Kegging HomeBrew?

On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 00:03:43 -0600, "FTAforever" said in alt.beer.home-brewing:

That would work.

There are hand pumps that are used to put pressure behind the beer to force it out of the keg. Your supplier should have them, or be able to get one for you, or you can order one from suppliers on line. Check the "Kegging" section of any online supplier.

However, beer is usually kegged in aluminum kegs, not wooden kegs, and both carbonated and pressurized with CO2 from an external tank. Five gallon kegs are usually Cornelius, or "Corny", kegs - used soda kegs than have been cleaned out. Brewing suppliers sell them, and they're usually for sale on eBay. (You'll also have to learn how to balance your line, but there are a few good sites that explain it.)

Hope this helps.

Ok you beat me to the punch just. Do you have any links to those sites? I'll check eBay to see what a Corny keg looks like. Can you give me some info on the other equipment required & prices?

On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 14:07:06 -0600, Jonno said in alt.beer.home-brewing:

or just

Since this stuff weighs, look for either free shipping, or someone close to you.

You'll need at least 2 connectors (to connect the lines to the keg). Line, of course. A CO2 tank and regulator. A cobra tap if you don't want an expensive tap. Hose clamps. Many places sell kits, so you can compare the price of a kit with the prices of the individual items.

BTW, you want ball-lock kegs (and connectors), not pin-lock kegs. (Parts and tools for pin-locks are more expensive and using pin-locks doesn't gain you anything unless you have friends who all use them.) Ball-locks are Pepsi, pin-locks are Coke. (I don't know which came first, but evidently one company didn't want to pay royalties to the other one.)

Also an open end wrench (for the nut connecting to the regulator) and a deep 7/8" socket (for the posts on the keg if they're ball-lock - pin-lock posts require a special socket with slots cut out for the pins). You'll want to take the posts off to clean them and the tubes connected to them.

Also check locally for the CO2 tank. If it's not being shipped you might be able to buy it filled and save yourself the trouble of getting it filled. (If you do more than a few batches a year you might want a 10 pound tank, rather than the 5 pound tank most places sell.) Also check with welding supply places. You might be able to 'rent' CO2. You pay a deposit for the equipment and you pay a refill charge when you need a refill. It can save you over $100.

Read this:

Use forced carbonation, and use a balanced system. Get O-ring lube. (They don't mention that the gaskets should be lubed. Just a film on your finger is enough for each gasket. A small container should last years.)

Once you have CO2 available, you might want to buy a Carbonator. That's a soda bottle cap/ball-lock post in one. You can pour a liter (or 2 or 3) of beer into a soda bottle, then carbonate it. (Or recarbonate soda that's gone flat.) They're about $14, and you only need one.

BTW, I've done primary fermentation and secondary fermentation in Corny kegs. In fact to do an easy brew, just ferment in a keg (put an airlock on a length of line with a connector on it, connect to the gas fitting and tie-wrap [or twist-tie] the airlock to the keg top), then rack to another keg and carbonate. You can rack from keg to keg just using a line with fittings and a little gas to push the beer. You'll probably want to waste the first pint or so, to get rid of the yeast.

Experiment - that's what home brewing is all about.

Make sure you clean them well. I submerse then in a bucket with oxyclean in it for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse really well, then submerse in sanitizer and rinse really well unless using a no-rinse sanitizer.

Now just fill and prime. If you have the commercial ones with the spigot on them you do not need CO2 if you are going to drink it all within a day of opening. Otherwise you need a tap system for it with CO2 cartridges