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Keg / Tap Lock? Any other ideas?

Kegging
#1

Have a question for you smart folks on here…

I am looking to step up to a keg system - been home brewing and bottling for 3 + years and last year moved into a house with kind of a lower level bar room area that would be perfect to have a nicer 2 keg kegerator.

BUT here is my question and ultimately what is holding my wife up from saying ‘go for it’. - my 13 1/2 year old son and my soon to be 11 year old daughter

This is the room as well that when they have sleep overs or parties etc will be used. While I would love to say I have the most perfect Leave it to Beaver kids, I am also smart enough to know having 5-6 14, 15 etc year old boys in a room with open access to a keg is asking for trouble.

So my question. If I did get a kegerator (either bought a commercial one or built my own) is there any way to either quickly disassemble the hose leading from the keg to the tower/supply line, lock the tab (not sure how I would, just a thought) OR if I simply unscrew the tap handles would it be too difficult to pull the nut part remining?

any thoguhts

#2

If you can lock the fridge/freezer, you can remove to liquid post from the keg.

If not able to lock the fridge/freezer, there are tap locks available.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/beer ... -lock.html

There is a homemade lock in this thread.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/diy-bee ... ndex2.html
#3

thanks. those locks might work.

I am guessing I would buy a dorm fridge type kegerator with the 2 tap handle coming from the top. Not sure I am into trying to build my own, as cool as that sounds. So I don;t think it would have a lock. even if it didn’t, I think I would be safe as long as it was disconnected in some way. If the kids had to start opening the door, hooking the kegs back up etc I think they would hold off. I just didn;t want to make it as easy as walking up and giving the tap a pull and instant beer.

so dumb question, but is it as easy as unscrewing something off the keg quickly? the tap line or something? or could it be? or are the locks a better solution.

I feel it would only be when they have friends over anyway, not all the time.

#4

The beer/gas lines are on the keg with a “quick disconnect[/url]”. They operate like a air tool disconnect or a disconnect you can buy for a [url=http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Quick-Disconnect-Fittings-Stainless-Stop/dp/B007PA4JIC]garden hose

.

The commercial mini fridge kegerators a big enough to fit 2-4 5 gallon kegs. I have a Sanyo model that will fit 2 Pepsi and 2 Coke kegs. The back has a hump on top that the shorter Coke kegs fit under. But the Pepsi ones are to tall.

Normally I only have 2 kegs and the gas tank in there.

#5

taking off that quick disconnect honestly might be enough to curb the issue. If I could get some type of lock on the fridge I would be good to go and have no fears.

now I find out if that was REALLY my wife’s concern with me getting one or just a convenient one (ha ha)

#6

There are numerous locking latches that could be installed easily on your own. Like nighthawk said, take off the liquid line and lock it up.
Education goes a long way as well as making known the consequences of sneaking drinks.

#7

[quote=“roffenburger”]
Education goes a long way as well as making known the consequences of sneaking drinks.[/quote]

yes I know. I also know you get 5-6 14 year olds in a room and the brain power goes down drastically. :smiley: the more you add the lower the IQ it seems ha ha

honestly it is not my kids alone, my son could care less (for now) about beer. it is maybe his friends. and also when they are 16-17 etc, not just now.

#8

I think a good majority of posters on this forum have gone through the whole kids around beer thing. Only natural.

I honestly don’t think draft beer vs, bottled beer makes the situation any different. If they want to steel your beer they’ll probably find a way.

As mentioned above, education and having a level perspective on things will go a long way. As long as your kids know your ground rules, it should be fine in most cases.

Very easy to come up with a solution on the fly if you suspect funny business with a bunch of 16 year olds in your house. (Tap lock can work. Pad lock on fridge. But if they want it bad enough they can get to the beer - bottle or draft. Gotta live your life though. If your kids know there will be consequenses to their actions I’d give them the benefit of the doubt in most cases.)

Personally I would never be too worried about the beer as I was steeling my Dad’s by the time I was 14. Can’t really judge too harshly. My limit will be if I ever find some dumbass teenager mixing my high end single malt with orange soda. My kids though would know better than to poke that bear.

#9

honestly the thought never crossed my mind it would of been an issue. maybe if he was having a big party I might of stuck me at that time that I should lock down the thing - something simple like disconnect the lines or something - it was more when Mom spoke up and said something. If there was a way to limit access I might have a better chance of selling the idea of getting one.

actually, for now, my oldest (13) hates the taste of beer etc anyway. he is more interested in Red Bull, beef jerky and xbox…

then again, maybe the lock idea was more for me (ha ha) and she was just blaming it on the kids. I better get a spare set of keys :smiley:

thanks for the thoughts.

#10

If that is really Mom’s only concern I see some new draft gear in your future.

True or not, I think a case could easily be made that controlling access to your beer is easier with draft. At least it is no more dificult to control than bottles.

Plus, when I sold my wife on draft all I had to do was point out we would no longer have a million beer bottle strewn all over the house and she was in.

:cheers:

#11

[quote=“Brew Meister Smith”]

Plus, when I sold my wife on draft all I had to do was point out we would no longer have a million beer bottle strewn all over the house and she was in.

:cheers: [/quote]

That’s funny. usually it is not THIS bad, but a few days ago my wife did point out I had the same thing, bottles everywhere.

I had about a case of store bought bottles I saved up soaking in the utility sink with oxyclean to delabel, I had 2-3 in the kitchen from the night before that I had drank then rinsed out really well but not put away, I had about 6-8 sitting out in our lower bar area from bottling about a week earlier that I didn’t use then I had in the basement a bunch set out in different sections where I was trying to group together like sized bottles into cases (not sure why i do, just some weird type A personality thing) that I got distracted from.

she basically, jokingly (I thnik…) asked me if there were any rooms I had not left a few bottles in

#12

Ha! I just got the lecture last night, but it was not limited to beer bottles.

“You cannot keep leaving all your brewing stuff out all the time”

“But honey, it is in the basement, out of your way, and I use it pretty much every weekend”

“Unacceptable”

#13

We have an unfinished basement. Usually our conversation is around why is it that every section of that basement is a mess, and other areas of the house as well, except the corner where my beer brewing stuff is (shelves, a wood table thing I built to hold the fermentors etc) is picture perfect organized. NORMALLY I have everything all lined up, stacked just right etc.

it is kind of funny to go down and see the rest of the basement kind of with stuff everywhere then a perfect little corner for my beer stuff.

priorities I guess…

#14

Yep. I actually think kegging makes it easier for my wife to be fine with me making beer.

Takes up much less time that can be spent doing yardwork. As well as the bottle chaos issues mentioned above. Beyond that she has never had a problem with anything else.

Yet if I ever went back to bottling she would likely develope instant Diarrhea of the Nag! :blah:

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