Cheap keg setup solutions

jamessathre · June 21, 2012, 6:18pm

Hello,

My first post!

I am getting married in a year, and I just started home brewing. I’ve made a few batches, and so far I like what I’ve been able to produce. To save money for my wedding, I’m planning on brewing my own beer now. I was wondering what would be the cheapest route to serve it? I’ve looked at the 5 gallon kegs, which don’t seem too bad. I’m not sure if I will need a CO/2 contaner per keg, or can I have multiple kegs running off of the same CO/2 bottle?

What do you need to look out for when buying used kegs? Is there a considerable difference between the two connections types? Can I just put a keg in a clean garbage can and fill it with ice to cool it, or will that not work for some reason?

any advice is appreciated!

thanks,

James

bpbco · June 21, 2012, 6:42pm

Welcom to the forum!
You can run multiple kegs using 1 CO2 tank, this link has the type of hardware you’d need, either a distributor or some stainless T’s.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brew ... s-hardware

There shouldn’t be any issues with keeping the serving kegs in a trash can(or anything else for that matter) filled with ice. Probably want to find something that will fit however many kegs you plan on using to keep it simple.
As for used kegs you want to make sure they hold pressure, there are several reputable websites that will sell you used kegs so you can shop around, and try craigslist, ebay etc if you want to try to find a really good deal. Along with giving them a good cleaning you’ll probably want to replace all of the gaskets, this next link will show you what you need, although if you’re planning on multiple kegs I think you can shop around and buy these things in bulk for quite a bit cheaper.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brew ... l-kit.html

baratone_brewer · June 21, 2012, 9:08pm

Yep, shop around for the hardware it can be had for much cheaper. I just sold a spare 6-way distributor for $35.
If you look hard enough you can still find a few cheap kegs these days. Keep in mind that most pin lock kegs do not have the PRV in the lid.

jamessathre · June 22, 2012, 2:32am

In pin lock kegs, how do you release the presure then? And why would you want to do that? Sorry, I’m very new to this stuff.

nighthawk · June 22, 2012, 4:31am

To release the pressure, you can depress the “gas in” poppet with a small screwdriver.

You will need to release the pressure in order to remove the lid when you clean/fill the keg. Or if you happen to over carbonate the keg.

When you go to purchase the disconnects, get the threaded ones. Then you can easily change between the coke/pepsi style kegs. Which ever keg is the cheapest when you find them, buy them.