Commercial Beer

[dart]

Hi there

I am totaly blown over with the kegerator fridges, I just love the idea of owning on of these things (another toy to have). One issue though, is it possible to buy "commercial beers" from the brew companies to use in the kegerators? Below is my story:

Before laying out a hunk of cash on a kegarator, I thought that I would first buy a batch of homebrew from brewbyyou to see if the beer is palatable. So, for a month a mate and I kept beer bottles to bottle our first brew. I tried the Kingfisher lager, according to Brewbyyou it is considered to be somewhat the same as Crown Lager. This weekend we went and bottled our brew, in my personal opinion it is the worst tasting beer I have ever had. I am now stuck with 6 cartons of beer I won't drink. I don't mind blowing cash on buying a kegerator, but I want decent beer to drink.

This brings me back to the original question, where in Brisbane can I buy commercially brewed beer to use in a kegerator. Any advise will be appreciated.

 

[Bribie G]

Dart, as it's only Tuesday and you bottled it at the weekend of course it tastes like a vulture's armpit :blink: Try giving it a couple of weeks, chill one down nicely and it no doubt will taste better.

As far as commercial beer goes, it is packed at Milton or Yatala in kegs, tallies, stubbies and cans. End of story. Many years ago you could order a ten or fifteen gallon metal keg (a bit like a pommy real ale cask) through your local pub. I had a couple of ten gallons XXXX at my wedding but that was about when they were kicking Gough Whitlam out so I don't fancy your chances nowadays, unfortunately.

Down south some of the micros do little refillable kegs for home use, forget where - may have been Wicked Elf at Port Mac, not sure, but nothing in Brisbane AFAIK.

 

[chappo1970]

Sorry to hear you first foray into the Homebrew was such a disaster. Although I would maybe consider brewbyyou as not really having a go at home brewing. It certainly gives you the experience and a taste of what's involved but I certainly would judge homebrewing by that experience.

As for "Commercial Beers" maybe start by asking at your local pub. I don't think it would be cheap excercise plus others will be able to correct me but the gear set up is slightly different.

Anyway good luck with it!

Cheers

Chappo

 

[jeremy]

I have a fairly basic Kegerator at home myself, and have been asked more than a couple of times before by non home-brewers if they could have a similar setup, but just use commercial beer. My response generally is that it is possible, but it would be difficult and expensive, and might not be worth the hassle.

I believe it is possible to buy kegs from local pubs that are bothered with that type of thing without much difficulty. I have been to numerous parties where mates have bought a keg from a local pub, and had a "Miracle Box" thrown in for free. The idea is to knock the keg off over the weekend and return the Miracle Box. For the uninitiated, a Miracle Box, is a physical box which uses either an electric driven refrigeration device, or just simply ice, to chill beer down while it travels through a line. This means you dont need the keg refrigerated, as the beer will chill as it pours.

Conversely, to buy the parts necessary to assemble even a basic kegerator, with the appropriate fittings to attach a commercial keg would probably start in the order of $400 ($100 fridge, $100 tap, $100 keg coupler, $100 regulator), plus gas bottle hire, and fill. THEN you need to find a pub happy to sell you a keg, and not expect the empty keg returned for a couple of months (assuming it will take you this long to drink a keg, which is approx 5-6 cartons worth), not sure about this, someone might be able to tell you how likely this is.

Basically, it IS possible, praps ring around and ask some pubs whether they will sell you a whole keg first. THEN you need to look into getting a keg coupler, which is a device you fit to a keg to get the beer out (this is a problem in itself as they will be upward of $100, and there is no one-size-fits all couplerm ie a Tooheys style keg, and a Coopers keg will require different). Do the sums, personally I would just buy a keg when having a party and borrow a miracle box, or have another go at brewing, this time at home as its MUCH cheaper, and you do a smaller batch to BBY.

 

[Bribie G]

Ah, sorry I thought you were referring to getting beer to put in a cornie type postmix keg and serve from the kedgerator. My bad. If your fridge can hold a commercial keg then your local pub would be the place to try, and if you are a club member e.g. RSL or smaller sports or whatever the cellarmen might be more approachable.

Guys on the forum more knowledgeable about connections etc should be able to advise.

Cheers

 

[bradsbrew]

Dart with a bit of research on this forum you could brew a fantastic brew at home and for about $400 you could get 2 x 19L kegs with bronco taps in your fridge.


