Reddit mentions: The best beer brewing kegs & kegging products

I called all the local gas suppliers and in my area there are really only 2 vendors for food grade Nitrogen. I picked the cheapest and bought a 40 cu ft tank from them (Airgas). Hard to remember but maybe it was $140 full. They have them in stock typically and when I want more I swap out the tank for a full one for around $30 with fees.

I bought the cheapest nitrogen regulator I could find on Amazon at around $40. If I did it over again I'd find one with PSI readings between 0-60 psi and a pressure release. I typically use about 40-50 psi for cold brew since nitrogen will not readily dissolve like co2. I put the tank in the keezer for convenience but you don't have to like with co2.

I have an intertap faucet and swapped out the regular faucet for the stout one with the restrictor plate (this is what makes the nice cascade).

I brew a concentrate of 4 to 1 water to coffee by weight at room temperature for 12 - 20 hours, after which I strain the grounds through a mesh and put it in the fridge overnight. I have found that the difference between mediocre cold brew and exceptional cold brew (besides the bean and water quality) lies in the removal of superfine coffee particles. Either you buy a super expensive grinder with exceptional consistency or you have to filter with paper. I've tried all kinds of alternative filtering but paper is always the best. Leaving the concentrate in the fridge allows a lot of the superfines to gather at the bottom of your container, which helps in the simplify the filtering process. The next day I filter the concentrate through paper filters, careful not to shake it up too much. Then I transfer the concentrate to a keg adding a similar amount of water as concentrate (you'll have to experiment with ratios based on your beans).

I then hook up the nitrogen, crank up the pressure to a minimum of 40 psi and give it a few good shakes over the next few hours and then its good to go.

For small sharing with friends I bought a couple of these ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B013JX9COE?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd) and I fill 20oz come bottles with cold brew from the keg and top off with nitrogen. These are great because you can hook either gas or liquid ball lock connectors to it. Then I just bring a portable version of the intertap stout faucets (kind of like this https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01N9C2O1D?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd) mounted on a ball lock connector.

(Edit: accidentally duplicated part of my comment)

Thanks! Good question. I definitely spent more than was necessary trying to figure everything out but the most expensive item was the king carousel. I was able to get it for on sale for about $45 brand new Amazon prime. Here it is but when I found it, it was on sale http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055OWLFI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1.


Fridge I scored for free.


I'd say for the rod extension, coupler, bolts, screws, caulk, fasteners and glue was about $30. Used these to keep the front door closed with the seal they work great! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N2H50XA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


The wood was one 8' board 8" x 1" I got at Home Depot and they trimmed to my specs, about $10.


The cost of stain and chalk paint 8 oz cans ~$6 each x 3 (primer for chalk) = ~$20.


I had all the keg lines already I just adapted them from old picnic taps.


Elbow shanks I got for 13.99 a piece plus shipping from Adventures In Homebrew with shipping $36.98 (46.98 actually now that i look back had a $10 credit). http://www.homebrewing.org/Chrome-Plated-Elbow-Shank_p_1187.html


Regulator off Amazon for $114.13 with Prime. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0060NOX40/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


$29.90 for both chrome faucets off amazon free shipping http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00370AT2Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Quick Connect I used for the top tap area $6 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000DD23N/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


So I guess when all is said and done 292.01.


But if you have the regulator and other bits laying around it could be around $177.88.


Kinda pricey but I guess I had to use that x-mas bonus somewhere!


Oh - and the thing takes about 6 pounds of nuts and dried fruit to fill. That gets pricey but gum balls sell for pretty cheap in bulk from here http://www.gumballmachinefactory.com/gumballscandy.html

>Have you made any liquor based drinks?

Screwdrivers are pretty good. Vodka and cranberry carbonated is pretty good as well. Margaritas you would think would be really good, but not so much. The sweeter the starting liquid the better it tastes carbonated, as carbonic acid is pretty bitter by itself. (carbonic acid is co2 dissolved in waters technical name, fun fact: The Ph value of our blood is what our bodies use to determine how much we need to breath. It is made slightly more acidic the more co2 is present.)

As far as supplies go, you need at a minimum,the stuff below. You can always get a bigger tank or longer/better hoses etc. But this is quite literally exactly what I have, and I only fill my tank up every 6-8 months (sooner if I make some dry ice with it.)

• Carbonator cap ~$13
  
  
• Ball lock connector ~$15
  
  
• 2 stage regulator ~$50
  
  
• 5 pound co2 tank ~$65
  
  If you buy everything from amazon it will run you about $150, my local beverage distributor, in Atlanta suburbs, had most of this stuff a fair bit cheaper, so you may want to check with them first (I got burned by not checking).
  
  Honestly, this was one of the best $100 or so I have ever spent. We buy those Mio squirt drinks when they go on sale, its like paying $0.08 for a 2 liter of Diet Faygo, plus all of the SodaStream flavors work as intended, you can get those from target for like 5 bucks and they make gallons of Soda. Plus all of the fruit stuff, and quixotic beverages just for fun.
  
  Usage:
  
  
• Fill a 2 liter up to the shoulder, as you need a bit of head space for the co2 to contact the water.
  
  
• Screw the carbonator cap on while you squeeze out all the air.
  
  
• Put the bottle in the freezer until it is just starting to freeze. You can also put partially filled bottles in overnight to form an ice cube, however, this requires experimentation to find the correct amount.
  
  
• Set the co2 pressure between 30 - 45 PSI, depending on the amount of "Bite" you want the seltzer to have.
  
  
• Connect the ball lock to the cap to pressurize, then shake vigorously for 45 - 60 seconds. Let it sit, for 2-3 minutes, on its side to maximize surface area. Shake again for a minute or so.
  
  
• Umm, enjoy tasty drinks.
  
  

Gonna copy and paste one of my previous replies to a similar question last year. Hopefully that helps a bit.

Your question about ballpark cost is a bit "how long is a piece of string..?". It totally depends on your choices. Mine ended up costing me around $1k all up, but I'm in Australia and everything is bloody expensive over here.

------

Recently built a keezer myself so I can offer a bit of advice. I think the main reason most people shy away from kits is they tend to bundle cheap and nasty parts. Here's a list of parts you'll need and my insights to go with them:

• Gas bottle and regulator. (If you can afford it, get a dual pressure regulator. This will allow you to serve one keg while force carbonating another).
  
  
• Gas distributor. (If you want to serve more than one keg. To add to my prior point, you can get gas distributors with individual low pressure regulators on each output. I got one that also has one-way check valves to stop beer getting back to my regulator).
  
  
• Taps. (Don't skimp here, you want nice taps. I went all out and got the Perlick 650ss, mostly for the flow control. It means I don't have to have kilometers of beer line coiled up inside my keezer to get a good pour. You'll also need shanks long enough to get through your fridge door if the taps don't come bundled with them).
  
• Quick disconnects. (Either ball or pin lock to match your kegs. I use ball locks as they're more common here in Australia but I think pin-locks are cheaper over there).
  
• Hose. (Theres more to consider here than you think and its mostly to do with balancing your system to get a good pour. Read this if you haven't already. Generally speaking though, smaller inner diameter is better. I'm using 5mm ID and 8mm OD. If you get taps with flow control, you can afford to be a little less picky with this).
  
• Fittings. (Generally speaking, you've got two main options. Barb and stepless clamps or MFL. It's really up to you how likely you are to want to move parts around. I just used the barb fittings for mine but if you're likely to change things in the future, MFL is probably smarter).
  
  I'm super happy with my system, the 650ss are awesome and let me use less than a metre of beer line. I also shelled out a little extra for a ball lock gas post and bulkhead to replace the gas-in barb on my gas manifold. That combined with another quick disconnect just lets me easily remove the gas bottle from the freezer and gas another keg for storage or something. Hope that helps a bit, feel free to ask any more questions.

I am an all grain brewer that lives in a 550 sq. ft. apartment with my girlfriend (including a 50 sq. ft. balcony area). I brew 5 gallon batches, and created by own cooler mash tun using the following link:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to/g1580/how-to-build-your-own-home-brewing-mash-tun/

It's a 5 gallon cooler that I got at Home Depot. All of the other parts can be sourced at your local hardware store.

In addition to the cooler mash tun I have the following:

• 10.5 gallon boiling kettle
  
  
• Long stirring spoon
  
  
• Standard plastic 6.5 gallon fermenting bucket
  
  
• Cool Brewing jacket for temp control, because I live in Hawaii
  
  
• Standard plastic bottling bucket & spring-loaded wand
  
  
• Hydrometer & thermometer
  
  
• All required airlocks
  
  
• Auto-siphon & tubing
  
  
• Tons of cleaned bottles with labels scrubbed off (stored in 12 pk cases)
  
  
• Accessories for adjusting water (minerals, pH meter, test strips, etc.)
  
  
• DME and a couple mason jars for yeast starters
  
  
• A collapsible table (~2.5x5 feet) that I store in the bathroom behind the washing machine, good for extra work space on brew day
  
  
• Other odds and ends
  
  
  I list all of that to show the type/quantity of things I am able to store. My girlfriend loves the hobby and participates on brew day (yay me!) so that's a bonus, but I don't think the stuff above is truly prohibitive in terms of storing. I have a section of my standard 2x5 ft closet for the large equipment, and I store a lot of the minerals and water chemistry stuff in my bottling bucket when not in use. Cleaned bottles are stored in the 12 packs they originally came in, stored in a little nook above my kitchen cabinets. The mash tun doesn't take up much square footage, being one of those cylindrical coolers, and I keep that outside (no doubt a benefit of the place I live).
  
