Archive for January, 2008
Homebrew Cornelius Keg
Question for homebrewers…?
We have always bottled our Homebrew in the past. We have been thinking about getting a Cornelius keg system and kegging it instead. Is it worth the money for the set-up? How long does the beer last in the keg?
Does it have to be kept refrigerated? We have a cold closet in our kitchen (similar to a root cellar, it’s cold enough to keep veggies crisp & drinks cold, but not cold enough to keep milk), could we keep it there? We have a spare fridge we could convert, but nowhere to keep it that would be convenient to be able to get to the beer!
I actually think the work is about the same between kegging and bottling. Especially if you enter competitions (which you should do, just to get a profile on your beer). Kegging requires that you dismantle the keg, clean it, sanitize it. And then there are the lines to keep clean, the CO2 to go and get refills for.
But kegging lets you do things you can’t do with bottles. I can use my keg as a secondary to crash the temp for clarity. I can control the carbonation level perfectly, or force carbonate lagers that have aged without repitching or krausening. I can filter if I really have to (so far, only once). I can combine beers to make a totally new beer or to average out flaws. The control is incredible.
All beer should be kept as cold as possible – 40 or so – just so that it lasts longer. If shelf life isn’t an issue – don’t worry about it! If you can drink your bottled beer from the cellar, then keeping the keg there is no big deal. The CO2 will keep it from spoiling. But I use a refrigerator for mine. The beer will last as long in a keg as it will outside of the keg. It will never get skunky, as some light will get into bottles and no light will ever get into a stainless steel keg!
As a middle of the road answer, try a tap-a-draft or party-pig. Though the price is half way to kegging, the maintenance is much lower. This worked like the drug-dealer approach with me though – making me want to go to kegs.
I have a friend who is president of our local club (www.thekgb.org) who has been brewing for 15 years and only took up kegging this year. You don’t have to keg to make good beer or win contests. But it does help you in some areas, like if you lagered a beer so long that the yeast is dead. Or if you did an Eisbock.
Here is a link that talks about it:
How to Clean a 5 Gallon Corny Keg – Ben’s Homebrew
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Ball Lock Home Brew Keg Tap Complete Set $11.31 This is a set of two Ball Lock Home Brew Keg Connectors. This set includes both a gas in and beer out coupler that works with a ball lock Cornelius pepsi kegs. The Gas in features a 1/4″ thread for a flare fitting. This connector already has attached the special 1/4″ nut that has a 5/16″ hose barb attached. The larger hose barb makes it connect to the same size air line that standard draft beer re… |
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2 Pair Ball Lock Disconnects for Corny Kegs 2 Gas 2 Liquid $15.40 These ball lock disconnects fit the most commonly used Home Brew tank (a.k.a. Corney Keg). Stainless Steel barb fitting with 1/4″ outside diameter…. |
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Cornelius Keg CO2 Charger $13.58 This pocket-sized Cornelius Keg CO2 Charger is the ideal tool for any home brewer using Cornelius kegs. This keg charger fits in your pocket and eliminates the need for cumbersome and costly CO2 tanks, regulators and hoses. Press the trigger to release CO2 into the keg; Release trigger to stop flow. Save remaining CO2 for later use. Made of high strength, glass-reinforced nylon, with brass valve i… |
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Sanyo BC1206 Kegerator Beer Cooler $728.57 Ideal for home brewers or just regular ol’ beer drinkers, this cooler keeps cold brews on tap and ready to pour. With a capacity of 6.5 cubic feet, the cooler holds up to a half-barrel keg and comes with a complete CO2 tap system to get things flowing. The tap system includes a Sankey keg tapper, a type that fits all North American beer kegs; a pressure gauge; a pressure regulator; and an arm, for… |
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Standard Homebrew Kegerator Refrigerator Conversion Kit (CO2 tank and Keg are NOT included) $149.95 CO2 TANK is NOT Included. Cornelius Keg is NOT Included. Ball lock connectors ARE INCLUDED. Pin lock connectors are NOT included. (Contact us to switch to pin lock connectors.)… |