I made the jump to the kegerator two years ago and have never looked back until I just recently bottled two kegs worth this past week. I planned to bottle these from the get go but aged them and carbed them in kegs. 11.25% and 10.5% on tap is a bad idea for my liver. Rough estimate is that kegging saves me roughly 3 hours per brew (plus 2-3 weeks of waiting for carbonation, I can force carb in a week or less), so depending on how valuable your time is, it can pay for itself extremely quickly. Plus I only have to clean and sanitize one vessel instead of 48. I do highly recommend splurging on Perlick faucets, they are worth the cost hands down. I have the flow control versions, which also helps for bottling off the tap if you want to be able to do that easily.
Well I am starting to think about kegging as I have done 4 extract batches and with my son in the house the 12 oz bottles seem to go quick. So maybe a keg for home use and bottles for giveaway. I have 2 batches fermenting and conditioning and find myself not looking forward to bottling 100 beers… But I will prob do these brews.
Never thought I would consider the keg but until I am the only one in the house drinking it, it may make sense.
I understand from reading this thread that kegged beer will store for quite a while. Once you tap it does it need to be consumed soon?
Yes, kegged beers store for a long time. Hoppy beers, same as with bottling, still need to be drank young as hoppy goodness declines with time. Otherwise everything is the same as with bottles but less tedious. Even after tapping it is still a closed system and co2 keeps the oxidation beast at bay.
However if you two are cranking through the beer, kegging is not going to slow that down!!!
Well I was just reading in the new How to Brew book about kegging. There is a section stating you should not put the co2 tank and regulator in the fridge as the condensation could ruin the regulator. I was sort of hoping I could put everything inside to make it appear a bit neater. But of course I don’t want to ruin a regulator just for aesthetics …
I would think the condensation only happens when you open the door. That is, when warm, humid air hits the cold metal regulator. I don’t open the door to mine except for when I’m changing kegs.
Long time Brewer. Long time kegger. Never heard that. Usually people keep the CO2 tank out to save space. CO2 tanks get put in for aesthetic purposes. I have always put my CO2 tank in and my regulators (3) work just fine, thanks.
My regs stay inside the fridges. 5# cylinder inside the lagering fridge, 20# cylinder outside the serving fridge. I’ve never noticed any condensation on the gauge faces. Never noticed any condensation in the serving fridge at all at 36F though I do get some, in the form of ice, in the lagering fridge at 32.
Look at. Standardkegs.com. just orderd 40 kegs for the brewery. And 6 for me at home. They are sankey kegs. Nice price as well 61 dollar per keg. And they are brand new
No prob to leave your tank and reg inside the. Fridge. Me do rent co2 tanks much easier i leave my tank and reg out side. Got enough space in the beer room
I have had my regs inside and outside. Had an old fridge that the reg would not fit inside easily. I found a spot on the side that was safe to drill and made a rack to hang the tank on. My current kegorator has enough space so it’s inside. The only difference is the high pressure gauge will read low in the cold.
EDIT: If you pay the deposit and rent the tank like @wilcolandzaat you can usually just swap it at the dealer, no wait. Also when it is time for it to be hydrostatic tested, it’s the dealers problem/expense.
Thanks for the info. I have a place not far from me that will supposedly fill while I wait. My plan will be to have two tanks so if I have to drop one off and pick it up another day it’s not a big deal.
Reading more about kegging…it sounds like to carbonate my beer the setting will be around 8 or 9 psi, but to serve it should be maybe 10-12 ( based on my hose length).
So when not drinking I guess it should be dialed back to the pressure for my ideal carbonation level ?
I tend to not drink much beer during the work week, so should I leave everything connected at the carbonation psi? Beer line connected or maybe disconnected? I am just going to be using the picnic tap for right now, all enclosed in a mini fridge.
In a perfect world, you figure out the appropriate volumes of CO2 for the carb level you want, set the PSI to get that, then choose a line length that is balanced for the same setting. In the real world, you will be tweaking back and forth, futzing a little here or there. If you find one of those beer line calculators, the answer might be just cutting a little length off of your lines, but carbonating at 10 instead of 9 isn’t going to be that big of a deal.
No room in my fridge, be it the freez-mentor, or, the usual one… In the freez-mentor 7.1 cu.ft. chest, I can attach the gas and leave it… I like 10-12 psi. BUT, when I go to the usual fridge, an upright, its after the keg is well carbed, an then I open the door, connect the gas line, pull a pint or two, possibly even a growler… disconnect and close the door… I’ve not had any problems, other than its a PITA… New one, keezer style… someday! Sneezles61
Rough estimate is that kegging saves me roughly 3 hours per brew (plus 2-3 weeks of waiting for carbonation, I can force carb in a week or less), so depending on how valuable your time is, it can pay for itself extremely quickly. Plus I only have to clean and sanitize one vessel instead of 48. I do highly recommend splurging on Perlick faucets, they are worth the cost hands down. I have the flow control versions, which also helps for bottling off the tap if you want to be able to do that easily.