  I boil on a pretty standard, probably low-end electric stove. Takes a little longer to get things going, but I do get to a rolling boil. I cool the wort in my sink, which I fill with a party-size bag of ice. I also have a few pounds of hops portioned and stored in the freezer.
  
  I hope that helps ease any concerns about apartment brewing.
  
  tl;dr Apartment brewing is incredibly doable, even for someone like me who does all grain 5 gallon batches in a shared 550 sq. ft. apartment.
  
  [Edit: additional info]

Actually, no, they're pretty cheap - syrup and C02 wise - and if you're that rich, you can probably get a contract with Coca-Cola, and they provide the machine and maintenance a no cost, provided you keep buying the syrup.

I can't remember the price (I think around $30-50 depending on size and beverage) but they come in 2.5 and 5 gallon containers. Excluding ice that makes for 60 and 120 32oz drinks per container, respectively (source). So, at the most that's 41 cents per refill.

Adding C02 cost and according to this a $140 20lb tank allows for 90 gallons of soda. So that's at least 18 boxes, which comes to 2160 refills per 32oz serving, adding an additional 6 cents per serving, or 47 cents.

I don't have 7-11's in my area, so I have no idea what kind of Big Gulp that is, or how much it costs, but the cheapest I see for fountain drinks are the 69 cent deal at Circle K. So Bighead's at least saving 22 cents per beverage. Per 120 servings that's $26 saved.

On the lower end the shit can essentially pay for itself. And changing the cases yourself is super easy, and so is cleaning.

Source: Worked in a bunch of restaurants.

Also, most restaurants make a lot of bank off of beverages. The one's I worked at charges $2.00-$2.50 per, with free refills, but rarely do people get more than 1, so that's like 250-300% profit right there,

You're basically describing the setup I'm slowly putting together.

For cooling the wort, the best, cheap thing to buy is a copper wort chiller like this one. There's lots of variations on this design (more efficient, stainless instead of copper, better fittings, etc), but ultimately an immersion wort chiller like that is a common way to go.

You can make your own with hardware store parts too, if you want. That's what I did but after making it, then getting some more plumbing fittings to make it "better", I spent more than if I'd just bought one. Plumbing supplies are so damned expensive in Canada.

For recipes, there's recipe sites all over, but I've had too many issues translating the ingredients to things I can get locally. I've heard Beersmith recommend heartily as a good recipe source. There's also several really good books that many recipes but also detailed information on how to modify them, or design your own from scratch.

As to your kegerator build - watch a couple of Youtube videos. For example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHWy_Vlw3J4
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq_59KhCebM

The videos are super useful both as an instruction manual and as a list of mistakes to avoid (like things to remember when measuring where to drill the tap holes).

For small setup, if you eventually want to get into all-grain, you can do BIAB, or Maxi-BIAB. Google those terms for some more info or you can check out this thread to get started. It is a single vessel all-grain brewing alternative to the big 3 vessell setup you may have seen.

For temperature control, you can do a swamp cooler - its basically one of these with water and ice, fermentation vessel goes into it with a towel wrapped around it. It's not precise but it will work.

A better alternative, however, (IMO) would be a Cool Brewing Cooler. It works exactly like a swamp cooler except you don't use water, it will fit in a closet easily, and allows you to keep temps in check.

For blowoff, you don't necessarily need a large tube. For better bottles, you can use the orange carboy caps with a tube coming off the side. Better bottle also does make a "big blowoff enclosure" specific to better bottles - but they are like $30 and difficult to find.

And finally - you can scale down. You don't need to make 5G batches. There are plenty of people who do 2.5G or even 1G batches.

Do you ever plan on doing 5 gallon batches? If you have the space it will be more cost effective to just go for a full size keging system. Mini kegs are going to cost you roughly what a new 5 gallon keg will.

That said if it's only a one-off thing you could use some 2 liter bottles and get yourself a co2 tank and regulator and a carbonation cap and force carb that way, it won't be on "tap" but it will be force carbonated.. and you can keep it carbonated if you leave the cap on and top off the bottle with co2 each time you pour from it.


If you have nothing then you'll need a regulator I have this one: (taprite t742hp primary double gauge co2 regulator, brass https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002UZUJ22/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_auBCDbBPZ3V0H)

A co2 tank, something like this: (5lb co2 tank- new aluminum cylinder with cga320 valve https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HQQ3WWE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_BvBCDbXPB33KP)

Some 5/16 tubing l, and a ball lock gas disconnect like this (5/16" gas line assembly - ball lock https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0064OI77Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6wBCDbSWZWMNY)

And a carbonation cap like this : (stainless carbonation cap counter pressure bottle filling with 5/16" barb，co2 coupling to carbonate soda beer fruit juice water https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K4GGYT0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_BxBCDbK0V3J35)




I also have this regulator for my mobile mini keg set-up: Ultimate CO2 Regulator works with 5 types of CO2 tanks (0-50psi) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071J9FKVD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_nABCDbQWF87S3
It works great and I use it with a soda stream co2 tank which are a little pricey for how much co2 you get but they're convenient and available everywhere. This makes a nice compact system since you don't have the big regulator and big co2 tank.

So I learned a long along the way. The graphs and stuff was the easy part!

Originally I wanted to wire up my own sensor so I picked up a breadboard, a dht22 sensor, some jumpers to wire it up, and a ribbon cable / adapter to connect the breadboard.

The basic guide for that can be followed from this tutorial here:

https://www.raspberryweather.com/wiring-for-dht22/


However, in my search for a co2 sensor to add to my breadboard, a fellow redditor pointed out a low cost usb sensor that includes temp and co2! The hackaday project seems to mention one that also does humidity along with it, but it appears to be over twice as expensive on their site ($200!). So decide if you want humidity. It's an important stat, but you can get it with the dht22 if you go that route.

The usb co2 sensor and hackaday links are here:
https://hackaday.io/project/5301/logs

https://www.amazon.com/CO2Meter-RAD-0301-Mini-Monitor-White/dp/B00H7HFINS

Ok, so now all the sensors are up, you need code that reads the sensors and outputs json. I put these together based on the samples from dht22, and the hackaday project. I can post these if you need them.

Ok, next step. This is overkill I suppose for what we are doing, because it's designed to be super scalable. Anyway, I have a server running influxdb (open source, free) and it runs a time series database. I would not recommend saving the influxdb database onto a sd card. Either put it on a server that is always running, or get a second raspberry pi, and attach a usb harddrive, and write to the harddrive. USB speeds are slow, but sd card writes are atroicious, and sometimes kill cards

Then on the raspberry pi, which is connected via wifi, I run a client called telegraf which will run the scripts that parse the sensor data and output json. Telegraf sends the sensor data to influxdb where it is stored very effeciently.

Here are the links for graphing side of things:
https://docs.influxdata.com/influxdb/v1.2/introduction/installation/
https://docs.influxdata.com/telegraf/v1.2/introduction/getting_started/

Ok so now we have all of our data in the database, the last step is presentation. There's a "standard" opensource tool for this too, again, because this software is used by major players in the tech industry, we can leverage their work.

A project called grafana is my dashboard tool. I run this on my server and it allows me to point it at influxdb, and design queries to create graphs and dashboards. grafana installation info is here:

http://docs.grafana.org/installation/

http://docs.grafana.org/guides/gettingstarted/


Sorry this is getting long....

I also installed the raspberry pi camera, so that I can run timelapses. Originally this was simply a timelapse, but once I had influxdb running I had to take it a step further!

Now I added a couple steps to my timelapse script. Between each picture, I ran a script that queries influxdb to get the json data out of it, then runs a ruby script to create a graph based on that json using a gem called gruff, then superimposing that on the source images so when my timelapse was created later it had the environmental data.

It's still a work in progress (no co2 yet) but here's a recent one I made to show off the floodtrays / irrigation timers I got going this weekend:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQKAUu7DXed/


Anyway, it was . If you want some code dumps from my setup or help with parts lists let me know. The data is all realtime, and the dashboard auto refreshes as data comes in :)

ha, loud and clear! I'm on call now, so you lucked out!

I wish I could give you some definitive advice, but without seeing what he's got, I can't comment with authority. He's probably got standard sanke couplers and I've not seen a good solution there. If you live close, I'd pay him a visit and see what you're dealing with. It's probably going to come down to you just making up some new lines to mate with your corny.
We're getting ready for our Strausstoberfest this weekend and over the summer I reconfigured all of my kegging lines to use 1/4 MFL's for an easier change out than barbed fittings. I may have a last minute surprise myself, as a friend has offered to bring a 1/6 barrel to the party, but it will be sanke. Fortunately, I already have a sanke connector and these from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C30F75I

If there is anything I can help with, let me know!

Sure! I got into it pretty heavy with a grand or two in brewing equipment at one point. A seltzer kit is pretty basic because you don't have to boil or "make" anything, but the gear will still nickel and dime you to death:

• C02 cannister - $53 + ~$20 to fill it. They ship empty.
  
