Keg Setup $375

[Hammo7]

Wow so many responses, I forgot how good this place is :beer:

Yeah I've looked at the 5 Litre mini kegs. Yeah that is a significant cost saving there. I just get the feeling it'll be a bit of a clunky setup, but I will look into it more. Could be really good. As long as I can still force carbonate, and pour from a tap? I'll look into it.

I'm not 100% how far into it I will get, so I am reluctant to set up the full system (4 taps sounds awesome by the way Jurt!), so like the idea of keeping it 'compact' with the 12 litre keg.

Cheers Liam, I'll not look past the bronco.

Sean - Jeez the dorado didn't send the best there. I'd hope despite the cheapness of it that it'd still do its fundamental job satisfactorily, I might ask mybeershop what their consensus is on it. Despite it's flaws - have you stuck with it though?

Big Nath, I don't go to bbqs. So my main goal was to get the best value for money that fits in my fridge. But yeah the price is not good compared to the 19 litre jobbies. There is NO CHANCE in hell I'll be getting more than one of thme at 169! No, I thought if I ended up wanting to put more beer into kegs that I'd get some $50 cornies, and just transfer half into the 12 litre keg when I want to serve it up. That should work yeah? I don't go through my beer very quickly, it's usually 2-3 on a friday and saturday.

And 540 grams...yeah it's small, but it's 1/5 the price of a 2.3 kg. How much is rental I wonder? I'd consider it if the cost isn't great, but I assumed you'd need to be using it a lot to make it worth it. The refills on the 540 gram aren't huge - 10 bucks. Plus it's small so will fit in the fridge with no modifications.

Really it's all just about getting my foot in the kegging door with minimal obvious outlay, and end up with a nice little system. I figure that the gas tank and the keg will hold there value well enough that I can recoup costs if I decide to expand.

hsb "hide the costs" - you get where I'm coming from mate

'39 cm is crazy small' - Yep there's a freezer compartment in the top, and a vege crisper in the bottom which is half the depth of the rest. AHH! It was a christmas present, brand new, 5 months old....I don't have the heart to hurt anyones feelings yet.

"If you are willing to pay that then why don't you budget a fridge for up to $69" - My wife doesn't 'like' second hand fridges.......................................(I can keep adding dots). But I'm now thinking more and more about this option..

------------

Cheers for all the advice folks. Now I have some serious thinking to do. I'm so excited. All this keg planning, and my fridge is dry at the moment. God I'm thirsty!

Andy.

Hey Drew.
Check these guys out Ubrewit Wodonga Give them a yell and try to talk to Jeremy if you can. He'll be there Saturday morning. He won't be beaten on price.
I am using one of their 2.4 Steel Co2 bottles along with the mini regulator - these things bloody rock - so small and consistent. I had a KK (the one with the red adjuster knob) reg and it is ****, every time i go to pour a beer, i have to adjust the reg which is a pain in the ass. I only have 3 or 4 beers on a weekend as well.
I started like you - had a bar fridge that would not take a 19L, so i started looking at the party kegs with a sodastream bottle. After a while it became a pain in the ass so upgraded - it has taken me 2 years though, I now have a 700L chestie and 10 19L cornies, gave the bar fridge to a mate in need.
You will be able to transfer from one keg to another later on, but there is a trick to it and you will waste your precious gas doing it.
Do what you can now, as the party keg will be great if you want to upgrade later. you could age a nice stout in it later on..

 

[Drew]

Thanks Hammo,

Do I need to waste gas to transfer the keg? I thought I read that joining beer lines, and joining gas lines and using gravity will do the trick at no gas loss.

So do you think the "BRAND NEW STAINLESS STEEL MINI CO2 GAS REGULATOR - SINGLE GAUGE" ($45+post) is much better than the Dorado cheapy? The single guage is not an issue, and it's more compact. If it's superior in quality, then it seems like an awesome choice.

 

[sponge]

Just like bottling, if you keep the fermenter above the height of the keg, you wont need any pumps/co2 to get the beer into the keg, just open the tap and let the beer gently feed into the keg via silicone hose (avoid splashing!!)


Sponge

 

[Florian]

I can almost guarantee you that you can fit a cornie or two into your bar fridge.

This is what I did to one of mine:

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=893946

Depending on the freezer compartment you can either carefully bend it or remove it with a screw driver.

 

[Drew]

I can almost guarantee you that you can fit a cornie or two into your bar fridge.

This is what I did to one of mine:

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=893946

Depending on the freezer compartment you can either carefully bend it or remove it with a screw driver.

