Newbie Keg Setup

[phildorado]

If this question has been discussed before, please feel free to direct me to the topic. I tried searching but find no results.

After brewing for a while I'm finally ready to invest in a keg setup. However I have a few questions.

I understand that bear the first beer may froth when pouring from a tap as is it warmer than the beer that is flowing through it. This is correct? At the risk of sounding soft, I have to admit that while I drink every day, it is often only 2 or 3 beers. So, if I use a tap mounted on the door of a fridge then I will be wasting half to a third of my beer. If I use a hand held tap that lives inside the fridge, will it solve this problem?

I was thinking of buying a setup from either my local or an online HBS such as kegsonline.com or aussiebrewer.com.au. Any words of wisdom from people who have been there? Anything to steer clear of? Recommended first setups? And of course I'm trying to do it on a budget.

Cheers,
P

 

[poppa joe]

Craftbrewer ..... On top of page may be cheaper than the places
you have mentioned...
Cheers
PJ

 

[user 10246]

Hi phildorado,

Welcome to the forum :icon_cheers:

Here is a link to an article that gives some great info about kegging.

The beer will froth depending on ambient temps, gas pressure. I just use a jug at the taps to run a little off for the first one, after that, it's pretty good. Of course, time & familiarity will make all the difference.

A tap inside the fridge like a bronco will probably be fine too, means the beer is the same temp all the time.

Many opinions on kegging & many ways to do it....

Not sure about your location though, so not sure what's around you. Depending on what you want, can be fairly inexpensive to get setup.

Cheers
Goldy

 

[remi]

Depending on your budget you could consider a tap with a flow-restrictor like a Celli...I just restrict the flow all the way back for the first pour of the day to control the foam, then let it back out when the tap gets cold...not a drop wasted.

Remi

 

[user 10246]

Depending on your budget you could consider a tap with a flow-restrictor like a Celli...I just restrict the flow all the way back for the first pour of the day to control the foam, then let it back out when the tap gets cold...not a drop wasted.

Remi

Oops, forgot to mention the celli taps too, I have 2 of them & they have helped me so much being a noob at kegging..

 

[Wortgames]

Hi Phildorado,

Don't panic about the first pour. There's a little trick - flick the tap open for half a second then close it. You'll have all of about a centimetre of foam in the glass, which would equate to approximately bugger all beer. Tip it out then pour your beer as normal. This initial burst dispenses the first bit of foam in the line AND chills the tap, so the resulting pour is fine.

A gun inside the fridge will work too, but it's not as much fun

 

[phildorado]

Thanks for all your advice guys. I'll be continuing research while I search for a fridge then go from there. Seems like the tap with a flow restrictor will be the go for me, and maybe use a bronco tap till I can afford one.