so i just came into a few cornys and would like to start kegging up some homebrew. here's a few questions for the tastybrew brain trust.

1. what the heck else do i need to buy and where do i get it? i assume a tap or 2 and some sort of co2 rig, but i've never had reason to look for that sort of stuff before.

2. i know there's ways to force carb your beer if you want to drink it quicker. if you are a patient person (i'm not, but just for the sake of arguement), could you add priming sugar just like you would to bottle and then just use the co2 to push the beer out?

3. in regards to cleaning the cornys...i've cleaned the insides out pretty well, but do i need to disassemble the dip tube and that sort of stuff to clean it out?

i'm sure that i'll come up with some more later, but that should be a good start. can't say that i'm in a huge hurry, i really only have one beer thats even close to ready to think about kegging/bottling and if i have to bottle it, its not going to break my heart.

1. you need to get a regulator, tank and the proper disconnects for your kegs (either pin or post style), taps (bar type or picknick type), refrigerator or freezer.

2. Yes you can prime with sugar but this adds more sediment to your beer that will push when you pull your first pint. You can hook CO2 up and it will be done in 2 days or 2 weeks depending on your hurry.

3. Yes you need to pull everything apart and clean with PBW or oxyclean and then sanitize before your fill.

I am realtively new to keggin, but I feel pretty comfortabel with it. The first question is do you have a ball lock or pin lock keg. If there are not pins on your beer and gas posts then you have a ball lock keg.

Some quick answers

1) You need some sort of CO2 rig. Generally this consists of a CO2 tank (5lbs is common), a regulator, gas line tubing, and a gas(gray) disconnect plus some hose clamps to secure the tubing. A beerr/liquid disconnect (black) beer line tubing (about 5 ft, the length is important), and some sort of tap (a picninc tap is cheap to start with and works just fine) and of course some more hose clamps. Your LHBS should have all this or you can go to any of the major online retailers.

2)Yes you can prime as you do in the bottle if you wish. Your first pint will be yeast sludge, but after that it is supposed to be clear as long as you don't moe the keg.

3) I strongly suggest you take apart your keg. You also might want to replace the O-rings(1 lid 0-ring, 2 post -rings, 2 dip tube o-rings- all 5 together cost maybe $4). If you keg formally contained soda this is a must. All you need is a deep socket to fit the posts or I just used a vicegrip to loosen the posts.

Once you keg your first beer it will be hard to go back. Sanitizing and filling one vessel is so much easier/faster than bottling/capping.

cool, thanks guys.

is this the sort of tap i'm looking for?

http://www.kegworks.com/product.php?productid=19562&cat=396&page=1

Jeff, welcome to kegging.

Good thoughts above. I'd add not to worry about sugar carbing. If you're not in a hurry, hook up your kegs to the CO2 at about 15psi and let them sit for two weeks. You'll have nicely carbed beer without the hassle of quick force carbing. Technically speaking, however, this is still force carbing. It's what I'm doing now, because I don't like pulling all my CO2 gear out of the chest freezer along with the keg so I can rock the keg back and forth. I'm lazy and I've got the second keg (hopefully) still pouring beer during the two weeks of sitting. I have recently found that I like to dial the pressure down to about 9psi for serving, too.

The best place I've found for prices on keg gear is rcbequip.com. I ordered my two keg package from them and a CO2 tank from a local place. If you can find CO2 locally, you'll likely end up saving since you won't have to pay for shipping a heavy tank. You'll have to find a local place to get it filled anyway.

Even if you've already got a couple of cornies (I'm assuming they're ball lock), I'd look pretty closely at this package: http://rcbequip.com/item153277.ctlg It's got all you need for a dual corny setup. If you don't want to get the two extra kegs (which you can use as secondary fermenters or just as kegs that aren't on tap yet), you can easily look around the website to buy the parts listed in that description, since those are all the parts you need for a dual keg setup.

If you want to simultaneously serve more than two kegs at a time, you'll need a gas distribution bar. A four-way distro bar runs around $40 or so, from what I've seen online. If you're interested, let me know and I'll give you more info. In addition to the distro bar, you'll need a few extra taps (http://rcbequip.com/item153278.ctlg).

Down the line, you'll likely want to get actual beer faucets instead of the picnic taps. I'm doing my shopping for that right now, actually. We can discuss that too. It makes it nicer, but isn't necessary to get you drinking kegged beer.