Yes i can see screws holding the freezer compartment in place. However, the tube that runs to it doesen't feel very flexible. That's the refrigerant tube I think. Can it snap? The freezer has all these tracks running through it, presumably again for the refrigerant - couldn't the metal snap too? I've stared at those parts long and hard considering what I should (or shouldn't!) do to them. Worried about poisonous gases is all! And busting my new fridge.

I'm going with a 12litre keg - although I've realised it's still going to be tight. It's 34 cm tall (to the handles), and I've got 39 cm - anyone think the disconnects will add more than 5 cm to overall height?? I will find out tomorrow

Cheers.

 

[Florian]

You can easily bend those cooling pipes. I have bent mine several times, even moved the whole freezer bit to the bottom of the fridge, then to the back and back to the top. Just do it when they're warm, no problems if you're a bit careful.

 

[Drew]

Well it fits, just.

 

[kdaust]

Surely the veggie crisper comes out? Why is that still there?

 

[mwd]

Surely the veggie crisper comes out? Why is that still there?

Usually only half width the rest is compressor hump. Suppose it depends on the depth of the fridge weather or not the space is useable

 

[Drew]

Yep the veggie crisper is not big! Probably about 12 cm depth in it, plus a couple cm in front of it but not a cornys worth.

I have a little bit of a crush on my new keg. It's so awesome. I pulled all the bits apart to see how it all works. I've got the rest of the bits coming in from about 5 different places on ebay, can't wait til it gets here.

I also went the sodastream route for gas, since kmart had 2 cylinders for $49. The advantage being I work next door to kmart, but I'm a 30 min drive from the closest Co2 refill location. And I'll always a spare tank on hand.

Can't wait!!

 

[glenwal]

I also went the sodastream route for gas, since kmart had 2 cylinders for $49.

Using sodastream bottles isn't as bad as people make out if you're careful with your gas. I get more than 3x19L kegs from a bottle (I carb at serving pressure). I go through about 2 kegs a month, so a bottle lasts a month and a half. $18 refil = $12 month.

And if you have 2 bottles, you've always got one on standby for when the other runs out.

 

[mattyra]

Not sure if possible or not but are you able to sit another keg where the bottle is on your photo. If you can you could always put 2 kegs in there and run the gas line in from the outside. If not can you sit the gas bottle and regulator there, make it all nice and neat.

I really like my 9L keg to, makes my day when i do my experimental batches on my stove top AG setup.

Then its a choice on to get a tap (pub style) or picnic tap/pluto gun. I only use the picnic tap but will be looking at getting the pub style taps and drilling a hole in my bar to put a font in.

 

[mattyra]

I was just calculating the price that I paid for my setup (from memory)

Fridge (Bar fridge to fit 2 19L kegs) - $20
2 Kegs, 1 Disconnect and Pluto Gun (Special from LHBS) - $150
Gas Bottle and Regulator - $250 (This is the one I can't 100% remember)
Beer Line (LHBS) - $15 (I still have heaps left over)

All up $335 and I believe that you could probably do it a little cheaper.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

I was just calculating the price that I paid for my setup (from memory)

Fridge (Bar fridge to fit 2 19L kegs) - $20
2 Kegs, 1 Disconnect and Pluto Gun (Special from LHBS) - $150
Gas Bottle and Regulator - $250 (This is the one I can't 100% remember)
Beer Line (LHBS) - $15 (I still have heaps left over)

All up $335 and I believe that you could probably do it a little cheaper.

Comes to $435 in my head.

And you got some bargains there.

 

[glenwal]

Comes to $435 in my head.

And you got some bargains there.

Maths often looses dollars when you are adding stuff up for the wife.

 

[tricache]

Maths often looses dollars when you are adding stuff up for the wife.

5 + 5 = 2 right? :lol:

 

[mattyra]

Oops, missed $100 in there somewhere.

The wife didn't see this did she :unsure:

 

[Fish13]

Well it fits, just.

that keg is better quality then i have seen and got! who makes it??

 

[Drew]

Not sure if possible or not but are you able to sit another keg where the bottle is on your photo.

Yes I could fit another keg next to it - but i'm not going to spend another 169 on one!
I'm just going to buy cheap 19l cornies to increase capacity.


Fish - I don't know who makes the keg sorry, there's no 'brand' on it. I bought it at 'butts and brew' Kaleen, but didn't ask where it comes from. It's weird, because I've found quite a variety of diameters in the 12l range, from 43 cm, 30cm, 25 and 21 cm. This one is 25 cm diameter, 34cm high - that's the only identifiying 'feature' I have!

 

[glenwal]

I'm just going to buy cheap 19l cornies to increase capacity.

Wait.... so you can fit a standard cornie in your fridge?