Kegging on the cheap

Any tips on how to start kegging for a cheap price? I’ve got my eye on 2 5gl ball lock kegs for about $110. I know I will need tubing, a regulator, and a CO2 source. Any tips or tricks would be appreciated.

Namaste!!

[quote=“DrGonzo”]Any tips on how to start kegging for a cheap price? I’ve got my eye on 2 5gl ball lock kegs for about $110. I know I will need tubing, a regulator, and a CO2 source. Any tips or tricks would be appreciated.

Namaste!![/quote]

I got a kegerator conversion kit from beveragefactory.com for a pretty sweet deal. Came with two brand new ball lock kegs, a dual gauge regulator, shanks, faucets, beer and gas lines, all the connections, etc. Only thing it didn’t come with was a CO2 tank which you can buy separately from them. I think it was $250 without the CO2 tank.

Kegging isn’t very cheap IMO, and this set came with all the cheaper parts that will need to be upgraded one day. The kegs are fine but I want Perlick faucets. What’s your budget looking like if you don’t mind me asking?

First thing I am going to do now is buy a distributor for the gas lines so I can get more used/reconditioned ball lock kegs to fill. Then I’ll buy more shanks/faucets but going to go with the Perlick faucets which are not cheap. It’ll take a while for me to be fully up and running but I can keg and push two kegs full of beer right now with the kit I bought and that’s good for now. Upgrades will come in time :slight_smile:

You don’t need to build a full on kegerator to start kegging. If your fridge is big enough to fit your legs you can use picnic faucets to dispense from. They can take a few pours to dial in but overall they work. If you choose to go the kegerator build route don’t go cheap. I did and bought shanks and faucets twice. Start with stainless shanks and Perlick faucets, trust me. Oh and always go one tap more than you originally planned, you’ll thank me later.

I started with 2 kegs, picnic faucets and a regulator and tank I bought off Craig’s list for $125.00. We had an extra refrigerator in the basement and I just used that. It is so much better than bottling. I think the beer taste better also. Plus you can dial the carbonation in to exactly what you like. If I want beer in bottle I just draw it off the keg. Want to take some beer to your friends just fill a couple of growlers, or take the whole keg.

$110 sounds like a lot to a guy that got most of his kegs for free. If you know anyone in the bar or restaurant business see if they have converted from kegs to “bag in box” for soda. If so they may have kegs sitting around just taking up space. Your local soda distributor might be a place to try. Check Craigslist and Ebay also. You can post “wanted” ads in Craigslist for equipment too. After finding used kegs change the O-rings and clean them well. Shy away from kegs that had root beer in them though. It is difficult to get that smell and taste out.

That is good advice.
I went to a place that provides co2 for the restaurant/bar industry and they gave me (gratis) 7 ball lock Cornies and a 10 gal ball lock Challenger keg…and were very happy to get rid of them. For $10 they also let me have a well used 5lb co2 tank (but I had to replace it recently when tighter regulations regarding inspection/certification apparently went into place…but even then with a trade it of my old tank, replacement with a newly refurbished and certified (and filled) tank only cost me another $25.
I probably stumbled into a comparatively rare situation when I got my kegs and tank, but I’m guessing that there are probably more scenarios like this one out there if you look hard enough.

Dang, I’m jealous that I don’t know anyone in the business… Only problem with my job is that I move every few years, so there’s no way to settle down in one place and get to know someone who can hook me up with freebies :slight_smile:

IMO kegging is not cheap at all, you need kegs, tank, regulator, fridge or freezer with temp control and lines.and then you have to drink it faster than if you bottle it. I figure I got in on the cheap and I spent close to $500.

You can try craigslist, but I found very little there and just went the store route, used kegs and all the rest was new. If $500 is cheap to you, then sure, you can do it on the cheap :slight_smile:

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s easier than bottles and a lot less work, but it’s not cheaper.

[quote=“GarretD”]IMO kegging is not cheap at all, you need kegs, tank, regulator, fridge or freezer with temp control and lines.and then you have to drink it faster than if you bottle it. I figure I got in on the cheap and I spent close to $500.

You can try craigslist, but I found very little there and just went the store route, used kegs and all the rest was new. If $500 is cheap to you, then sure, you can do it on the cheap :slight_smile:

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s easier than bottles and a lot less work, but it’s not cheaper.[/quote]

Why do you have to drink it faster?