  
• Regulator - $50. Allows you to control carbonation rate and serving pressure of your beverage
  
  
• Corny or Cornelius kegs. $50-80. Fizzy bubble storage.
  
  
• Locking beverage and gas connectors. $10-20. They'll be the same basic type as the keg valves (Ball lock, in this case) but one is for gas in and one is for beverage out.
  
  
• Beverage line and connection barbs. ~$20. Allows you to dispense delicious fizzy bubbles from your keg.
  
  The rest of the cost is going to be in refrigeration and faucets, if you want to go that route. You can also get party faucets like you see on commercial rentable taps which do just fine but a nice chrome faucet looks and works better if you have the right setup.
  
  Assuming you drink ~3 cases La Croix a week at $3/case (12 pack) that would end up around $36-40/month which would take 12-14 months to even out if you end up spending $500 or so on the entire setup, but that's retail and that's assuming your La Croix is only $3. We can only find it around here for $5 :/ Check Craigslist frequently and you'll find deals from people like me who need to get rid of their equipment en masse. Cost of the seltzer is almost negligible if you do plain fizzy water. If you do citrus I think I used ~20oz for 5 gal of my last batch which was 15-20 lemons/limes. A 5 gallon batch equals out to around 50 12oz drinks so the cost of 4+ cases of fizzy water is cut down to the cost of 20 lemons or $5-10.
  
  tl;dr- initial cost is high but it will pay for itself in a year or less and think of all the cans that won't get dumped back into the world.
  
  Edit: If you can find a system like this you'll be golden. It has all the parts I just listed including a nice chrome faucet and tower. All you'd need to do is pick up a used keg and the proper connectors which could easily be found for <$75.

Not gonna lie; kegging will change your life.

You can do everything ala carte, but probably wouldn't hurt to do a basic kegging setup like this to get going. You'll need CO2 canister, keg(s), and regulator. Research whether you want ball or pin locks (both are fine; the former are more widespread; whatever you start with you'll wan to stick with).

For a kegerator/keezer, just depends on how much space you have and how much you want to spend. HBT forums have a million different builds you can follow to put something together DIY. I have a small space, so built this one.

For this you'll need a fridge/freezer, tower (if desired) + shanks, faucets (don't mess around, get these Perlicks), and hosing (get 10 ft of nice stuff per keg and cut down from there when dialing in your "perfect pour").

CO2 + nitro is doable, but it'll be extra expense and space required. You may want to start out getting comfortable with CO2 and then expanding from there. Regarding bottling per batch, there are various methods to bottle straight from a keg and/or tap after it has been carbonated, which is a lot easier than bottle conditioning.

Saving up for two things to make my foray into Homebrewing a little bit easier on me. The thing I really need is a nice pot. This pot would remove the need for me to have a thermometer. And I'd also like a wort chiller because I've been told this is one of the most crucial points of the process.

I'm new to homebrewing, but I'd like to start gathering some nice pieces so that I can one day turn it into more than just a hobby! (Not that I'll be selling moonshine or anything) I could definitely see myself becoming a real brewer if this is something I turn out to be good at. It's something that interests me a lot!

In the vein of the Heineken counter-top taps, I'd go with an Edgestar MiniKegerator. It works with the 5L minikegs that are pre-pressurized (IE Heineken and Newcastle--the Nukie brown is surprisingly good out of the minikeg).

I've used mine for years and love it.

The advantage over the krups beertender (which was designed explicitly for the Heinie minikeg brands) is that the Edgestar also works with non-pressurized 5L minikegs like Bells Oberon and 2 Hearted, Kostritzer Schwarzbier, Reissdorf Kolsch, etc etc. You just use adapter kit, purchased from the same company.

Also, I believe the beertender system has you buying new draft lines every keg, but the Edgestar you can just clean the lines with a white vinegar and water mix.

Links (lots of useful info in the reviews on amazon, which will help you use/troubleshoot):

kegerator:
http://www.amazon.com/Mini-Kegerator-Refrigerator-Draft-Dispenser/dp/B001LTJSU2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1410549458&sr=8-2&keywords=edgestar+mini+kegerator

adapter:
http://www.amazon.com/Conversion-Other-5-Liter-Mini-Kegs/dp/B001NFTFSY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1410549458&sr=8-3&keywords=edgestar+mini+kegerator

food-grade unthreaded C02 cartridges for the adapter:
http://www.amazon.com/20-Gram-Unthreaded-CO2-Cartridges/dp/B001QA68LI/ref=pd_tcs_compl_k_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=0J5DMEWNTMR5SWQ7KYW2

You'll definitely still want a starter kit either way. It has a lot of nice tools that you'll need either way. Then build from there. Here's what I would do:

• $90 - starter kit with plastic carboy
  
• $100- 12 gallon kettle
  
• $50- kettle conversion kit- ball valve and thermometer (can't see actual price at work...
  
• $50- Propane Burner
  
• $30 refractometer
  
• $40 wort chiller
  
• $60 stir plate
  
• $15 erlenmeyer flask
  
• $60 oxygen kit (50 there, plus a $10 tank at HD)
  
  So that puts you at about $500. That gives you a badass kettle and everything you need to do a full-boil extract batch, or enough for brew-in-a-bag if you want to dive into all-grain right away.
  
  Honestly, I wouldn't go much over that for a first batch. Try it a few times and see what suits you. You may want to get into the science end more and get a pH meter and hemocytometer. You may want to do 3-vessel all-grain and build a nice mash tun and get another kettle. You may want to get another coil and do a recirculating system. You may just want a pump to transfer faster. You may want to build a big stand for it all. You might decide you want electric controls to it... you won't know until you get into it a bit and determine what your priorities are.
  
  OR... watch craiglist for a month or so, and see if anybody is selling a big system. There's some badass ones out there that i've seen for very reasonable prices.

oh wow, youve got 2 really nice Perlick taps on there. only thing you need to do there is take the faucets off and break them down and soak in ez clean or some sort of food safe cleaner. your gas lines look good. my suggestion would be to just buy fresh bev lines. you are basically just going to cut both connections off the sankey connection and replace with Gas and liquid disconnects for the Ball lock kegs.

You will basically need the below

Disconnects. these go on the in and out of the corny kegs.

ball lock kegs- search around, they can be had for $50 each

air manifiold this will let you run one line from your regulator, and turn off gas to both or a single keg. this is good for when you are force carbonating one keg but dont want to push that pressure to the other.

Beer line 5-6 feet per keg line should give you decent resistance and keep foam down.

you will also need some worm clamps to tighten down all the connections. it sounds overwhelming but as long as you think of it as gas in, liquid out, its not as bad.

I would also buy a fridge thermometer and try and keep it around 37 deg when you are serving beer. that will keep the co2 in solution and keep the beer from foaming up.

Good luck!

1. I had different types of lines, apparently they are very smooth, so mine were 12ft each.
   
2. Exactly what I have, works fine.
   
3. Temp depends on what you do - some English ales are supposed to be at a little higher temp, while lagers are usually at lower. I set mine at 35 personally. When I was cold crashing I set it at 32 and froze my beer :)
   
   
4. I didn't do any insulation - seems to be fine, it doesn't turn on too often. I might do insulation at some point but so far it's fine, I think wood is a pretty good insulator.
   
   
5. I haven't found the fan for mine yet, need to do it to avoid freezing again. I was looking for 110v ones.
   
   
6. Just be aware that you'll be lifting 5 gallon kegs over there and the collar (and it's usually crowded and there is a bunch of lines too).
   
   
7. I got this one: https://www.barproducts.com/barconic-stainless-steel-drip-tray . It's fine size-wise, but I would probably get one an inch wider, it drips at the end of the tray. I attached it with this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0083K36KA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . It's a glue tape that holds it really well, I can put a full mug there and it still holds.
   
   I would also recommend to buy this:
   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BO473HI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
   fruit flies tend to get into the faucets and then you'll get one in the first glass of beer that you have.

Just kinda brainstorming here, I think I know my options but maybe somebody has some suggestions. I have a tiny crowded apartment, can't get a freezer/mini fridge. It stays pretty warm, like 75 ish. I keep my fermenters in our closet, which i shut the vent to and keep the door closed, but I'm not sure how much that helps. I'm planning on mainly doing 1-2g brews, and i was considering either doing a swamp cooler set up, which i don't really wanna do just cause itd look bad, or getting this which i don't really do because it's kinda expensive and i could probably only fit one of my small batch fermenters in it. There's gotta be some other kinda way to efficiently cool down a tiny 1g fermenter!

Absolutely!

Almost everything came from Amazon, it was a little more in some cases... but you cant beat their support. If something is broken its replaced immediately and I wanted that reassurance.

