Intro to kegging and kegerators

I have been thinking of entering the home brew hobby for a few years now and though what better times is there to start then now? I brewed my first beer the other day (Block Ale) and immediately became hooked. After a ton of research, I believe it makes sense for me to purchase a kegging kit so I can benefit from not having to bottle condition and having the versatility of having the keg. I am thinking of purchasing the following kit (Home Brew Keg System w/ Cornelius (Corny) Ball Lock Keg & Bottle Fille) so i still have the option to bottle my brew.

I am also looking to purchase a kegerator for my home and am confused on what I need to purchase. Based on my research, it appears that I will need to purchase a special kegerator designed for home brew? I also noticed that they sell kits to retrofit a regular kegerator to for the corny kegs. These kits seem really expensive for the few minor parts they seem to be providing. My head is spinning from all of this research so I could really use some help? If i purchase the above keg kit, how would you recommend going about pairing it with a kegerator (My budget for the kegerator is $500-750).

Thanks in advance!

I’m sure they sell kits but a gas and liquid disconnects and a couple clamps is all you need really

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Thanks for the reply! So if I purchase a disconnect like this (Ball Lock Disconnect- 1/4" Barb Liquid) one for gas and one for liquid then i will be all set if I purchase a regular kegerator?

My man! I bottled one batch before thinking… I need a keg system. I ain’t bottling ~50 bottles all the time!

In regards to a kegerator. The only difference is the disconnects. If I were you I would go with:
These for liquid lines

These for gas lines:

Then you can get these to simply and quickly swap to a commercial coupler:

Keep an eye on Craigslist and FB Marketplace for keg parts, cornie kegs and kegorators. There are usually some to be had.

Any kegorator designed to hold a 1/2 barrel (15.5 gal) commercial keg should hold 2 or 3 cornie kegs. Depending on the design of it and the size of your CO2 tank, it might need to go outside of it.

Kegerators are expensive as heck and I would recommend converting a small chest freezer if you have the space. You can use picnic taps and open the lid every time you want a beer. You can always add the collar and taps to it down the road. I’m working on this project with a buddy as well, so that he can serve my beer at his house. I know you don’t need 4 kegs to start but this is a deal from Adventures in Homebrewing that I may pull the trigger on. @loopie_beer has set you up with the hardware and hosing already

Well, I was gonna reccommend THIS because it’s what I bought on black Friday back in 2013, but I got it on sale for $699 and now it’s up there for $999 which is out of your budget. I bottled for about a year before I pulled the trigger on kegging and it is much easier to deal with. Also, I HIGHLY recommend getting Perlick faucets, much better than standard taps. I have these flow control taps on my kegerator and they make bottling from the tap simple and easy for when you want to take a bottle or two somewhere to share.

:beers:
Rad

The $699 price seems ideal, I couldn’t see buying it at full price. I understand that not everybody has room for a chest freezer but I think it would be cheapest way to go at this point. I bottled for a year as well (13 batches) and that sucked. I had the wife help a time or two and that’s how I ended up with a keezer :joy: I, too, recommend Perlick taps!

You will find lots of posts in this forum about keezers and kegerators. A bunch of examples here Picture of your keezer or kegerator?. Our host has a video about building your own.
You can find used, reconditioned kegs and save some money - here’s an example https://www.kegconnection.com/four-pack-pin-lock-keg-bundle/. There are two connection types for corny kegs - pin lock and ball lock. Both work, but pick one so you have a consistent set of connections. Kegs of commercial beer are yet another connection type.
I too will vote for Perlick taps. And, definitely kegging over bottling.
You can find lots of advice it the forum. Don’t hesitate to ask for help.

Considering that it comes with two corny’s and a 5lb CO2 container the $999 price isnt too bad. Based on everyone’s comments it looks like I dont have a choice and have to get the Perlick’s!

Unfortunately I do not have room for a chest freezer. Already have one in the garage dedicated to bait! I give you alot of credit for bottling for 13 batches, thats a ton of patience!

Thank you so much for this! This is extremely helpful! Just added them all to my cart. You have bottled one more batch than I ever will lol. After reading through all the comments on the forum, I quickly realized I do not have the patience to bottle! Cheers!

It’s your money but there are much better deals out there for kegs and equipment if you shop around. Check out kegconnection.com for one.

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So I made the switch from bottling to Kegging about a year ago, my suggestions:

Facebook and Craigslist are realistic options for equipment, kegs, taps regulators and Co2 tanks are a lot less.
I have a Edgestar.com kegerator, that I built into my existing bar with a triple tap, if I could do it all again, I would have gotten a chest freezer with mounted picnic taps and an external thermostat…but the bar was built 20 years ago.
I bought the model that can fit 3 (ball-lock) corney kegs… figure out ball or pin lock, 1/4" air hose or 3/8" air hose
honestly, I have 5 kegs, the one I have the most problems with was the newer style one, all of the converted soda kegs have been champs.

Remember, though you are not filling bottles, you are washing kegs, cleaning lines. buying CO2 and fixing leaks (beer and Co2), this does not eliminate all the work.

Finally, go slow. Think about the system and how you are brewing though our the year before you load up your credit card with equipment purchases.

Get one keg, a 5 lbs Co2 tank, regulator and picnic tap… on craigslist that would be about $80-100 over here… see how it works for you. I still bottle some of my beer (I have a few cases of flip tops, that makes lifer easier)…

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I just saw a used Corny keg for all of about $35 the other day. Made me think that maybe I should add a second keg to my system for that price. I don’t have a kegerator so if I want to throw the keg into the fridge I have to remove all of the shelves and rearrange the food. LOL. But usually I share my kegs with friends so they don’t last very long.

I have bottled about 120 batches of beer. Someone in my building moved back home because of the outbreak and we bought her chest freezer for a good price. “Now’s my chance!” I thought… well it’s all full of food during our isolation and my family is pretty happy about that. I’ll just have to keep on dreaming.

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Hang in there. At some point that WILL be a kegerator!

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The silver lining is that you now have time to plan and design the perfect keezer, accumulate parts and supplies, etc. :slight_smile:

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I’m way overdue into getting into kegging. A got a great deal on some korny kegs and cO2. Can anyone give me their thoughts on this kegerator? I think the value looks good comparatively. I’m thinking two dispensers with flow control.

KegLand Series X Kegerator

Looks like it will hold 3 kegs. Pin lock cornies are a bit shorter and you may get a 3rd full size under that light or maybe take the light out.