced. Of course, once you tune your system to a specific temperature, pressure, and volumes CO2 it will not be tuned if you change any of them. So you need to determine the combination that give satisfactory results for most of your beers. Alternatively, you could have multiple taps at the same location that are each tuned separately. This works best if you have a CO2 manifold in your cold storage that allows you to regulate pressure to different kegs.

Draft system line balancing

 

[944play]

i did just spend the money on 2 12packs of 22oz bottles, but i guess that is what a beer gun is for!

You can use your keg as a bottling bucket. I find it MUCH easier to work with flat, warm beer.

 

[Arkador]

I am close to picking up the phone and ordering
Brew Logic Dual Tap Draft System- with Reconditioned CO2 Tank :: Midwest Supplies Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies

I think i am done with botteling beer..... i did just spend the money on 2 12packs of 22oz bottles, but i guess that is what a beer gun is for!

I completed this order, should have it in a week.
I chose this over Kegconnection because i get the 2nd regulator for the same price, which will make it easier to force carb one keg, while drinking from the other.

I am also going to pick up the parts to make https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/we-no-need-no-stinking-beer-gun-24678/ and not have to bother with an expensive beer gun.

 

[ODP]

I recommend Kegconnection. Ben is very helpful and will create a configuration to you're liking. Call him and tell him what you want. Let them make the connections themselves so you atleast save on not having to buy worm clamps. THey are out of san marcos and have delivered to my home in San Antonio twice. Really great customer service.

That's very cool! I didn't know there were in San Marcos- being in New Braunfels, this makes it worth going with them just to not have shipping costs- when the time comes to get a kegging system, of course....what time is it again?