Here is a list of the important stuff:

Nitro Regulator: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DY9SBMB/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

CO2 Regulator (dual tap):https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0060NOX40/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Stout Faucet: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BO1KFY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Shank for the stout faucet (beer faucets came with shanks): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00829HN7E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Beer Faucets: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D6MSELA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thermostat: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0152LYY0I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Drip tray: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002NQIROA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This was the nitro tank (probably the best deal IMO), its a nitro coffee place but it holds beer gas fine :) - I had to use this specific one because of the space it had to fit into, I wanted everything to be self contained in my build: https://beveragelements.com/beverage_elements_shop/cold-brew-nitro-coffee/cold-brew-coffee-nitro-coffee-cylinders/23-cu-ft-nitrogen-cylinder-nitro-coffee/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwlqLdBRCKARIsAPxTGaVyfeABi5S7mFR-ByXCWkDGRbyimzJ52J-2TXkyxDyYABYQxXios2oaAiDuEALw_wcB

​

Obviously this thin wasn't cheap, but 3 tap kegerators aren't cheap either and this one does nitro! It was a decent investment spread over about 2 months of the build so that eased the pain on the wallet.

​

I love having a refractometer http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beer-Brewing-Refractometer-0-32-Brix-Wort-Specific-Gravity-Juice-Wine-Sugar-Test-/252921300330?hash=item3ae348c56a:g:dZEAAOSw42JZDH3e

If you keg, being able to make your own sparkling water is cool https://www.amazon.com/Ferroday-Cornelius-Stainless-Carbonation-Disconnect/dp/B013JX9COE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494535378&sr=8-1&keywords=carbonation+cap

Fermcap is great.

I am blown away with how useful I find this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JCKCQQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Good to know, I saw a few websites that had calculators for that but just went with what the recipe called for. A refractometer is absolutely my next purchase, and a fermenter bag like this which I've heard great things about. Wish I had the space for a chest freezer to convert in my home. ( http://www.amazon.com/Cool-Brewing-LLC-5B-YTCW-X9LG-Fermentation/dp/B008EKD7CQ)

I have a 5 lb. CO2 tank that sits on a small shelf in the back of my kegerator, with a regulator to dispense CO2 at 30PSI. The CO2 is attached to the corny keg using some 5/16" gas line and a ball-lock fitting.

The 40 ft. of beverage line is 3/16" (internal diameter) vinyl tubing that is coiled and wrapped with zipties to make sure it doesn't get tangled. Even though that sounds like a lot of line, there is only ~8 ounces of fluid in it when it is completely full. When the keg runs dry, I detach the CO2 and beverage lines, clean the keg, add about a liter of sanitized water (diluted starsan) to the keg, reattach the lines, and push the sanitized water through the beverage line. When the beverage line looks nice and clean (but still has the sanitized water in it), I can take it off and leave it in my kegerator until it's ready to use again. When I add another full keg, I just discard the first glass (which is half sanitized water and half sediment from the cold crash), and then I'm good to go.

Very good than. Now you can just piece the rest togethers. For the Regulators, I'd recommend the Taprite T752HP. These regulators are awesome, super accurate and the knobs lock. 20-30' of 3/16" of Bev Line. Buy your gas in and liquid out keg fittings, some hose clamps and cobra taps. You should be able to get all that and a tank for not much more than $200 if you already have the kegs. Faucets will run you $40-50 a piece for a decent faucet and shank.

Well, my kegerator order included two Corney kegs. I'm assuming they are coming later as Beverage factory sent me a "partial shipment" notification... From the conversation I had with the guy at Beverage factory, it's my understanding that I'm cutting off the crimped on bolt type connector on the RH side of the third image.

The guy at beverage factory threw in this kit so I could connect to a commercial coupler, which, as far as I can tell, is the home brew version of the crimped on bolt type connector.

I have this regulator which I have no idea how to use... well... the splitter is in the off position and I connect the other end to the tank... but how do I increase/decrease pressure? Righty tighty... soo.... less pressure because we're closing the passageway for gas to go through? and that's what we call a WAG. lol. Can I run one line inside, then use a splitter? or would that mess up the pressure?

The gas line that came with my regulator is the blue ID 5/16" x OD 9/16"... There's only enough room in the hole in the back for one of those to fit through... I have some ID 5/16" X OD 7/16" I got from amazon... would I be ok to use this for a gasline instead? From what I've read, it's better for the gauge to be on the outside of the kegerator, and it doesn't really make a difference for the CO2 tank... I think I'll eventually upgrade to a 10lb CO2 tank... I want to run one CO2 and one Nitro really... so I think one can will have to be in an one out... (can, tank... w/e, I'm used to dealing with 20-50lb CO2 tanks, so 5lb IS a can... lol)


In another kegerator thread, someone recommended Keg Lube since it's only $6, I ordered some. What do I do with it? Grease every connector?

I upgraded my to the stainless steel, insulated tower with Perlick 630SS faucets... I also got a tower cooler... I should be set when it comes to pouring, right? Tower cooler overkill? The high end kegerators all have forced flow, I figured, for a kegerator half the price with a $60 mod, I got a steal... (I guess I could have made one, but I'm not THAT handy...)

Uhhh... This kinda spiraled... Sorry for the wall of text. Apparently I had more questions than I realized... I thought I had it all figured out, but apparently not! :) This is fun! I'm learning all sorts of cool shit AND I get to have a great home brew at the end.

Thanks for reading!

I can fit my 6.5 gal carboy into my kettle (its short and wide) with room for a bag or two of ice.

Frozen water bottles are great if you have a container that will hold them. I use one of these now, its soft and folds up nicely: https://www.amazon.com/Home-Brewing-Fermentation-Cooler-Temperature/dp/B008EKD7CQ

When its occupied and its real hot, I've been using Voss Kevik, which has been delicious even fermenting at 90-100 deg. https://www.theyeastbay.com/brewers-yeast-products/sigmunds-voss-kveik

I visited them a few weeks back since I have heard some good things about them. Overall I thought they had a good line-up with nothing offensive but also not really anything that made me stand-up and cheer. I visited again on the Hartbeat release and while it was a good offering, I thought it was actually more underwhelming than their normal IPA offerings. It really needed a more generous dry hop punch.

And not to be a beer snob or anything, but they fill the growlers straight from the tap. They don't use a growler filler (which is basically tubing that allows the beer to fill from the bottom of the growler to the top) or flush with CO2 prior to filling. This was noticeable the next day when we opened the growler and it was under-carbonated and had lost a bunch of aroma.

I have a 5 lb [co2 tank](Zebra DNA Luxfer L6X Aluminum CO2 Tanks with CGA320 on/off Valve 5 LB, Brushed https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0085282UK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_IxrIybWJW0EKA) it came empty, but I found a local place that fills my tank and gives it back instead of taking the empty and giving you an already filled one. I personally didn't want to do DIY because it's way more work where this you just fill it, attach your regulator with tubing and have your diffuser in the water. Pretty quick and easy setup. Highly recommend co2.

> The lady friend isn't too thrilled about having a bonus fridge in the living room though.

Yeeeeeeah, I'm running into that as well lol. I picked up one of these a couple weeks ago, which should be more than sufficient along with some frozen water bottles. I'm hoping to start a new batch this weekend, we'll see how it works!

If you want to be the best friend ever, listen up. A standard keg pump uses ambient air to pressurize the keg, which means the keg will go bad after a very short time. If you get a portable co2 system, it will cost a bit more, but I believe you will be considered the best friend ever. Here goes...
First you need the appropriate tap, which you have indicated is the S-type. You'll then need to get an MFL connector for gas hookup. While there, buy a party faucet with beer nut. You then buy the keg charger and mini CO2 cartridges (similar to those used in a pellet gun). I'll leave it to you to find Canadian sources for these products, but this is what you'd need.

I picked up both my 9 gallon kettles (one with dual ports) for <$100 bucks shipped on black friday 2 years ago. I have seen other stuff go on sale for pretty cheap. If you can hold out, it might be worth waiting.

As for your regulator. I picked up this dual gauge regulator last week. It appears to be working well. For less than 50 bucks shipped (I have prime) it worked out well. However I don't know about longevity. It looks to be a much better build quality than my last one that went out because of what looked like old age.

So here we go,

First off a Danby 4.4 Cu Ft fridge, something like this. I got this off of some one on craigslist for a $100. I tried to talk them down but some one had informed them that the fridge was valuable to home brewers.

The tap tower was purchased on amazon.

The line connections were also purchased there, since the ones that came on the tower were incorrect for the five gallon kegs.

The temperature controller was also purchased on amazon. Really amazon was my go to.

Here is the CO2 tank I anticipate buying. I haven't really picked out a regulator yet.

> 5.8 cu
Googled it - yes, DKC645BLS with 5.8 - so now you know, it'll fit 3 :)
Here's what I ordered, by kegco
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0048CDUBC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Was on special on Amazon at the time. Only change I'd have made would be (forward sealing?) faucets which don't lock up with candied beer..

I just kegged my first beer on Saturday! Here's what I have learned so far:

I got my regulator and manifold from Micro Matic. I ordered it through my employer, but I got a dual gauge/single pressure regulator and 3 way manifold for $75. For two pressures you'll need an additional regulator like this. If you're fine with just one pressure you can go with a single regulator and plastic tees. This will allow you to split the line and add kegs as you brew and repair them.

My gas manifold has a pressure release valve (my pin locks don't have the ring either), so you can shut off gas from the regulator and vent pressure there if you decide on a manifold rather than the plastic tees.

I got everything else from Amazon because I have their rewards card.

O-Rings

Keg Lube

Gas in for pin locks

Pin lock picnic tap

I'll be pulling my first pint sometime later this week. So far everything has been fairly easy to set up and use. Good luck!

