Getting started with kegs

[stevela]

As much as I find a good bottling session a relaxing peaceful way to spend an evening (weird eh :)) I'm starting to be tempted by the idea of kegging some of my beers.

From having a bit of a read up I see these guys appear to make a 20 litre keg which would do the trick:

http://www.crusaderkegsandcasks.com/

On top of that I assume I will need a source of CO2, a regulator for the CO2, some way of chilling the kegs (tall fridge or some form of chiller?), taps and hoses/connectors etc.

I'm also quite taken with the idea of having the ability to put commercial kegs on, is there a standard for the type of connector in the UK that I should use for my homebrew kegs in order to keep them compatible or should I look at getting one of each from the page below:

http://www.a1barstuff.co.uk/keg-connect ... 5_161.html

I think to start with I wouldn't want more than two kegs connected at once, that's a lot of beer to get through although I'm sure my friends would do their best to work through it.

Any links or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[BigYin]

Cornie kegs are usually the keg of choice - and the bits and pieces you need for them are readily available - often on ebay :thumb:

 

[PD]

ha haaaa I diont want more than two....... :nah:

he hee....now where have I heard that before...

Bobsbeer is the man you need for info re the sankey kegs, I do cornelious kegs which are different fittings etc.
Sankey seem to be the new kids on the block...

Kegs certainly add a bit extra to home brewing I try and brew a few litres more than the keg holds and bottle the rest,get best of both worlds.

 

[Fil]

i would look at the 30l kegs.. especially if u brew 23l batches, you can underfil a keg without any probs, as u can vent out the air keeping it contained within co2 only.

if you enjoy an evening of botteling you may not enjoy the hassle of having to prep only 6-8 for the excess, its generaly an afterthought in my case just as the keg and everything else is ready ..

as someone using cornys the 19l size is the biggest pita, so if you can house the 30l kegs they would provide a better solution imho.

when you could pick up a corny off ebay for £25 or a bit more from Norm with disconnects and a few m of line and the confidence if u have a problem it will be sorted yes they were the keg of chioce..

but now with the price of a 2nd hand corny almost that of a new one i think if i were looking at kegging up i would co down the comercial keg route too.

the major pitfall as i understand it is the removal of the dip tube (sorry corny speak) spear, .. but i believe cruasder will ship them uncoupled to you, what u need to do to it ?? sorry corny user seem to recall reading a 5p coin comes in somewhere :)..

And i doubt 2 will be enough..

 

[stevela]

ha haaaa I diont want more than two....... :nah:

he hee....now where have I heard that before...

Bobsbeer is the man you need for info re the sankey kegs, I do cornelious kegs which are different fittings etc.
Sankey seem to be the new kids on the block...

Kegs certainly add a bit extra to home brewing I try and brew a few litres more than the keg holds and bottle the rest,get best of both worlds.

to be fair I did say "to start with" :lol: I know only too well how this hobby goes.

I looked at Cornies but as Fil says these days the price isn't very appealing when a new keg is around the same cost.

Does the spear need to be removed for any reason other than making cleaning easier? Can you not fill through it?

i would look at the 30l kegs.. especially if u brew 23l batches, you can underfil a keg without any probs, as u can vent out the air keeping it contained within co2 only.

Looking at the size difference not a bad idea a few mm wider and 80 taller. Plus means I can increase my batch size :)

 

[nicknoxx]

There's a HUGE thread in 'the other place' that tells you all you could need to know about kegs.

http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/forum/view ... =6&t=58785

EDIT: the early part of the thread mentions free delivery but it's now £25 per order

 

[stevela]

That is a fairly epic thread! Thanks :thumb:

 

[chrig]

looks like around £65 for a 20L in that thread, that's a nice price compared to what I've seen corny kegs going for second hand.... Maybe once a few reconditioned ones fall on to the second hand market it'll bring the corny price back under control.

On the chrimbo list but im sure the wife will buy me what SHE thinks I need. :lol:

 

[stevela]

At that price it would be rude not to, unfortunately going to have to be in the new year for me, already commited to picking up an Xbox One next month.

 

[bobsbeer]

I swapped over to the 20lt sankey kegs from cornies earlier this year. The kegs from Crusader are really good quality and you can have the connector of your choice, although sankey is the most common in the uk. I got mine delivered with the spear out as I could then cut off the safety catch and insert and remove with no problem. You just have to be mindful that you need to check it's not gassed up when you try to unscrew it. They are easy to fill, clean and serve. You will need all the other stuff you mentioned, as well as making/getting a tool to remove the spears. Barneey made a few of them, so it may be worth pm to see if he still has any. But the great advantage is no poppets to leak/change and the pressure inside can be as low as you want with no problems sealing. These are definitely the way of the future as cornies get higher and higher in price, and the cost of new poppets/o-rings etc.

 

[stevela]

Thanks Bob,

I'll definitely go for Sankey then if it's quite common, that will help with the idea of getting some local craft beers on tap. Is there any way to request a certain type of safety on the spear or is it just pot luck. From looking at the other thread it seems like some are easily removed using the 5p trick, if that's the case I wouldn't worry about cutting it off.

 

[bobsbeer]

Not sure about the safety. I don't think it's too difficult to get round once you have the knack. The one on mine I just cut off with my dremel. But as it's only me using them I know to check the pressure before removing. Sankey is probably the most common and couplers are easy to get on ebay. I have a few. I usually fill via the beer out port, so the one way valves have been removed on one of my couplers. I just connect my syphon tube onto a short piece of 3/8 tube and let it fill that way. If you over fill, it will overflow out of the gas port. Then either force carbonate or if you have added sugar let it condition. You could always fill with the spear out and then you can see the level as it fills.

 

[stevela]

Well thanks to Barneey my first two kegs, opening tool and beer line have arrived :)

Now I just need to get a larder fridge, regulator, taps and CO2 supply and i'll be good to go!

 

[boab42stout]

they look great let us all know how you get on :thumb:

 

[dennisdk2000]

Sorry if it's already been answered, but with regards to the keg coupler type of commercial beers, it depends on the brewery. I was looking at cornies, now I'm looking at kegs...

Dennis

 

[sam.k]

so if you don't grind the safety thing off the spear how hard is it to remove the spear?

 

[stevela]

Sorry if it's already been answered, but with regards to the keg coupler type of commercial beers, it depends on the brewery. I was looking at cornies, now I'm looking at kegs...

Dennis

Thanks, I'll have to speak to some local micros and see what they use.

so if you don't grind the safety thing off the spear how hard is it to remove the spear?

Fortunately Barneey has already removed the safety on these so I'm not sure on that. From what I've read I think it's the luck of the draw on what spear you get.

Ordered my first tap from eBay yesterday and emailed Norm for a price on a multiway CO2 regulator.

 

[bobsbeer]

If you want to know which brewery uses which coupler, check out HERE

 

[stevela]

If you want to know which brewery uses which coupler, check out HERE

Useful link thanks for that.

Just managed to get my hands on a nice looking black larder fridgefor £65 which is being delivered tonight and Norm is posting the regulator on Monday.

I'd better start brewing some beer to go in these kegs!

 

[bobsbeer]

Nice fridge. Should make a decent kegerator. :thumb: