Recommend taps and regulator for kegerator

[zarniwoop]

Hi All,

To save me from sifting through the hundreds of pages of kegging set ups thread if you were starting from scratch on a kegerator what taps and regulator would you recommend?

Cheers

Zarniwoop

 

[Beamer]

Gday zarniwoop,

I purchased the kegerator series 3 from keg king, came with regulator have had no problems with it, I was lucky enough to score some perlicks from a mate at half price and banged absolutely love them. I dont have any stout on tap which i believe some people use special taps for.

But the tap upgrade is worth it.

Cheers

 

[Crusty]

I'd go Andale taps for sure. I've had several different setups over the years & these are the best by far.
You won't go wrong with a Micro Matic regulator.

 

[Rocker1986]

I have a Micromatic regulator, would recommend it. As for taps I have Perlick 650SS Flow control taps and am very happy with them, but Andale are very popular as well.

 

[Zorco]

I've very interested in this thread, cheers zarniwoop. Hopefully it's ok to add to this question.

From my 3 years of window shopping, I'm ready to build my kegerator soon. 4 taps, 4 kegs. Neat and tidy. Tap selection is going to be the big part. I usually support Aussie made anything well, just because. It's terrific that Andale is such a premium product but I don't know about the subtleties of their pouring, quick disconnects etc. etc..

My move into brewing was influence by Brewing TV and other american video, so Perlick was quick to come up on my radar. I like the flow control.

Did anyone deliberatly evaluate the two brands? What was your criteria? Does anyone choose the Andale old fashioned pub style E.K. tap?

Edit: Following a thread to a thread..found this
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/70060-perlicks-or-celli-flow-control-taps/#entry989369

Some interesting comments.

 

[Fraser's BRB]

I chose the Andale Floryte taps with the Snaplok fittings as I liked the solid feel of the tap and I like to be able to remove them during the week (reduces the temptation to drink too much on a "school night"). Also I have a toddler so being able to remove the taps when I'm not around was a factor.

No issues with pouring, easy to clean, the only downside is they are pricey.

http://www.andale.com.au/floryte-tap

 

[Crusty]

I've very interested in this thread, cheers zarniwoop. Hopefully it's ok to add to this question.

From my 3 years of window shopping, I'm ready to build my kegerator soon. 4 taps, 4 kegs. Neat and tidy. Tap selection is going to be the big part. I usually support Aussie made anything well, just because. It's terrific that Andale is such a premium product but I don't know about the subtleties of their pouring, quick disconnects etc. etc..

My move into brewing was influence by Brewing TV and other american video, so Perlick was quick to come up on my radar. I like the flow control.

Did anyone deliberatly evaluate the two brands? What was your criteria? Does anyone choose the Andale old fashioned pub style E.K. tap?

Edit: Following a thread to a thread..found this
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/70060-perlicks-or-celli-flow-control-taps/#entry989369

Some interesting comments.

Ive had both Perlick 650ss & Andale Florytes.
It's no use comparing apples to oranges because they're worlds apart.
The Perlicks felt like toys to me, they dripped a bit, the off position felt as though it was not quite off & the overall feel of them IMO was cheap.
The Andales however are solidly built, no leaks & feel awesome when pouring.
There's a very valid reason why commercial establishments all over the country use them.
Get the Andales mate, you wont be sorry with that decision.

 

[MastersBrewery]

And make sure to get a 2 more kegs than you have taps and space to have atleast one of those spares chilling. No point having 4 taps if you have one continually waiting for the next keg.

 

[Diesel80]

Masters is correct. I have a kegmate. Can get a 3 tap font but chose two taps. Fridge has 3 kegs it can chill. That way with planning I can have a spare in there when the foam comes.

 

[Fraser's BRB]

And make sure to get a 2 more kegs than you have taps and space to have atleast one of those spares chilling. No point having 4 taps if you have one continually waiting for the next keg.

I second this, I originally had 3 kegs and the gas in my 3 tap keezer and nothing annoyed me more than an empty tap. I moved the gas outside and put a 4th keg in so that I always have a swing keg ready to go.