Not op but I was only able to bring it down a few degrees using this method. Ended up getting one of these for about $50. It brings it down by up to about 15 degrees depending on how many frozen water bottles you use. It's also pretty easy to dial in a desired temp within a few degrees.

> Please list ALL the basic equipment for pressurized CO2?

• Cylinder
  
• Regulator
  
• Solenoid Valve - can be bought separately or as a unit with the reg.
  
• Check Valve
  
• Bubble Counter
  
• Diffuser
  
• CO2 resistant tubing
  
• Timer plug
  
  I use a CO2 fire extinguisher rather than a normal cylinder, but it's essentially the same.
  
  Only real downside is the ongoing cost. Other thing to think about are balancing CO2 levels when the lights go off, but that's easy enough to accomplish with the timer plug.
  
  Cost for me was about £100 all in, but I got lucky with some cheap CO2..

My favorite is option 3.

With these you can even bottle from a warm keg to check how carbonation is going or how well a beer is aging. It's also nice for transporting beer. Instead of using a growler that will oxidize easily, just purge a 1 or 2L bottle and counter-pressure fill it. Only big drawback is you can't use them for competition beer.

Growler filler would work. I keg almost everything but a growler for travel is great sometimes. Maybe like this: https://www.amazon.com/Bev-Rite-Extraordinary-Jug-Growler/dp/B003FW6BA8

Make consistently good beer without temp control....not really.

Get this: it is very affordable, it is very easy to maintain the temps using the methods they say (5 degree cooling for each 2 liter of ice). It folds up so when you are not fermenting it can be out of site, it doesn't take a lot of extra space. It really has helped my brewing improve. One other thing is, its a safety measure agianst ruining anything in the apartment because of a blow off. Unless the blow off happens to happen when you open the bag anything would be contained inside the bag. The bag is water tight as stated and I have tested that out.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008EKD7CQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A quick Google search provided me this. Seems easy enough. I'm sure there are cheaper prices out there if you do a little more searching than I did. All hail the almighty Amazon. Cheers!

1. Probably yes
   
   
2. Yes, but the coupler is different for the country of origin of the beer.
   
3. Are you looking at making soda or buying soda? If you're making it, you should do homebrew kegs for it. I do homebrew and use those kegs primarily, but I bought one of these:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Sankey-Ball-Quick-Disconnect-Conversion/dp/B00C30F75I
   
   So I can hook up sankey kegs to my ball lock disconnect system. Works great
   
   
4. Seems reasonable.

Hey, this might not be what you're looking for, but it's a pretty good solution, and cheaper than a keg.

Ferroday Stainless Carbonation Cap Counter Pressure Bottle Filling With 5/16" Barb，CO2 Coupling To Carbonate Soda Beer Fruit Juice Water https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K4GGYT0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_LS8fzbCZGKM80

Wow thank you!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003WX772G?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

Clearly states how to even add onto it in the question section.

One thing you might consider is 2.5 gallon kegs. If you have some room to spare in your regular fridge, you could fit one of these in there and possibly get a small co2 tank or just use a keg charger like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Innovations-Cornelius-Keg-Charger/dp/B000NV9CE6

Point being, if you put your mind to it, you COULD start kegging now. You'll never look back once you do.

Happy brewing!

I got a c02 mini desktop usb sensor on amazon, actually works with linux! only about $60! I have not used it yet but in testing it has worked great.

Edit Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H7HFINS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you are willing to look worse but have a much better solution than filling growlers from the keg, use plastic soda bottles (or seltzer bottles, same thing), and get one of these.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K4GGYT0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You can connect the gas and liquid line to it. First crunch the bottle, then fill with CO2. Remove the gas connect, then connect to the keg
using a liquid to tube to another liquid connect (also good for doing keg to keg transfers/blends), and then gently unscrew. As a bit of pressure is released, the liquid will fill the bottle.

You can do a counter pressure fill, which means you lose very little CO2, and get very little O2 exposure.

Non-homebrewers think plastic bottles look a little sketchy. Homebrewers appreciate the simplicity/technical advantages/well carbonated beer.

Since I drink commercial beer from the kegerator when I haven't had time to brew I had the need to use both. I got sankey to ball lock adapters. I also got a 90° elbow for the beer line, so it wouldn't kink against the top of the fridge with the adapters on.
I took the lines off the sankey, put the ball lock quick disconnects on the hoses, and that's it. Works well. I can take a pic of the huge hunk of metal on top of my commercial keg if you would like.

For force carbing I just set to 40psi for 24 hours then drop to serving pressure and let it sit for a couple of days. It's pretty drinkable after the first day, but I'm not overly concerned about super accurate volumes of co2.

To bottle without some kind of beer gun, you'll want to drop pressure as low as you can and put the bottles in the freezer to get super cold first. I'd also pour half a glass first to let the beer cool down the faucet. I got one of these for filling growlers and it would make things easier for bottling from keg on the cheap too. Leave about as much space in the neck as if you were bottle conditioning and cap on top of the foam.

I did last night it was easier than pie. Brought my carbonated keg over, put it on ice set up the picnic tap & used this. Then just remove & take home to put on your tap. Fresh draught beer at your friends. What's so hard about that?

I wouldn't drill the lid for a thermowell and ball lock port. There are a combo action of items on Amazon you could get and utilize the bung hole that already exists.

Homebrew #7 Stopper Thermowell

Stainless Carbonation Cap Counter

Home Brew Ohio Solid Rubber


Drill a 1/4" hole in the undrilled stopper for the carb cap and you have a ball lock connector.

The bung with the thermowell works great on my anvil fermenters.

I'm looking to purchase the parts for a 2 tap sankey kegerator and wanted some feedback on before I go ahead and order. everything is through amazon because I have a large amazon gift card.

I already have 2 intertap flow control faucets

coupler-kegco KTS97D-W x2

beer line assembly x2

10 feet of gas line

20# luxfer co2 tank

taprite dual regulator

intertap shanks x2


I'm hoping to pick up a used chest freezer on craigslist. Anything I'm missing? Anything I should change?

If he were to buy a TWO product dual regulator like the one you link to, then the answer is yes. His pricing indicated that he was only looking at a single product dual regulator like this: http://www.amazon.com/Kegco-Premium-Series-Gauge-Regulator/dp/B003WX772G/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1407323203&sr=8-3&keywords=dual+pressure+regulator

I use this 20lb CO2 tank and I've had it for over 2 years, no issues and works perfectly. I also purchased a 5lb on amazon and it works fine as well. Both were certified less than a year ago when I bought them.

This isn’t fool proof but does the trick for me at room temperature. I cool using some ice packs it comes with.

Home Brewing Fermentation Cooler - Beer Brewing Temperature Control, Keg Cooler, Fermentation Brewing Bag. The Original - Cool Brewing Fermentation Cooler. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008EKD7CQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Zy9RDb3E513D0

So, you want to think about how many kegs you want in service at any one time. As others have mentioned, second-hand and sales are the shit. But there's something to be said for shiny and new.

A quick note in case you're not familiar with regulators. If you are, skip this. Basically when you get a tank of gas, it's holding a shitload PSI worth of gas. Whether or not the gas is in a liquid or gas state varies, but is largely irrelevant for this treatise. If you straight open that valve, it comes out at the highest speed that the nozzle on the tank will allow. So you screw on a gas regulator. The one that you attach to a tank is a primary/secondary combo. The Primary Regulator gauge is the left part of the regulator. It shows how much gas is in your tank. Co2 turns to liquid under pressure, so don't worry too much about what that gauge READS, just know that the internal mechanisms of the primary portion of the regulator are dropping 500-800PSI down to 0-100PSI or so. The second part of your regulator is the top gauge, which shows your Secondary PSI, or the output PSI, if you will. Depending on the sensitivity of the gauge and internal mechanisms, it can max out anywhere from 40-100. The screw on the front is how you adjust what PSI is coming out of that barb post at the bottom. This is the number you care most about. I only go into this much depth because when I first started kegging, I really didn't have a good grasp on these distinctions

If you plan on building a Keezer with space for 6 kegs, but only want to serve 3 at a time, I would get a single primary regulator with a secondary out and run that to an array of 6 Secondaries. That way you can carbonate and serve at variable pressures/volumes. However, even if you build that from scratch from used/new parts, it's still a pricey proposition.

Or, you could use that single regulator above and run the secondary to a 6 way manifold. The downside is each keg would receive equal pressure and therefore all carbonation in the kegs would be the same.

You could also mix and match for a more even approach: get a regulator like this and run the two outputs to two different 3-way manifold so 3 kegs could be X PSI and 3 kegs could be Y PSI. Meaning 3 kegs would be carbing and serving at 1 pressure, and 3 kegs would be carbing and serving at another.

There are a couple conversion kits. This one adapts the sanke tap to have ball lock connects. https://www.amazon.com/Foxx-4048Sankey-Quick-Disconnect-Conversion/dp/B00C30F75I


This kit swaps the sanke barb fittings for the flare fittings found on nicer ball lock connectors so you can easily swap lines over.
https://www.homebrewing.org/Kegerator-Homebrew-Conversion-Kit_p_720.html

edited links to not be a mess.

