The myth of the <$50 corny keg

[Mrott]

I recently had a similar issue in finding appropriately priced kegs. My solution as someone else mentioned was sankey kegs. They're still used by everyone so there's a huge supply out there and they tend to be easier to come by than the corneys.

Now I have my keezer in the works to hold (6) 1/4 bbl kegs and I plan to ferment in 1/2 bbl's.

There are many ways to come across the sankey kegs (craigslist, stores, beer distributors, junk yards, etc), it's just a matter of where your ethics stand and your personal opinion on what the definition of "payment" is.

 

[Lost]

I recently had a similar issue in finding appropriately priced kegs. My solution as someone else mentioned was sankey kegs. They're still used by everyone so there's a huge supply out there and they tend to be easier to come by than the corneys.

Now I have my keezer in the works to hold (6) 1/4 bbl kegs and I plan to ferment in 1/2 bbl's.

There are many ways to come across the sankey kegs (craigslist, stores, beer distributors, junk yards, etc), it's just a matter of where your ethics stand and your personal opinion on what the definition of "payment" is.

Sorry for the off topic question but..

I'd considered sankey kegs for fermenters as I do 10 gal batches but I'm curious what your method for cleaning them is. It's hard enough cleaning a glass carboy and I can see when it's clean.

Is it as simple as pumping oxyclean in and letting it sit and then rinsing?

 

[zurcj20]

I say cornykeg.com. I got the reconditioned two pack pinlocks for ~$64 shipped. Kegs were clean, in good shape, and no leaks. I ordered them on thursday and received them on tuesday.

 

[Wolfhound180]

I say cornykeg.com. I got the reconditioned two pack pinlocks for ~$64 shipped. Kegs were clean, in good shape, and no leaks. I ordered them on thursday and received them on tuesday.

This.

 

[EarthBound]

try posting a wtb ad for soda kegs. Somebody could be sitting on a pile of them, and not know of any demand.

+1

 

[drez77]

I was lucky to find 2-3gallon kegs at a swap meet for 20 bucks each. They were just about brand new with no dents or dings. Sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time.

 

[fckwalm]

on occasion http://bvrgelements.com/keg_products.html has one handled kegs for cheap, so as long as you dont mind that they don't look too fancy... I havnt bought from them yet though so I dont have experience with them

 

[nebben]

No myth. My LHBS has them for (gasp) $40 now, but I think he still sells them for less than this if you buy in a bundle.

Not the best prices, but he's got thousands in inventory, and every now and then he gets more.

Arts Brewing

 

[DustBow]

hmmm...All I'm asking for is 5 minutes alone with that truck and my SUV.....

 

[Coldies]

jeremydgreat, fellow Carlsbad resident here as well. As mentioned you have to keep scanning craigslist for the deals. There out there. Just gotta keep looking for it and be ready to hop on the deal when it comes up. If you think these are hard to find try looking for a used 2.5 gallon size. I finally said screw it and bought new. Good luck.

 

[Boodlemania]

hmmm...All I'm asking for is 5 minutes alone with that truck and my SUV.....

I'll bring the forklift. And my flatbed...

 

[Dan]

Woo Hoo! Scored. Picking up 3 ball locks today for $75. A guy on ebay is selling them, 75 was his starting price and he wanted 50 bucks for shipping but lives in the town next to me so I emailed him and asked about local pickup. He said sure because it would save him the hassle. I was a little suprised to see he had no bids, auction ended yesterday morning at 9 so he's "giving" them to me for hs starting price. I was about to give in and pay 40-50 dollars for cornys through one of the online places. I'm glad I waited.

 

[TheBroonery]

I recently got 2 used pinlocks for around $60, shipped from another state. They ended up needing about $30 in parts for the 2 of them (dip tubes, rubber seals, poppets, etc). For the time I spent cleaning, rebuilding, and restoring them, I'd be loosing money if I were to sell them for anything less than $50, and that's if I value my time at minumum wage!

 

[Hammy71]

http://www.kegglebrewing.com/Non-Reconditioned-Ball-Lock-Kegs_c_19.html

Must have got some more in....just ordered 4 yesterday and shipped this morning.

