Should I get into kegging?

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Brewno Marz said:
I recently bought two second hand kegs from Kegland. The order was placed on a Friday and delivered Monday to Brisbane. Couldn’t fault the customer service or the kegs. In fact the kegs were in very good condition and far better than expected. I started with 2 kegs...now have 12...
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12 that's freaking crazy
 
theQuinny said:
Thanks for that Thurston ...

I was looking at kegland, They have 19L kegs for $98 +10 delivery - that seems about as cheap as I can find. (or second hand for around $50...)


Q
Click to expand...
Keg King have the second hand ones for much less than that
 
Ok - kegs are sorted ... now can we have a lively discussion about taps ... o_O

I'm not sure I gained much from the FC vs non-FC conversation earlier, so I thought I'd go non-FC and hope for the best ...

So far I'm looking at UltraTap, Perlick & Intertap ... probably in that order. Ultratap around $42 (tap only), Perlick $90 odd. Intertap around $32 ...

I bought three 19L kegs, so I thought two kegs in the fridge - with the option of adding a nine litre down the track somewhere - so initially buying two taps.

I'm installing through a fridge door which is around 50 - 60mm thick, so it appears all three brands have 100mm shanks available. All the other fittings required appear to be the same whatever tap I choose.

Price does matter a little, but if the Perlick's are the ducks berries - then they're not out of the question.

Thanks for any help offered.



Q
 
mashmaniac said:
Yep have to agree with Schikitar, I just get into trouble for not returning beer glasses to the shed where the kegs are.

Tips :
Don't go flow control taps, they sound easier to set up, but days end a standard tap on a balanced line will give a better and more consistent pour. Line length calculators are all over the net google is your friend.

Get longer shanks than needed, the excess inside the fridge will act as a heat sink, best to point a fan at them, it will keep the taps cold (colder than they would be at any rate).

Turn your gas off at the bottle after each session. Yes you should have already leak tested everything, but one oring on a post getting damaged could cost you a bottle of gas.

Aim to have a keg or two more than you have taps, blowing a keg and having nothing to replace it with is a real downer when the lads are around for the footy.
Click to expand...
Agree with all but flow control taps. I started without them for a couple years before going perlick ss flow control best money spent bottle straight from the tap and full control over pour, i highly recommend good quality flow control taps. I vote perlick
 
Thurston Forabrew said:
When are you going to buy your taps Quinny?
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Well, I guess logically - that was the next few pieces to buy - probably next pay...

Lorenzo99 said:
Agree with all but flow control taps. I started without them for a couple years before going perlick ss flow control best money spent bottle straight from the tap and full control over pour, i highly recommend good quality flow control taps. I vote perlick
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vs
malt and barley blues said:
keep off the flow control, I have now got the Ultra tap, best thing I have ever bought.
Click to expand...


See my issue here :)
 
I just went intertap, I figured it all comes down to how well you set up all your lines pressures etc... I am yet to pour a beer just in the process of getting my equipment as you are, will keep you posted if I beat you to the first pour ;)
 
Ultra tap has only recently been released, over the years I have had a few different taps but this one, and considering the price point is a brilliant tap, ok you may have to replace o rings occasionally but that is all, glad to be rid of my intertaps.
 
Clevohead said:
I just went intertap, I figured it all comes down to how well you set up all your lines pressures etc... I am yet to pour a beer just in the process of getting my equipment as you are, will keep you posted if I beat you to the first pour ;)
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Good stuff mate ;)

A bit hard to know which way to go ... I guess I'm lucky in that I've got two thumbs up from the missus ... so I just want it work out smoothly.


I'm guessing this stuff is next:

fittings.jpg
 
Ah yes get into kegging mate because its grouse mate
IMG_5880.JPG
 
You're gonna get 400 different opinions on what the best taps are because everyone has their own favorites. Personally, I like my flow control because I don't have room for shitloads of beer line inside my kegerator, it would just be a mess and a fuckin pain in the arse removing and replacing kegs. I feel they give me more flexibility as well being able to control the pour rate at the tap itself. They pour just fine, they can be cleaned easily without dismantling them (I dismantled a couple of mine recently after two and a half years in place and they were clean as a whistle inside). On the other hand, if you set up and balance the system correctly, you will do just fine with non-FC taps as well. It's really up to you which way you go.
 
theQuinny said:
Well, I guess logically - that was the next few pieces to buy - probably next pay...


vs



See my issue here :)
Click to expand...
VS original std cheap chrome plated for 6 months than perlick non flow control. i only had 1 tap for a few years as soon as i bought the perlick flow control (for my second tap) i replaced my non flow control with flow control. Kegging is great cant beat it, but when ever you want to take beers to a bbq or enter a comp it is impossible to fill bottles without flow control taps. sure you can buy a bottle filler or a growler attachment but with flow control taps you dont need any of that just adjust flow and fill as many bottles as you want without foaming. I would be curious to hear the reasons behind every ones opinions on why not to go flow control? personally i can not see 1 single reason why you would not. Also the first pour of the day the tap will be a bit warmer so beer tends to foam more not with flow control taps it doesnt. (this is even a bigger issue if your fridge is outside in a brew shed ect due to hotter temps) I get perlick and flow control is the most expensive option but you do get what you pay for and if i had bought them first time it would of been cheaper. A mate of mine has intertap flow control for about 6 months and they seem ok he has had no issues so far but the perlick`s just feel a little nicer (smoother action) again my opinion.
 
Rocker1986 said:
I like my flow control because I don't have room for shitloads of beer line inside my kegerator, it would just be a mess and a fuckin pain in the arse removing and replacing kegs.
Click to expand...

Yes - this is good info ... and something I failed to consider in the choice of tap. - I ordered a pair of non F/C ultrataps (but not paid for yet ...)

I want to store my CO2 bottle outside the fridge (6kg). I'm guessing I'm going to need to run two lengths of line to each keg in the fridge.

I'll mostly pour pale ales & lagers, so for 4mm ID lines @12 psi, I'd need about 2 metres each (which would be a bit of a ******* mess inside the fridge as quoted ...) With my method I'd be able to leave much of the line coiled up outside the fridge ...

Do those numbers sound about correct?


Thanks,

Q
 
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Lorenzo99 said:
Kegging is great cant beat it, but when ever you want to take beers to a bbq or enter a comp it is impossible to fill bottles without flow control taps. sure you can buy a bottle filler or a growler attachment but with flow control taps you dont need any of that just adjust flow and fill as many bottles as you want without foaming.
Click to expand...

Another point that I hadn't considered ... thanks for the info.

Maybe I'll consider going flow control ...
 
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I have my gas bottle outside the fridge, connected to a four way manifold, with three lines running in through the back of the fridge to the three kegs and a spare fourth line outside for purging etc. You only need one gas line per keg. None of these lines is 2 metres, I cut them to different lengths depending on which keg they run to. They just run straight in, no coiling.

The beer lines are about 2.2m long, coiled up and held with cable ties. The coils just sit on top of the kegs with a short length going to the tap shanks in the font, obviously the other end connected to the kegs. I wouldn't want any longer than that though, which I'd need with non FC taps; my lines are 5mm ID.
 

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