Where to start

I would like to try kegging beer. I will need to have a two draft system. How can I make a kegging system without breaking the bank in the process?

How big is your bank? If you’re buying new everything, you can easily drop 500-1000. If you’re buying used, you should expect less than 500. Taps, kegs, fridge are the most expensive parts.

edit: CO2 tank and gauges are not cheap either.
cheers

Get someone to leave you a kegging system in their will, and then wait for them to kick off. :twisted:

I tried going as cheaply as possible, and all it meant was that I wasn’t really happy with my kegging system until I finally finished splurging all the money for a fully kitted out keezer with nice faucets and whatnot. In the end, I think all the upgrades ended up being more expensive than it would have been to just start off with the full-blown setup. Like Stormy says, you should be willing to budget up to $500 for a full system if you’re OK with getting used kegs & fridge.

That said, if I could do it all over again I might have done it anyway because I was getting sick of dealing with bottles. One thing I might steer clear of, though, is the double barrel regulator. I’m just running a single gas line into a distributor in the keezer 'cuz it’s easier. Turns out the 2nd regulator’s mainly been useful for making the CO2 tank easier to knock over and break.

Including kegs, I have about $1000 in mine. 8 kegs (in the kegerator), post connections, 5 shanks, 5 faucets, beverage line, collar, paint and stain/polyurethane, regulator, co2 tanks, co2 distributor, drip tray, and the freezer. Holy crap…didnt realize I spent that much!
I started small with a two keg dorm fridge and picnic taps, then bought a 5 cu ft freezer with picnic taps, then a 15 cu ft freezer with all stainless hardware. If you work your way up and gradually improve, its not so bad.

[quote=“roffenburger”]Including kegs, I have about $1000 in mine. … Holy crap…didnt realize I spent that much!
[/quote]

LOL, I stopped counting my investment at $1000. :shock: But to be honest, I have no regrets.

:cheers:

[quote=“StormyBrew”][quote=“roffenburger”]Including kegs, I have about $1000 in mine. … Holy crap…didnt realize I spent that much!
[/quote]

LOL, I stopped counting my investment at $1000. :shock: But to be honest, I have no regrets.

:cheers: [/quote]
No regrets here either. I have another 5-6 kegs on top of my 8, plus 5 other co2 bottles of various sizes, nitrogen bottle, 3 or four extra regulators, a two tap tower, etc etc etc.

[quote=“roffenburger”][quote=“StormyBrew”][quote=“roffenburger”]Including kegs, I have about $1000 in mine. … Holy crap…didnt realize I spent that much!
[/quote]

LOL, I stopped counting my investment at $1000. :shock: But to be honest, I have no regrets.

:cheers: [/quote]
No regrets here either. I have another 5-6 kegs on top of my 8, plus 5 other co2 bottles of various sizes, nitrogen bottle, 3 or four extra regulators, a two tap tower, etc etc etc.[/quote]

Ok, I regret not having more kegs. :wink:

I have about 600-700. I just want two kegs on tap and two to replace them.

That’s a pretty good budget you should be able to get set up with that.

I am thinking about getting a 2-3 beer system. For space reasons I would like to use a mini fridge.

I just got a kegerator kit, a new keg, co2 bottle lines and a tap that passes through a hole i will drill in the fridge. That was like $325. Got a second keg (used) for $50 and looking to get two more soon for $50 each.

Id suggest stocking up on seals/orings

Do you recommend any sites or brands to buy a fully functional kegerator? To be honest, I don’t know a great deal about kegging either but hate bottling. Even if I just got a small dorm fridge with one tap, I would be extremely happy at this point. I don’t know if I have the time to invest in building my own, but would love to buy one that’s completely ready to use.

Very doable with that budget. I built my 2 tap system from used pieces for around $350. Found the kegerator w/CO2 tank and regulator on craigslist. Bought 3 kegs in a group buy. Swapped the single tap tower for a new 2 tap tower. Replaced all the gas lines, beer lines, connections, etc.

