Kegging Homebrew

[thenino34]

I have brewed and bottled three beers so far and now I am interested in kegging my next batch. Can somebody tell me what I should be looking into, i really don't want anything too expensive or sophisticated. Any suggestions?

Is the kegging process similar to the bottling process?

[Payson]

The process is as similar and dis-similar as you care to make it. You can treat a 5 gallon cornelius keg as if its 1 big bottle by priming in it or you can force carbonate it. There are also many mini-keg options available. It all depends on what you have room for and what you plan on spending.

[danno]

here's what you'll need for a basic kegging setup.

cornies: 5 gallon are cheapest, either pin lock (coke) or ball lock (pepsi). ebay is an OK source, but watch out for the shipping and handling charges, they can get steep. another good place, with quality kegs, is http://www.rackers.org/kegs.shtml. you'll want to replace, at the very least, the four small o-rings on any keg you pick up. These usually just had soda in them, and soda (or "pop", as us Minnesotans call it) will leave a residual taste and smell on o-rings. Regarding the large o-ring, I've had good luck soaking them in cheap beer for several days, it removes most of the odors.

taps and beer line: start out with your basic picnic tap. I really like chris kanobi's setup with picnic taps sticking out of a 2x4 mounted in his fridge. brilliant and inexpensive. wish I'd have thought of that... for your beer line, you need to have the right stuff. the inside has a mirror finish so you won't get foaming. for the gas line, any cheapie hardware store tubing will work fine.

co2 tank: best to get one locally, (you can't ship one filled, so you'll have to fill it locally anyways.) check out welding supply stores or the like. A place that swaps tanks instead of filling them is a good deal, because then you won't have to deal with the every 5 year hydro test requirements. Also, get as large a tank as you can fit in your setup, the price difference between filling a 20lb tank and a 5lb tank is minimal. (last time I paid $14 for my 5 lb and $18 for my 20lb)

co2 regulator: ebay is another good place for these, or there are a ton of web based retailers that have pretty good deals too. I actually got mine from my welding supply place when I got my tanks, a little haggling brought the price down nicely... also make sure you have a check valve so you don't get blowback into your regulator.

something to keep your cornies cold: I have a chest freezer with a temperature controller that I love. However, that garage sale or want ad refrigerator will also work just as well, and probably much cheaper. only problem with that, if you like your beer closer to cellar temps, it may be tough to get a fridge to that high a temperature without using a separate controller.

i think that covers the basics, from there you can get totally out of hand...

[toneyc]

Just to add a little to what Danno said, most homebrew shops will have a kegging kit that comes with one keg, one tap, gas line, and a co2 tank with regulators. For example, AHS has a kit for $169.99 with free shipping.

:)
Toney.

[kgaugler]

I will second what Danno said. I would check with your lhbs to see what they offer too. I got my setup from my lhbs for $170... and the CO2 tank was filled! The other advantage is, it you choose to do so, you can force carbonate like Payson said and your beer is ready to enjoy much sooner:D