Easy! You can build the exact same thing, but you'll have to slightly modify your Sanke keg coupler with something like these. Basically, you put those ball lock conversion couplers onto your Sanke coupler and add ball lock disconnects to your existing gas/liquid lines. Now your system will work with the device in the hbt thread, and you'll be able to tab ball lock kegs too!

No you do not want those. You want these. http://www.midwestsupplies.com/5-16-barbed-shutoff-valve.html

the 4 way should already come with them. You need a way to turn the CO2 on and off as well as preventing any beer from back flowing into your gas lines. These will accomplish that

I currently have this one. http://www.amazon.com/Taprite-Product-Pressure-Kegerator-Regulator/dp/B0060NOX40

That is a good price for the 4 way

I use a gaint carboy sized cooler bag found here. It can fold up pretty small or slide under your bed when not in use so you aren't commiting to bulky fridge or something similar. Putting a frozen 2 liter in there will easily bring you down to around 65 degrees.

Thanks, yes it is a Sanjay keg. Is it one of these I need along with the regular co2 set-up?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sankey-Ball-Quick-Disconnect-Conversion/dp/B00C30F75I

It's sold by Amazon, not a 3rd party... so I don't think it is. Unless whoever Amazon buys it from is promoting it, which I doubt.

ref= in amazon links just tells amazon which button the user clicked. tag= is what is used for the amazon affiliate program (examples).

/u/Akira_Yamamoto could have removed everything after /dp/B00H7HFINS/ and the link would still work.

• https://www.amazon.ca/CO2Meter-RAD-0301-Mini-Monitor-White/dp/B00H7HFINS/

+1 for perlicks! They can be had for under $40 on amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Perlick-525SS-Stainless-Steel-Faucet/dp/B0033BTPCM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
If you don't pour pints everyday the regular faucet will get real sticky, also it usually has a drip or 2 after you are done pouring.

Enjoy the brews!

Have to agree with everyone on here, a charger is the easiest way to go. Also they are small and relatively inexpensive.

http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Innovations-G5040-Charger-Black/dp/B000NV9CE6

I just bought a 3 gallon used pinlock soda keg, with all the fixings (dual regulator, picnic tap, o rings.etc) for $150 from Adventures in Homebrewing. Went on amazing.com and got a 5# co2 canister for $66. Just need to fill it up at a local air soft store and I'm good to go for a little over $200.

Still leaves me 2 gallons to bottle, or I could just brew in 3 gallon batches.

Can anyone recommend a particular carbonation cap? I'll be grabbing 1-3 of these for nearly continuous use. I'm hoping that I can still use my kegs for aging/storing the beer, then filling a bottle up and put 1-3 of them in the fridge and ditching my kegerator for a few years.

Ha nvm! I'm gonna spend the money on dual-body three gauge regulator for my keezer instead :-P

And I'll get this for beer dispensing

you can probably find a CO2 bike inflator from Walmart or something that might be cheaper and easier than marbles, but if you're in a pinch, i guess marbles could to it. They also have argon inert gas in a aerosol that you can buy for like $10.

This is now the easiest method you've found :-)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003FW6BA8/

I used this and these and just use ball lock quick disconnects on all tubing -- works great.

Amazon has them for pretty cheap.
https://www.amazon.com/Sankey-Ball-Quick-Disconnect-Conversion/dp/B00C30F75I

I got this one from Amazon and I really like it: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H7HFINS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Do you have a porch or patio? I have been way happier since I ditched the stove in my small apartment and moved to a banjo burner on my patio. I also bought a short hose and adapter to screw it into my kitchen sink. So I can run water out to the patio for cooling and cleanup. (It isn't food grade so I don't use it for water used in the brew) Way nicer to be able to just hose everything out when done as well as hose away any spills or boil overs ect.

Even if you don't have a patio or porch, some sort of courtyard or BBQ area in your complex might work if you have access to a hose spigot.

I also don't have room for a temp controlled fermentation chamber but one of these fermentation cooler bags has worked really well for me and it collapses down to store away.

Thanks! Are these the products you're talking about?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N2QZJND/ref=asc_df_B01N2QZJND5365060/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=395033&creativeASIN=B01N2QZJND&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198078807540&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12368553783614370258&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9016563&hvtargid=pla-349513331250

https://www.amazon.com/Foxx-4048Sankey-Quick-Disconnect-Conversion/dp/B00C30F75I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518202987&sr=8-1&keywords=ball+lock+to+sankey&dpID=41jBW4GS4IL&preST=_SX342_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

[Used Kegging Equipment - ID and Setup]

Relevant

1. What's the deal with the [Regulator <-> Tank] O-ring here? It's built in (Keg lube and get moving), or replace with something? Looks a little janky.
   
   
2. What "standard" is the connection [Regular <-> Keg] out of the bottom here? If I was going to add a "splitter" to support two kegs (at the same pressure), what would be the smartest way to modify this? It appears to be 1/4".
   
   Tangent
   
   
3. I understand the restriction/pressure-math for [Liquid Side] lines being 3/16", but why are so many [Gas Side] setups 1/4"? Especially when kick ass Taprite regulators are outputting 5/16" naturally? Seems like a lot of run around to get this double-body connected to a Ball Lock - What am I missing?
   
   Thanks!

Get a 5lb CO2 tank, a regulator, ball lock valve and a Carbonator and make your own fizzy water. It's delicious.

My LHBS is where I first heard about them, but amazon has them as well as a few other places.

http://www.amazon.com/Sankey-Ball-Quick-Disconnect-Conversion/dp/B00C30F75I

I'd love to try this, but I can't really afford a complete tap system. Anyone ever try using a 5L mini-keg and a tap conversion kit with nitro cartridges? Seems plausible, I'm just wondering if you could get the pressure high enough to effectively infuse the cold brew.

Considering I would really only need a small keg (~1 gallon) and some sort of gas, would this and this work? I already have a small fridge I'd be able to use. I'm honestly just wanting to experiment with this, and because of my living and financial situation, I couldn't really afford to buy a larger setup.

The one I poured was a prohibition style cream ale. This recipe in fact (not my recipe) my efficiency was a bit higher than what the recipe was made for so I ended up with about 6.3 abv. https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/463160/prohibition-honey-cream-ale

It's the best beer I've brewed to date, will definitely brew it once more as my summer beer. The tap covers are from Amazon, these here Home Brew Stuff Draft Faucet Cap Sanitary Cover, Tap Soother (5) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BO473HI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_lE8VCbWTYT7C4

They prevent flies and other nasties from getting in there, and then maybe once a week or so I spray sanitizer up inside to kill anything off that may be growing. So far so good!

Haven't tried this but it might do the trick:

Ball lock adapters on the shank. Ball lock disconnects with hose barbs on the beer line.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00C30F75I/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486097663&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=ball+lock+sankey+adapter&dpPl=1&dpID=41jBW4GS4IL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002VLD7QU/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486099355&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=ball+lock+disconnect&dpPl=1&dpID=41w9JDJx6jL&ref=plSrch

They come in pairs and you only need the beer lines, but I suppose you can figure out a way to QD that gas manifold too if you were eager.

You'll want to do some research on the height you have and the height you'll need. You know the height if the 1/6 keg, how much room do you have for the line connections? Any sanke to ball lock conversion kit would add extra height.

This kit would work if you have enough clearance but it would easily add 4-6 inches to your keg height.

https://www.amazon.ca/Sankey-Ball-Quick-Disconnect-Conversion/dp/B00C30F75I

If wanted to use a Sanke to ball lock conversion kit (see link below) would I not need a liquid dip tube? I'm guessing that's all taken care of within the commercial Sanke keg.

https://www.amazon.com/Sankey-Ball-Quick-Disconnect-Conversion/dp/B00C30F75I

i got a pair of kegs during AIH's sale as well and i'm also new to kegging.

On your first question, here's what I'm doing:

• build video
  
• fridge: danby DAR044A5BSLDD
  
• regulator
  
• co2 tank
  
• tap
  
• couplers
  
• beer line
  
• gas line
  
• drip tray
  
  and of course the two 5 gallon ball lock kegs from AIH.
  
  

Not so much a commercial product as putting together a DIY system. A 5lb CO2 tank (or larger if you like), a regulator valve (example), a ball lock disconnect (example), one or more carbonator caps (example), and some simple 5/16 ID tubing and hose clamps like you can pick up from any hardware store to hook it all together. There's tutorials online, and you can make them a bit fancier if you like, but that's the gist of it.

Hi everyone! I have This kegerator http://www.edgestar.com/KC2000TWIN-EdgeStar-Full-Size-Dual-Tap-Kegerator-And-Keg-Beer-Cooler/KC2000TWIN,default,pd.html I am trying to find a hose big enough to fit. I bought this growler filler http://www.amazon.com/Draft-Warehouse-Extraordinary-Jug-Growler/dp/B003FW6BA8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453319907&sr=8-1&keywords=growler+filler however, its too big. Does anyone have a similar kegerator and perhaps can direct me to the right diameter hose that will work for this? Thanks in advance.


Edit - sorry for the poor formatting. I copy pasted this from a couple of days ago when I asked and it wont let me put links in update mode.

Thanks!

I highly recommend one of these.