I’ve since upgraded some things. Bought a 4th keg, a dual pressure regulator so I can adjust the PSI of the two kegs independently. Bought new tap handles and just the other day ordered two Perlick taps. Should have done this sooner, but better late than never. I also bought a second CO2 tank so I could use my older regulator and precarb kegs while they sit waiting for a spot to open.

EDIT: It’s also nice to have a back up CO2 tank when one runs out.

My basic list was: (over 5 years ago)

2bl Draft Tower - $200?
Used Freezer $50
Co2 Tank - $120 filled
Regulator $80
Temp Control $80

prices were CDN dollars - some sales tax included (maybe not all)

Back then I probably got all my kegs (I have 7 or 8 ) for $35-40each, used. Most prices of kegs have gone up since then.

$700 should go quite a ways - especially if you find some gear used or on sale.

And it was a very easy sell for my wife after I told he there would be no more empties or beer caps lying around the house.

That’s for true. I got my second tank for beer gas, and do use it for nitro a lot of the time. But when it’s not filled for for nitro use. I fill it with CO2 as a spare.

And in the case of an emergency, nitrogen can at least be used to pour regular CO2 beer for a day or two while I get my tank filled.

I actually bought the Tap A Draft System this past year. I must admit, you can pretty much use the 3 3L bottles and clear out a 5 gallon batch of beer. It’s essentially like you’re only filling 3 bottles for a 5 gallon batch. I must admit, it’s a poor man’s keg and the beer is very nice coming out of the CO2 dispenser. It’s made me think a great deal more about buying an actual kegerator. I really don’t know a great deal about kegging, the equipment involved though, or the cost involved. I do have an old college dorm fridge but it’s pushing 15 years old at this point. It still works well though. My biggest concern is attempting to figure out the conversion of it and then watching it die right about the time I’m all set. Having a toddler and an infant also limits time to build. I would almost rather buy new but spend more money, than waste time and energy I simply don’t have currently.

bump.

I am in a similar situation regarding time with three little ones and as my wife will attest, far too many hobbies. :stuck_out_tongue: I also had some issues with consistent carbonation when I was bottling for various reasons. Now every batch I can carb exactly how I want.

I went to Kegerator.com
http://www.kegerator.com
and nabbed the Edgestar Dual tap Kegerator on black Friday last year for about $650 with free shipping. It came with everything I needed at the time including 2 used corny kegs and has seen good use since I put it into service at Christmas. It took me a little bit to figure out the serving pressure for the CO2 but now that I have that figured out (I serve at just under 9 PSI at about 42 degrees), I love it. I did buy a 2 hose manifold from our host so I could carb one keg and serve out of the other. This does take a little manipulation of my regulator when I want to pour a beer or three but typically after I pour my last one of the night, I just swap the valves on the manifold and bump the pressure back up. I have been carbing at around 20 PSI for three to 5 days and then leaving at serving pressure. A dual pressure regulator is on my list for sometime down the road.

I have since bought 3 more used cornies as I’ve caught up in my brewing so that I can have two staged ready to go, two in the kegerator, and one for long term aging. I have my bourbon Barrel Porter in my fifth keg atm waiting for Christmas. :stuck_out_tongue: Longer term I may upgrade to a keezer when I have more time but I am very happy with my kegerator. My uncle is going to give me his CO2 tank that he no longer uses so I may buy a second regulator and start carbing the staged kegs before they’re ready to go in the kegerator.

:cheers:
Rad

I’ve got a budget of $500, which will get me to my 2 tap starting point I’d like. Kegging kit from LHBS (keg, all hoses, Co2, picnic tap for $225), found a 7.2 cf chest freezer from a friend I got on the cheap. Now I just need to build it when I find the time. Also going to upgrade to Perlick faucets to serve from.

And of course brew to fill her up!