 

[simtel20]

http://www.kegglebrewing.com/Non-Reconditioned-Ball-Lock-Kegs_c_19.html

Must have got some more in....just ordered 4 yesterday and shipped this morning.

They also have "secondary fermenting" ball lock kegs for about $30 (about $40 shipped for me). I've ordered 4 after a phone call where it was established that the difference was that the lid by default doesn't have the pressure relief valve installed for "fermenting" but that an extra lid with the relief valve can be tossed in the box. That, along with some ball-lock MFL QDs were the best price i could find, by far. They are racetrack lids, but I'm happy/comfortable with that.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

I think some of the issues with availability have to do with overall local sources of corny kegs. If you live near major sites for soda distributors/bottling companies it's probably easy to find old kegs at scrapyards, old restaurants, flea markets, etc. where they make their way to craigslist and/or LHBS. The more LHBS in your area, the less likely you are to find them available and people who don't realize that there's a market for them.

You can definitely find them online for less than $50 before shipping. If you called around local scrapyards, old restaurants, food/beverage distributors you could probably get them for free or extremely cheap (but probably in desperate need of a solid cleaning).

 

[Dirty]

Best bet is to have one of your brother in laws got to work for a pop distributor.

FYI almost everyone is going away from these to the bag in the box and they will be phasing these out. They may be going to be getting rid of these in the near future.


Rock Chalk

Chris

 

[Boodlemania]

Best bet is to have one of your brother in laws got to work for a pop distributor.

FYI almost everyone is going away from these to the bag in the box and they will be phasing these out. They may be going to be getting rid of these in the near future.


Rock Chalk

Chris

"Pop"? What's that?

 

[outside92129]

i think it's the pepsi Southerns get when they order a coke....

 

[DeafSmith]

i think it's the pepsi Southerns get when they order a coke....

Naw, we drink RC Cola, not Pepsi.

 

[BrewThruYou]

I drink Pepsi Free...but the guy told me if I want a Pepsi, I gotta pay for it.

 

[thargrav]

http://www.kegglebrewing.com/Non-Reconditioned-Ball-Lock-Kegs_c_19.html

Must have got some more in....just ordered 4 yesterday and shipped this morning.

His prices are not bad for reconditioned kegs.

 

[Dan]

I bought 3 corny ball locks 2 days ago for 25 dollars a piece (No shipping. He was in a town close by so I drove over and picked them up) from an Ebay seller. It was a good unusual price. There are still some people selling ball locks cheap, just not many.

If I were you I'd buy a couple kegs from kegconnection. That will hold you for awhile and in the mean time just keep checking ebay and craigslist.

 

[springer]

I was lucky to find 2-3gallon kegs at a swap meet for 20 bucks each. They were just about brand new with no dents or dings. Sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time.

I agree I picked up a 10 gl for 20$ at a car swap meet.

I didn't know that the corny's had gotten so pricy. The last 12 I bought came out to $12.50 each but that was in 09

 

[outside92129]

$25 corny's in san diego, I just talked to the seller on CL and he still has some left. I'm told they're in good condition and just need a new seal.

email Randy at:
[email protected]

 

[chemman14]

$25 corny's in san diego, I just talked to the seller on CL and he still has some left. I'm told they're in good condition and just need a new seal.

email Randy at:
[email protected]

damn, I was just down there last weekend!

 

[zman]

http://bvrgelements.com/keg_products.html has them for under $40

 

[polo_check]

I just ordered 2 kegs from bvrgelements.com. I got the ones with broken handles. $27 a piece after shipping. I've been looking on Craig's list for a couple of months in about a 200 mile radius with no luck so i decided to gove these a try. Will update with the quality when I receive them.

 

[MaddBaggins]

I got all of mine for $30 each locally about 3 years ago. The same shop sells them for $40 now.

http://www.beer-wine-brewing.com/store/product.php?productid=18271&cat=396&page=1

 

[horseinmay]

I got most of mine from a dude in San Marcos for $20/each with a gasket kit. He had an entire shipping container full of them in his driveway. That was a few years ago. I think I met him through QUAFF.