Right, so my uni club is interested in kegging...how?

[wilsoa1111]

Thats basically it, i have no kegging knowlage or equipment, i usually use plastic screwtops with great success and am now using all grain and have got the cost down to a reasonable level so 50p a pint (a really good proper pint) with half going on ingrediants is possible.

as i see it the options are these:
a glorified 5l bottle, £6 and glorified 23l bottle(£24), practical £50 plastic with floats and co2 injection so every drops good and massive Cornie keg style £150 -with the latter 2 we could say were the only club with our own domestic bar...?

Anyway i still dont know how much the club would fund it but i reckon it beats 2l pop bottles and we should have the cash for even the last option, but bearing in mind it seems u can get 3 times the number of king kegs fro the price...

Also how portable are the last 2 options cos it would be pretty sweet to turnup to a cross uni event and bring our own keg!

Also the group have access to good uni equipment and engineering stuff, any chance we could cobble one together for less that uses bike co2 carts?

sorry, lotta questions but my ambition tends to escape me sometimes :drunk:

 

[31bb3]

Cornies can be force carbed basically yo let rhe beer drop bright in the fermenter then rack into the corny thrn gas to around 20psi then shake for a while then you only need about 5psi to dispense
witrh plastic kegs you need to prime with sugar to get the condition then about psi to serve as the pressure drops you cant force carb the plasric kegs as they wont stand the pressure
Biggest outlay cornys best option cornies but the cornies can be took around and no worry of shaking them plastic conditioned will disturb the sediment
if you planning on not moving the keg plastic is ok

 

[wilsoa1111]

Thanks for the quick reply, will have to see how keen the club is (£150 is alot for a newish club), but probably siding on the kingkeg style as its a third of the price and i reckon will be able to churn beer out a bit quicker, cheaper. especially since clearing beers still a bit a dark art to me atm. I will ignore the cheaper options then.

 

[Dave1970]

A force carbed Corny is the best option for portability. Carbonate at home and then use a party tap with some 3/16ths beer line to reduce foaming. You can get a portable CO2 injector to keep the pressure up as you empty the keg.
Might be worth asking around the union bar(s) to see if they have any old serving kit hanging around and if they can supply you with gas.

 

[wilsoa1111]

yeah, getting the co2 canisters seems to be the biggest issue/ longest term cost. Currently thinking of going for the king keg system initally then maybe getting a cornie or 2, it is a small club after all. As for the uni they redid it all a few years back so doubt it, and their paranoid about safety atm so giving students pressurised gas may be a hard sell...

I do have a new 60l sodastream cart (birthday prezzie) and have found an adaptor here: http://www.magnetventile-shop.de/winkel ... 425350e629

but will cost £36 quid for adaptor but then refills r easy and only a tenner and have flexibility to fit regulators (watever their for) later on, what do peeps think a viable option, or stick to little bulbs atm?

Cost wise how do people think a bulb system compares per keg to a sodastream type system. i did quickly look into a proper s30 cylinder but in dundee looks impossible?

 

[31bb3]

how about getting a hambleton bard co2 bottle or a midget widget if your only going for a king keg then it will last you a fair while if your going corny it wont last as long

 

[wilsoa1111]

yeah i looked into those and to refill would cost me £17 to do refills by post and would be out a cylinder for a week minimum with all that hassle, while sodastream is a tenner and can cycle down and get one from any tescos or asda, so longterm adaptor is paid off in 3-4 goes, also sodastream seems to hold 400g co2, alot more than hamleton bard

 

[prolix]

speak to the guy who runs the uni bar they should be able to get you them, I get mine from my rugby club CO2 for £15 a big 4' bottle

 

[wilsoa1111]

ok will ask them asap, right so what fitting do they use is it the s30 fitting?

 

[31bb3]

Theres usually a fitting already ontop of the KK its threaded in the lid

 

[wilsoa1111]

Right, so in summery, dont bother with sodastream the adaptors r expensive and complex-not a sure thing-get a kk with a s30 fitting and get some co2 off the union or other pub, and use co2 bulbs in meantime. And thats all i need, no regs or lines etc? sorry for all the questions this seems like a really complex issue, and thanks for the answers and patience :)

 

[31bb3]

s30 fitting you need a hambleton bard type gas bottle not sure if the bulbs work on these
corny you need co2 bottle regulator tap or you can use the little bulbs with the little trigger adapter
ive heard of a soda stream converter but not used one so cant comment

 

[wilsoa1111]

yeah the bulbs work if u buy an injector- only a tenner which may need anyway if cant get gas off union, but i sense a cheap sodastream adaptor could be great, will see if i can get the lads to make one on their 3d printer...

 

[TRXnMe]

Have you thought about Polypins? Basically big, strong, polythene bags that you can hook up to a bar mounted beer engine.

If you go for the adaptor for the sodastream CO2 bottle, amke sure it's made from solid by someone who knows how to drive a lathe, you don't want to lose the gas pressure so good solid threads, and a groove for a sealing O ring each side are important :)

You can get cornies for under £150 quid off eBay, run a search on here for a cheap vendor, or two.

King Kegs can be had for under £20 a go off eBay, secondhand, as well, so run a few searches and see what you can drum up :)