 

[Rocker1986]

Yeah always good to have more kegs than taps I think too. I have a 3 tap font on my kegerator, but I have 7 kegs all up. Usually I just stick three in at once and then keep brewing and filling kegs until the last of the first three empties, then another 3 go in at once etc. etc.

 

[Zorco]

I'm going with my gut (wisdom in units of m^3) and this advice.

I've never poured a beer with an Andale before and there is stuff all on YouTube for some reason. Better head to the bowls club and order a few.

 

[zarniwoop]

Thanks all.

 

[Zorco]

Apologies owed zarniwoop. Cosdog hijacked with queries.

Was at Bacchus today, they pour with perlicks.

 

[scomet]

Hi zarniwoop

Before you jump in and buy the Perlic 650SSFC have a read of this list, I bought one for my highly carbonated summer Bia Hoi assuming it would be the best tap $ can buy and was very disappointed at its performance, in a nut shell this new model doesn't work.

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2015/07/dont-waste-your-beer-money.html

The new intertap I have found to be good and the interchangeable spouts work very well, The stout spout is brilliant for big porters. I see they have a FC tap out which will be my next try.

The standard cheap Chinese chrome plated taps do an ok job but they stick if you don't use them every day, thats what I tell swmbo...

The micromatic regs are worth every cent, if your using c02 in the brewery tie the bottle to a door handle or similar they tip over with slightest nudge!

I converted all my push lock fittings and manifolds with valves to crimped fittings with tees etc, my gas life quadrupled at least...

Cheers

 

[zarniwoop]

Given that I plan to have four taps but I'm not a heavy drinker and it could be 4 or 5 days between uses of each tap I assume that a front sealing option like the Perlicks would be better?

With the above scenario in mind are there any other cheaper alternatives to the perlicks that would help with this issue?

 

[Yob]

Andale.. The end

 

[peteru]

The Intertaps are forward sealing and with the standard spout the drips are minimal. Maybe 2 or 3 drops more or less as soon as you finish pouring. You can just pour the beer and let the glass stand there for 20 seconds and you will probably not get any drips in the tray at all.

The stout spout is an excellent accessory for porters and stouts, it makes them beautifully creamy, just like a pub with NO2 mix would, but the penalty you pay is the dripping (and slower pour). The stout spout has a perforated disk in it and is longer than the standard spout. It tapers into a narrower opening. That configuration causes a few drops when you stop the pour, but then after a little while you get a little dribble as the beer drains from the space between the perforated disk and the tap seal. This can take anywhere from 5 seconds to a minute, but it will come.

The Intertaps have removable spouts and they are very easy to just undo by hand and rinse. Once you remove the spout you get easy access to the space between the spout thread and the o-ring that seals the tap. This makes it easy to clean the only spot where sticking could occur. A squirt of water from a spray bottle will do it and with the standard spout you don't even have to undo it.

 

[Weizguy]

Given that I plan to have four taps but I'm not a heavy drinker and it could be 4 or 5 days between uses of each tap I assume that a front sealing option like the Perlicks would be better?

With the above scenario in mind are there any other cheaper alternatives to the perlicks that would help with this issue?

Andale.. The end

Andale Floryte and DA taps are both forward sealing. Check on their site, for design pics.

I have a couple of flow control taps and feel that they throttle the flow too much for me.

Pretty sure that Bachhus have Perlicks because Craftbrewer sell Perlicks.

Lastly, you can often pick up Andale taps for around $30 - 80 on eBay. Clean 'em up, and maybe a new kit. Good for a few more years until the next kit is required, and depending on use, they will be able to be sold when you close shop on your own brewing.

 

[Yob]

The Floryte's I first stumbled on at a trash and treasure cost me $2 each and have never needed the seal kits I bought for them and that must be 4 years ago now,

Just cant stress enough how impressed I am with them and how good quality they are... I even ran some boiling perc through them on the weekend just to make myself feel better about how much abuse they cop.