Look for a chest freezer or fridge on craigslist. If you've got the floor space, get as big of one as you can, IMNSHO. Depending on where you're setting up the beer fridge and the layout of that room, a standard fridge might do you better than a chest freezer. If you go the freezer (chest or standup) route, you'll need to buy a temperature controller (http://morebeer.com/view_product/16663/).

Okay, now I've probably given you more than you care to know. In summary:
- Check out rcbequip.com and the keg packages for the info on what you need to get going.
- Stick with picnic faucets to start.
- Get a fridge/freezer from craigslist.

ok, so once the beer is carbed, does it stay hooked up to the tank? (this is probebly the short bus question of the evening, but i;m out to disprove that whole 'there are no dumb questions' thing)

i do have some connectors that the guy gave me, i assume they are what you all are calling 'ball lock." they have a collar on them that you pull back and it clips over the post on the keg, kind of like an air hose for a nail gun.would than be my gas in line, and then i hook up the tap to the other post?

You can disconnect the gas line, but the CO2 pressure will drop and eventually your beer won't be as carbed as it was before.

You described ball lock connectors.

The question about leaving the keg hooked up or disconnected is the same one I asked multiple times. Either answer works, and as Brewboy says, the CO2 will eventually drop. I've got a work around for that option.

Personally, I just leave them hooked up at serving pressure or a bit higher. I'm not too fussed if the beer is carbed at 15psi or at my serving pressure of 9psi. I'm also not worried about leaks from the CO2 tank (knock on wood). I like to just be able to walk up to the keg and pour me a glass or three without messing with the CO2 each time.

ok, i get it... but if i were to, say, have a bonfire in the backyard, i could carb it up and take it out back, would i be pretty ok?

so tap, $8, regulator $40, new o rings $4, and some tubing...what do i get to look forward to spending on a tank and gas?

ya know, one of the reasons that i got into this hobby was to save a little money on good beer. seems like every other week i can find yet another way to spend 40 or 50 bucks.

If you're keeping an eye on cost, don't forget to factor in shanks when moving from cobra taps to metal faucets. If you can afford them, Ventmatic faucets are really nice. I just installed my third this weekend.

well, thats a ways down the road. i'm just kinda looking for the starter kit right now.

Gas is cheap; tanks run 50-80 depending on size and vendor.

"ok, i get it... but if i were to, say, have a bonfire in the backyard, i could carb it up and take it out back, would i be pretty ok?"

Yes.

A filled tank can run around $100 from a welding supply shop. Watch Craigslist for bargains.

There are devices for carbing with a CO2 cartridge, like those used for paint ball guns. I don't use anything like that, but it is a possibility for serving away from home without bringing a tank. Check out williamsbrewing.com. They have a couple options.

Actually, the cartridge devices are for serving, not carbing...unless you want to use about a dozen cartridges to carb!

Yeah, you'd spend a lot of money force carbing with those things. If you just want to go in your back yard, a fully carbed keg will go for a while and if you didn't want to drag out the CO2 tanks, you can charge another empty keg and use that as a temporary CO2 tank.

Jeff,

Someone may have said it, but check out http://www.bodensatz.com/staticpages/index.php?page=Soda-Kegs You can click on maintainence for instructions on cleaning.

Also many times a welding chop or other source of CO2 just swaps your tank instead of filling it. So if you can get a cheap tank on craigslist, don't worry about having to keep it. You will get a new one when you swap your old one out.

I was just gonna post that link...it's pretty much covers everything you need to know about kegging.

Sorry, I meant to say they were serving. I mean, can't you read my thoughts and ignore what I actually say?

"Also many times a welding chop or other source of CO2 just swaps your tank instead of filling it. "

I bought my second tank for $1.00, but it was out of date. Took it to a welding shop and about $11.00 later I walked out with a different, filled, in date, tank.

Once you take your keg apart (and keep all the parts from one keg together) you realize it isn't that complicated. I am almost thru my 2nd keg of beer and have picked up a used soda keg for $20. Took it apart, cleaned with Oxi-clean and now it is ready to keg with the next batch.

wow, thanks a ton guys. you're really earning your pay on me lately, glad i keep you all on staff.

Jeff.. don't forget craigslist, check it every day and you will find a fantastic deal. well that is unless you are nowhere near a decent sized city. search for "keg" "freezer" "homebrew" "co2"

you will find some real money savers.

well, just got back from picking up the freezer...27 x 35 x 70. should fit some buckets real nice, plus its deep enough to stand a corny up in. $20. can't beat that.

just gotta find that super deal on a co2 tank now.

Nice find, Jeff.