Brad

 

[buttersd70]

it is considered to be somewhat the same as Crown Lager.

Well, there's your problem!

 

[razE]

Hi there

I am totaly blown over with the kegerator fridges, I just love the idea of owning on of these things (another toy to have). One issue though, is it possible to buy "commercial beers" from the brew companies to use in the kegerators? Below is my story:

Before laying out a hunk of cash on a kegarator, I thought that I would first buy a batch of homebrew from brewbyyou to see if the beer is palatable. So, for a month a mate and I kept beer bottles to bottle our first brew. I tried the Kingfisher lager, according to Brewbyyou it is considered to be somewhat the same as Crown Lager. This weekend we went and bottled our brew, in my personal opinion it is the worst tasting beer I have ever had. I am now stuck with 6 cartons of beer I won't drink. I don't mind blowing cash on buying a kegerator, but I want decent beer to drink.

This brings me back to the original question, where in Brisbane can I buy commercially brewed beer to use in a kegerator. Any advise will be appreciated.

Interested to know what your recipe was, what yeast you used and what temprature you fermented at? Also they need to be in the bottle for 2 weeks before they start to taste right.

 

[dart]

Hi guys

Thanks for the advise. I never knew that the taste would get better after a bit of time in the bottle, I will give it a couple of weeks and then have another go. I hope the vulture armpit taste goes away LOL.

I still dig the kegerator thing though, gotta have one of those..... I saw a Tomahawk kegerator on e-bay for about $500 dollars, are they any good? Brewbyyou has quoted me $1800 for a Kegmaster kegerator, this includes all the gear and 2 x 50 litre brews. Big price difference, where's the catch?

 

[threeheads]

Just to give you an idea. These are new keg couplers http://www.kegsonline.com.au/category8_1.htm from kegs online. They would be cheaper on ebay but you cannot be assured of where they have come from and the quality etc. Here http://shop.ebay.com.au/?_from=R40&_tr...-All-Categories is a category on ebay for couplers.

As for the tomohawk kegerator on ebay, if you dont want to set up and convert a fridge or run lines to an inside bar etc than I think that it looks really good. it comes with regulators and such, pretty much everything you need (bar a few connectors and such) obviously you would still need the couplers to attach commercial kegs but i think it looks good.

As for getting kegs, the majority of places will sell you full kegs with clubs being the cheaper option. they will have their profit margin but it will be much less than by the glass. I worked in pubs and clubs for 15 years and we were always willing to sell kegs. Pubs and clubs do not pay a deposit on the kegs themselves but a record is kept by the breweries which pubs/clubs have which kegs so as long as they get them back at some stage they are happy.

All depends on which beer you want but as has already been mentioned their are numerous different coupler setups but we mainly have the well type for CUB kegs and the flat type for lion nathan/tooheys kegs. places also sell adaptors for gas posts that will take john guest fittings, so there are many ways it can be done.


Back to the beer. If was a true lager that you brewed it should be kept in fairly cold conditions while it "lagers" in the bottle (around the 10 degree mark would be ok) for at least a few weeks. if they used an ale yeast then the same lagering does not apply but it still needs a couple of weeks to mature. I had a friend that did a brewbyu type thing and he wasnt all that impressed with it either. My suggestion is to seek out some fellow home brewers and brew clubs in your area and sample beers and find out what it is you need to get into brewing yourself. it is by far the cheapest and IMO the best way of finding a beer that suits your palate.

Good luck with it. I hope this has helped.

 

[caleb]

Dart, you're supposed to get into home brewing the same way everyone else does:

• A plastic fermenter
• A can of goo (pre-hopped malt extract) named after some guy, eg Cooper's, Wal's, Morgan's, Munton's...
• A kilo of dextrose (or plain sugar back in the dark ages)
• Then after lots of worry and listening to this thing farting away for several days, bottling around 30 bottles using a wooden peg and a hammer.

THEN, you can start worrying about kegs and things...

 

[Jase71]

Thanks for the advise.

It's 'advice'

 

[Swinging Beef]

It's 'advice'

 

[Fents]

of course you can buy commercial kegs with commercial beer in them. Last time i brought one years ago for a party it was $180 (Carlton, VB, XXXX etc) but i knew the pub and its owners so could be anywhere up to $250 these day.

Even micros will sell you a full keg - at a price.