I use the exact same setup, but with the addition of the carb cab, I don't even have to remove the quick disconnect. you can use it to run cleaner either way thru the outlet, or inlet. Its all up to you.

Taprite T752HP Two Product Dual Pressure Kegerator CO2 Regulator https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0060NOX40/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Wh0FAb87R778N

88 bucks. This is the one I have. Works great.

Correct, the pressure applied to one keg, will be applied to both without regulators on each line. You'll have to disconnect the second keg to force carbonate. This would make a great Christmas present.........

Ah yeah good catch - will need to pick a different regulator and remove that bubble counter.

Hows this one look?
http://www.amazon.com/Kegco-Premium-Series-Gauge-Regulator/dp/B003WX772G/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1421537185&sr=8-4&keywords=c02+regulator

Says for beer specifically but I'm guessing that doesn't matter

It came out to about $325. I opted for the led on the solenoid. Also, having the atomizer on the outside of the tank will be nice. This is the CO2 tank I went with.

Yea I feel ya. I'm getting this co2 tank with this regulator

I wanted to get the 5lb cause it will last a long time and is only like $15 to refill at the welding supply near me. I hopefully won't have to upgrade until I get my 250g tank and ill be getting a 20lb for that one.

Yes sir.

CO2Meter RAD-0301 Mini CO2 Monitor, White

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H7HFINS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_uI0rDb4NME0AN

Am I missing anything? Or better reccomendations?

Tank

Regulator

Diffuser

Picknick tap, the cheapest co2 regulator and bottle you can find and a 5 gallon ball lock keg. Eventually you will want them cold too, and then you can build a keggerator.

https://www.amazon.com/PERA-ball-lock-assembly-making/dp/B079MF7RMP

https://www.amazon.com/Gallon-Home-Brew-Keg-Stainless/dp/B01HKZUQIs

https://www.amazon.com/Brewin-Gauge-Draft-Dispensing-Regulator/dp/B013J44ILA

https://www.amazon.com/Luxfer-CO2-5LB-LUXZebra-Aluminum-CGA320-Brushed/dp/B0085282UK

There is a shopping list, I am sure you can find cheaper on craigslist/the internet with some patience.

So something like this would not be good?

you need something like this

Like this?
http://www.amazon.com/Perlick-525SS-Stainless-Steel-Faucet/dp/B0033BTPCM

Taprite all the way. I've got a dual primary and a 5 way secondary from them, love the way they adjust and lock.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0060NOX40/ - Purchased Oct 2012, 0 complaints.

I just got this kegerator a few months ago. I use the Tap Caps and I spray up into the tap end with starsan after I've had my last beverage for the night. I haven't had any issues with sticking like you are or like I have read many other people do with these cheap taps. I am saving for the Intertap faucets though, but this has worked for me until then.

That makes sense. I see one on Amazon for $89, so I know what the price range I'd be looking at is. I figured it was that easy, but I wanted confirmation before I leapt before I looked.

I have 2 aquariums. The first is a 15gal at home, the second is a 55gal in a public space. The 15g uses a 2L DIY system, the 55gal uses the following:

Bare minimum: $165

• Regulator with solenoid -- $89 -- http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-Instruments-Solenoid-Regulator-Counter/dp/B001DTNWF2/
  
• 5lbs CO2 tank -- $65 -- http://www.amazon.com/CO2-Tank-Aluminum-Cylinder-Valve/dp/B0085282UK/
  
• diffuser -- $11 -- http://www.amazon.com/S-T-International-Aquarium-Glass-Diffuser/dp/B00I3M988M/
  
• CO2 tubing: -- $10 -- http://www.amazon.com/AQUATEK-CO2-Proof-Tubing-16-Feet/dp/B008UCOFJW/
  
  Upgrades:
  
  
• CO2 bubble counter with integrated check valve. (Replaces the existing unit, protects the regulator itself) -- $ 20 -- http://www.amazon.com/AQUATEK-Brass-Bubble-Counter-Integrated/dp/B009WTMQ3Y/
  
• PH controller (Turns CO2 system on off based off water ph) -- $120 -- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Z4J500/r

Cool. For about $10 you can get a carbonation cap. It will carb up a water bottle in about 30 seconds. I know my son can't wait for it to carbonate up, so we use this for a few small taste tests.

https://www.amazon.com/Ferroday-Stainless-Carbonation-Pressure-Carbonate/dp/B01K4GGYT0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1518870801&sr=8-3&keywords=carbonation+cap&dpID=413n%252Bhm4z9L&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Sure did!

Kegco KC D4743DT-SS Double Tap Stainless Steel Draft Beer Kegerator Tower, 3" Diameter, Stainless Steel https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0048CDUBC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_oa9Fzb5K6XARK

You have to drill custom holes but it's not hard.

Or you can just throw a picnic tap on one keg.

I was wondering if I wanted over the top or lock inside. Which is why I'm polling right now.

And while a beer gun is a sexy toy to add to my collection, it's not $100 sexy.

Or you can get some 2 L bottles, one or more carbonator caps, and a ball lock fitting and air hose. You can hook those up to your tank's regulator and carbonate all the bottles you want.

You can also get a CO2 Charger and a ball lock fitting if you don't want to buy the big tank up front, but the running costs are a lot higher.

Either way, you can use your equipment to carbonate the water and use sodastream (or any other) syrup... or make and carbonate your own drinks.

Where are you buying your faucets and shanks that they cost that much? I got my Perlicks for under $35 Quick Amazon search turned up $35 for the stainless ones.

Try amazon, this one says they can ship to finland. Shipping would be ~30 bucks though. Might buy the whole assembly in that case.

Ball Lock and hose

Coupler and valve assembly

As for getting the tank filled, I would go to your nearest bar or restaurant that uses co2 for their soda/beer and just see who their vendor is.

Meh, I use one of these not that exact one but one that fits my tap. I just turn the flow down to a trickle and it fills bottles or growlers fine.

Looking into cask condition homebrew. Thinking of trying a beer faucet to dispense, but unsure of a good way to vent.

Any experience in this? Tips and tricks?

You might be able to, If you went with a pin lock keg they are cheaper. Only problem with the mini fridge is that you may have to modify the fridge to get the C02 lines into the fridge, unless the tank, regulator, and keg can fit in there. I use this regulator https://www.amazon.com/Kegco-KC-LH-542-Premium-Regulator/dp/B003WX772G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491405625&sr=8-1&keywords=c02+regulator with the dual output. This one is a little cheaper. You will need lines I suggest 5/16th for air and 3/16th for serving. 5 feet each should get you in a good situation for kegs. See if you can find a C02 tank on say craigslist or an old one. I swapped a really old tank at Airgas that was no longer fillable for a decently new one.

You would probably also want a picnic tap for your setup.

My regulator is this -https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0060NOX40/ It says it doesn't need a washer. I've closed the gas line valves and it sat fine.

My wife drinks 3-4 bottles of carbonated water every day. We used to buy Pelligrino at Costco, at $14/case, or around $60/mo. That was 3 years ago. This thing paid for itself a long, long time ago for me.

On top of that, I purchased a 5 pound tank from Amazon, and an adapter which hooks the tank up to the SodaStream. The tank costs $23 to refill, but has far more capacity than the little bottles the SS comes with. I have to refill it about once every two months.

Links:

https://co2doctor.com/freedomoonespec.htm

http://www.amazon.com/CO2-Tank-Aluminum-Cylinder-Valve/dp/B0085282UK/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393961834&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=7ln+co2+tank

Note: You can get a tank and swap it at some local shops, but where I live I can't find anyone who does that, so I had to buy the new tank.

Here is what I plan on getting for the 10 gallon. I also plan on buying a Finnex Planted+ II whenever it comes out.

CO2 Regulator- http://greenleafaquariums.com/products/gla-gro-co2-regulator.html
Fertilizer- http://greenleafaquariums.com/aquarium-fertilizers-supplements/pps-pro-fertilizer-package.html
CO2 indicator solution- http://greenleafaquariums.com/products/cal-aqua-double-check-indicator-solution.html
Drop Checker- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J594UVM/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1XASUQHYFCLHB&coliid=I3NWGM7JZJRTSD
CO2 Tank- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0085282UK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1XASUQHYFCLHB&coliid=I2XE9EO3Z2DAGA&psc=1
Subtrate- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002DH0QM/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1XASUQHYFCLHB&coliid=I10PPPB3TWL6ZG

Could keg condition, get 1 gas in and 1 beer out disconnect, some hose and clamps, one of these, and some co2 cartridges. Ice down the bottom of the upright keg in a spare cooler or bucket.

Just be careful with the keg charger. The first time i used mine i way over pressurized and got cups of head.

No, the collar on a CO2 tank is completely different. Like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Aluminum-Cylinder-Handle-CGA320-Valve/dp/B0088P10OO

I would stay away from using commercial air compressors and pesticide sprayers.

Just buy a Cornelius keg (they're about 50 bucks) and get a mobile keg charger like this. You can then connect a 1/4 vinyl line and then get a ball lock or pin lock disconnect (depends on the type of corny keg you buy) and then attach a picnic tap at the end. If you want it to spray just buy a bottle filling wand or a racking cane and shove it into the outlet of the picnic tap.