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[quote=“gdtechvw”][quote=“GarretD”]IMO kegging is not cheap at all, you need kegs, tank, regulator, fridge or freezer with temp control and lines.and then you have to drink it faster than if you bottle it. I figure I got in on the cheap and I spent close to $500.

You can try craigslist, but I found very little there and just went the store route, used kegs and all the rest was new. If $500 is cheap to you, then sure, you can do it on the cheap :slight_smile:

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s easier than bottles and a lot less work, but it’s not cheaper.[/quote]

Why do you have to drink it faster?[/quote]

Well I guess it’s up to each person, but if I have 5 gallons of an IPA, which is what I mostly brew, it has a shelf life before it starts to taste old or flavors drop out of it. So 5 gallons = 640 ounces = 106 pints. I only drink on Friday and Sat, so maybe there is another reason to me. 106 pints at 4-8 pints per weekend means that keg is going be around a long time. So lets say that equals 12 weeks to make it even…So now you have TWO kegs of beer…or 3…well… Before it all is “old” and everything drops out of it, well…you have to drink more :slight_smile:

[quote=“GarretD”][quote=“gdtechvw”][quote=“GarretD”]IMO kegging is not cheap at all, you need kegs, tank, regulator, fridge or freezer with temp control and lines.and then you have to drink it faster than if you bottle it. I figure I got in on the cheap and I spent close to $500.

You can try craigslist, but I found very little there and just went the store route, used kegs and all the rest was new. If $500 is cheap to you, then sure, you can do it on the cheap :slight_smile:

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s easier than bottles and a lot less work, but it’s not cheaper.[/quote]

Why do you have to drink it faster?[/quote]

Well I guess it’s up to each person, but if I have 5 gallons of an IPA, which is what I mostly brew, it has a shelf life before it starts to taste old or flavors drop out of it. So 5 gallons = 640 ounces = 106 pints. I only drink on Friday and Sat, so maybe there is another reason to me. 106 pints at 4-8 pints per weekend means that keg is going be around a long time. So lets say that equals 12 weeks to make it even…So now you have TWO kegs of beer…or 3…well… Before it all is “old” and everything drops out of it, well…you have to drink more :slight_smile: [/quote]

This brings up something I have been wondering. When you brew your IPA’s do you dry hop in your kegs? If not, have you considered it? I’m wondering if dry hopping in the kegs makes that good hoppy flavor/aroma last longer than if you didn’t or if you bottled (like you said, I’ve read that the hop aroma/flavor mellows out and kind of goes away).

Quick correction, 640oz / 16oz = 40 pints. I do WISH I could get 106 pints out of a 5 gallon keg! :smiley:

Where the hell did I come up with 106…LOL…Sorry about that. So 8 beers per weekend = 5-6 weeks…but multiply that by 2 - 3 kegs now… :slight_smile: I still think you end up drinking more, Thank god I don’t brew good beer and drink on the weekdays too…

Whoa dude I like the 106 pints!!! I know, I was just wishing too!! I use to have ball locks, but got a great deal on pin locks, 10 fer $100.00! I do prefer pin locks over ball after having both. I have gotten a lot better at brewing so I get help consuming most brews, some are experiments with stuff, not bad, yet may not brew again sort of category, get my drift? Sneezles61 :cheers:

This is about the cheapest you could go

Keg http://www.homebrewing.org/5-Gallon-Cor … p_842.html

Pin lock connects http://www.homebrewing.org/Pin-Lock-Liq … p_366.html

http://www.homebrewing.org/Pin-Lock-Gas ... p_370.html

Picnic tap http://www.homebrewing.org/Faucet-Picnic-Tap_p_363.html

Co2 tank http://www.homebrewing.org/New-5-Alumin … _1226.html

Co2 regulator http://www.homebrewing.org/Taprite-Sing … _4457.html

You can also search ebay for used stuff

http://m.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=co2+r ... lator+beer

Is it better to go with pin lock or ball lock kegs?

What’s the difference?

It doesn’t really make a difference to the beer? You can usually get used pin locks pretty cheap. That’s a plus in my book. A lot of guys have both.

wondering more for cleaning/ease of use. Looks like they are cheaper to find than the ball locks, so it makes me wonder.

Like you say, once it’s all hooked up, the beer won’t care.

I use pins. The pin fittings are simple to clean. No moving parts. The posts and kegs are basically the same.

Ball locks are taller and skinnier. Pin locks are shorter and fatter. Keep that in mind in regards to your keggerator. I use both as I have swivel nuts installed on the beer lines. With those you only need a second to change between ball lock, pin lock, and sankey.