Switching to kegging

monty1
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Switching to kegging

Post by monty1 »

Afternoon all,

I've just spent several tedious hours scrubbing and cleaning bottles and am thinking about switching to kegging instead. I'm looking for an entry level system that will save me a few hours of bottling and have found this

http://the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/acatalo ... r-Kit.html
and this
http://www.brewuk.co.uk/equipment/conta ... r-kit.html


Has anyone used this or something similar? Is this so cheap it'll be awful and I should just actually spend a bit more at the outset. Can i still prime as usual and then condition in this for a few weeks as I would with bottles? I have no particular interest in trying to force carbonate - I prefer natural carbonation and conditioning, I just need an easier way to store / dispense.

edit: additionally - what kind of shelf life would beer in one of these kegs have. Is it similar to bottles or less?
Do these kegs use up co2 cartridges quickly? or would a single cartridge last for the full 5 litres?

Any advice appreciated.

Ta.

Iain
PMowdes
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Re: Switching to kegging

Post by PMowdes »

Rich P occasionally uses them. I think they are fine for storage but the beer goes off quickly once they are tapped.

You could get a cornie keg for less than that if you shop around, you would need a few ancilliary parts but they are well worth it.

As for force carbonating i don't know what the problem is. it's much more consistent than bottle / cask conditioning, and if done correctly the condition of your beer shouldn't change as much.
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monty1
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Re: Switching to kegging

Post by monty1 »

fine for storage but the beer goes off quickly once they are tapped.
Then it doesn't look like it's suitable for my needs, I want 3 - 6 months of shelf life with ability to draw off a pint when I want one.

I will have another look at cornies, I was looking for a sub £100 initial set up ideally and haven't found anything in this range yet, but I'll continue to look. A single 9 litre set up from malt miller for example is around 145 quid sans gas. Although, i'd prefer that than to spend 75 on a My First Keg set which isn't fit for purpose. If anyone knows any cheap suppliers, let me know!


Cheers,

Iain
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steve crawshaw
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Re: Switching to kegging

Post by steve crawshaw »

cornies are just so much more versatile. You can dry hop in them, age a sour beer, transfer cleanly under pressure, serve on draft without staling and bottle under pressure. My experience has been that if you buy good quality brewing gear first off, you will save money in the long run as it will hold its value and last a lifetime.
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monty1
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Location: BS3

Re: Switching to kegging

Post by monty1 »

Beginner's kit here looks interesting http://www.thebrewshop.com/contents/en-uk/d91.html though it uses co2 bulbs rather than a gas canister. From what I've read the pub gas bottles can be hard to get hold of, so this might be a good option. Am also looking ath the option of a soda stream adapter which would work out cheaper for co2 usage.
PMowdes
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Re: Switching to kegging

Post by PMowdes »

monty1 wrote:Beginner's kit here looks interesting http://www.thebrewshop.com/contents/en-uk/d91.html though it uses co2 bulbs rather than a gas canister. From what I've read the pub gas bottles can be hard to get hold of, so this might be a good option. Am also looking ath the option of a soda stream adapter which would work out cheaper for co2 usage.

Pub gas bottles are easy to get hold of. Just go to whites celler supplies in fishponds (or various other places, have a look on the forum , there are plenty of threads)

There is usually a deposit, but refils are cheap and a bottle will usually last over a year.

You'll need a regulator (ebay is a good place to find one, i got mine for about £15), some hose, a few john guest connectors and some keg disconnects, and a tap.

Secondhand kegs come up all the time, have a look over on Jims beer kit forum.

The outlay might be a little more but it's well worth it in the long run.

I have two set up permemently in a fridge, which has two taps fitted to the front.
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I_used_to_brew
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Re: Switching to kegging

Post by I_used_to_brew »

I like Cornelius kegs but they do have limitations and I would suggest going down the 'commercial' keg route, several threads on this forum to read if you search for them.

You could try out a commercial keg cheaply if you want.

An EcoKeg is on eBay for £18 (+£7 p/p) - Plastic commercial keg 30l (you don't have to fill it....)
An appropriate connector could be had for ~ £15 (and it's simply so much better than the Cornelius disconnect system)
Dispense tap ~ £15 (eBay)
CO2 regulator - I wouldn't skimp and would buy new - £30 (CO2 is very dangerous, I have seen accidents with cylinders etc etc)
CO2 cylinder £20 (+£20 deposit sometimes...) + chain to keep cylinder attached to wall

So around £100 when you add on a few fittings and a bit of pipe that you'll need.

For a cornelius keg (18l), probably in the £70 region, for a pair of connectors for it (instead of the keg connector) about £15. The rest of what you need is the same.
PMowdes
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Re: Switching to kegging

Post by PMowdes »

RogerP wrote:I like Cornelius kegs but they do have limitations and I would suggest going down the 'commercial' keg route, several threads on this forum to read if you search for them.

You could try out a commercial keg cheaply if you want.

An EcoKeg is on eBay for £18 (+£7 p/p) - Plastic commercial keg 30l (you don't have to fill it....)
An appropriate connector could be had for ~ £15 (and it's simply so much better than the Cornelius disconnect system)
Dispense tap ~ £15 (eBay)
CO2 regulator - I wouldn't skimp and would buy new - £30 (CO2 is very dangerous, I have seen accidents with cylinders etc etc)
CO2 cylinder £20 (+£20 deposit sometimes...) + chain to keep cylinder attached to wall

So around £100 when you add on a few fittings and a bit of pipe that you'll need.

For a cornelius keg (18l), probably in the £70 region, for a pair of connectors for it (instead of the keg connector) about £15. The rest of what you need is the same.

Aren't ecokegs single use??
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I_used_to_brew
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Re: Switching to kegging

Post by I_used_to_brew »

PMowdes wrote:Aren't ecokegs single use??
Technically yes, and for the roughy toughy world of breweries and commercial distribution that's probably true, but for sedate hombrew use I can see them having a long and useful life :)
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alikocho
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Re: Switching to kegging

Post by alikocho »

RogerP wrote:
PMowdes wrote:Aren't ecokegs single use??
Technically yes, and for the roughy toughy world of breweries and commercial distribution that's probably true, but for sedate hombrew use I can see them having a long and useful life :)

Ecokegs don't standup that well to reuse. You can reuse them, but the valves get knackered pretty quickly. You'd get 3-4 uses out of them at best.
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