Or buy a CO2 inflator like this to initially pressure it.


http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Innovations-G5040-Charger-Black/dp/B000NV9CE6

The best way to do this (in my opinion) is to buy the normal sanke tap thing (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002UZUSIM/) and get a snake to ball lock adapter (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C30F75I/)

You essentially take off two parts of the sanke tap thing, and replace them with the kit. This allows you to tap a sanke keg, then attach it to your system as if it was a ball lock keg. So normally you’d have two ball lock kegs, and sometimes you’d hook up this to the connections and tap a sanke keg with it.

Depending on your line type, removing the ball lock quick disconnects from the setup can be a massive PITA, this is very simple, almost an instant change over.

Btw those were just the first product results on Google, I’m not recommending those necessarily. Just an example.

If you're into DIY, you might be able to do something with these:
Carbonate
Cap

just bought this one for father's day, haven't used it: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NV9CE6/ref=psdc_979840011_t3_B01IFXQAYS

I've got this thing to go with my perlick taps on my kegorator. I haven't tried it yet though.

Or you could get this for $30.

http://www.amazon.com/Faucet-Chrome-Cornelius-Disconnect-Attached/dp/B003ZZRR3K

It's not a perlick, but I found this on amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003ZZRR3K/ref=pd_aw_sim_79_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=41BFBUX9KcL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL100_SR100%2C100_&refRID=0CF56R1NTYF00TJ9ADEY

Do you know if I can upgrade the handles I have to tap handles or are they threaded differently? Would I need an entirely different tower to put them on or can I just replace?

This is what I have

I wouldn't mind moving to these or something similar

If he is using a dual regulator couldn't he have each manifold connected to the separate nosels? like this one?

http://www.amazon.com/CO2-Tank-Aluminum-Cylinder-Valve/dp/B0085282UK

FWIW, I ended up buying a tank on Amazon for $64, and then immediately swapping it out for a full tank for $20 at a welding supply store in the Bronx (http://www.awisco.com/). Even with cab fare there and back, it still beats the $150 for a refill and empty tank that website recommended.

You can use a fermentation cooler bag and ice packs.

http://www.amazon.com/Cool-Brewing-LLC-Fermentation-Cooler/dp/B008EKD7CQ

Here you go, fam. Frozen 2 liters cycled once a day or less keeps temp down significantly. I keep my house 66°f-68°f and was able to hold carboy temp at 60°f in peak fermentation with 2 frozen 2 liters cycled once a day for the first 3 days. After that just 1 sufficed.

I use a Fermentation Cooler that I put 2 half gallon frozen jugs in each morning.

https://www.amazon.com/Sankey-Ball-Quick-Disconnect-Conversion/dp/B00C30F75I

I put these adapters on my sankey fitting, i keep all of my fittings ball lock and then if i have a sanke keg i just use the adapter.

https://www.amazon.com/Sankey-Ball-Quick-Disconnect-Conversion/dp/B00C30F75I

https://www.amazon.com/Sankey-Ball-Quick-Disconnect-Conversion/dp/B00C30F75I

Will this be all I need?

Or just put these on a Sankey tap.

Price History

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$65 https://www.amazon.com/CO2Meter-RAD-0301-Mini-Monitor-White/dp/B00H7HFINS/

I use a short piece of tube from a drilled stopper to the barb on $10 ball lock soda bottle carb cap:

https://smile.amazon.com/Ferroday-Stainless-Carbonation-Pressure-Carbonate/dp/B01K4GGYT0

My setup is something like this:

• 5lb CO2 tank, about $40-50.
  
• Regulator, about $50
  
• Gas line w/ ball lock valve, about $10
  
• Stainless steel carbonator caps, about $12 each
  
  Homebrew shops generally carry the tanks, and can fill them for you. You're probably looking at $120-$150 initial cost, but your cost per carbonation is pretty close zero: just the cost to refill the tank.
  
  With this setup, you carbonate directly in plastic soda bottles. I generally use seltzer bottles, since they don't have any residual flavors in them, and they're designed to hold the pressure.
  
  Transfer whatever you want to carbonate into a plastic bottle (about 3/4 full). Get it as cold as possible: for sodas, that's as close to 32-F as you can get; for cocktails, it's maybe 20 to 25-F. Squeeze the excess air out, screw on the carbonator cap, attach the gas hose, and shake the hell out of the bottle. Release the pressure (carefully; some mixtures can foam a lot), and repeat once or twice if you want really strong carbonation. For water, I usually carbonate around 35 psi. For cocktails, closer to 45 psi.
  
  To bottle cocktails or sodas once they're carbonated, you can use 187ml champagne bottles and an inexpensive bottle capper. Your local homebrew shop probably carries both.

I hear you. It was $70 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H7HFINS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00

Even though it's a low-end model it logs data over USB, so I have to hooked up to a raspberry pi feeding data to a graph. It's very handy for knowing empirically how any of my attemtps to lower CO2 actually perform.

Well, I'm going to be honest. Not sure what the hell the solenoid is or what it's for.

But in the US....

5 pound (A little more than 2.2 kilos) CO2 canister: $56 (http://www.beveragefactory.com/draftbeer/tanks/co2/C5.shtml)

Regulator: $50 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013J44ILA/)

So... 93 Euros.

Cut the hose for the sanke connector and add on a threaded connector end to the gas line. Do the same to the liquid line going up the tap tower. Get the threaded connectors, not barbed. You would then get either pin lock or ball lock gas/liquid connectors and screw then onto the hoses and then connect to the keg. If you ever want to put a regular keg in there, get one of these so you can use ball lock connectors with a regular keg:

http://www.amazon.com/Sankey-Ball-Quick-Disconnect-Conversion/dp/B00C30F75I

\> want siphonless


Buy this kit: https://www.morebeer.com/products/sterile-siphon-starter-smooth-neck-carboys.html

Get a CO2 tank, and a gas-to-barb adapter and use that rather than blowing
Place carboy higher than target destination (e.g. on two milk crates), so you don't need to pressurize the container (much) to move the liquid, only enough to prime the siphon line

Now you're pressure-started gravity racking. No more dealing with autosiphons. No oxidation because you're filling the void with CO2. Bonus points if you flush the target container as well/go into a purged keg.


I really dislike spigots on plastic or glass fermenters.

A CO2 pressure gauge isn't very useful. It shows about the same pressure all the time, until you are SUPER low, and then it drops fast. As another poster said, there could be temperature variants too.

Unless it is critical that you never run out of gas, I would skip the gauge, and just refill when you are out.

Lastly note that you can track CO2 use by the weight of the cylinder. Weigh it when it is full, then again every month or two, and you will get an idea of how fast you are going through it.

Oh, edit to add: consider ditching the Soda Stream entirely. Get a real CO2 regulator, and use a "carbonation cap" on a 1L or 2L bottle. Using soda bottles is going to be way cheaper than using SodaStream bottles, and you can carb larger volumes.

I do the same thing, only I keep the spring assembly in the bottle filler in place. You can keep the cobra tap open the whole time, and push down to release the beer. I spill less this way.

I also MacGyvered up a hand held co2 charger to purge the bottles, as I fear the oxygen goblins.

I have a dual regulator exactly like this. One line is for primarily force carbonating and the other goes to a manifold such as this for dispersion. The post with the manifold is always kept at serving pressure.

When I have a keg of Belgian beer, I'll keep that on the line that I usually use for force carbonating so I can keep it at a higher pressure. If I need to force carbonate at the same time that I have a Belgian beer on tap, I just remove the gas from the Belgian keg for two days while I force carb. After those two days, I put the regular beer on the main manifold gas and put the Belgian beer back on the "force carb" gas post. This method works well for me

Also, my force carbonating method is to set the pressure to 30psi for 24 hrs, then 20psi for another 24hrs and then down to serving pressure.

How about this: http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Innovations-G5040-Charger-Black/dp/B000NV9CE6

No regulator, but it is technically C02. And you can keep the little refills in the cooler to chill them and bring as many as you want.

Obviously carb your keg at home with this solution. It would just be a way to expel the beer.

A word of warning about Taprite: I would definitely recommend testing everything in a quiet room before actually hooking up any hoses/disconnects/etc... just the regulator and a CO2 tank.

I purchased a new 4-way secondary regulator last year. Lost most of the first 20# tank... I didn't notice that one of the gauges was audibly leaking from the pressure relief valve for quite a while, because I didn't hear it over the fan I use to circulate air in the keezer. It wasn't until turning it up to 40PSI to burst carb a keg that I noticed it.

Went back and forth with customer service for a while trying various things. I finally disassembled the valve and found an o-ring that was obviously bad (visibly rough on one side, like it was stamped from a damaged sheet), so definitely not a shipping problem. The gauges all had QC stickers on them, but this had clearly not been tested very well... once I took it out of the keezer I could hear the leak as low as < 5PSI. It then took about a month before I had a replacement o-ring in hand.

Around the same time I also purchased a 2-way primary which showed up with a non-working high pressure gauge. This one though, I don't know for sure wasn't damaged in shipping.

I've had other Taprite regulators for years with no problems, so not sure if this is just bad luck or if something has changed.

EDIT: I should probably point out though that I would still purchase from taprite because while it was overall annoying, customer service was responsive, directed me to finding the problem, and shipped me a part to fix it. I would definitely be more thorough with my own testing though.