It's Kegging time 2022

[Tone boy]

1 hour ago, Itinerant Peasant said:

And will be a loverly beer 

I’ve never done the real ale. Imma gonna get me some

[Classic Brewing Co]

Just now, Tone boy said:

I’ve never done the real ale. Imma gonna get me some

I would put it on a par with Pale Ale, it's really good. 

[Greenyinthewestofsydney]

11 hours ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

Thanks Greeny I have just saved that in my Keg's for beginners file. I reckon a few of those would be good if you wanted to store say half a normal batch for longer, which suddenly presents another question;

How long can you store beer in a keg in the fridge for - or can it be stored outside of the fridge & for how long ?

TIA

Just as long as a bottle really though you wouldn't want to keep a keg out of action for so long. If storing outside a fridge I would naturally carbonate but that's me.

[Shamus O'Sean]

7 hours ago, MUZZY said:

While the kegs have printed on them they'll work up to 58psi it appears the tap heads might not.

Hi Muzzy,  I just checked and the Pressure Relief Valve on the PET tapping heads is a red one with a rated relief pressure of 35psi.  Hence the hissing at 40psi.

I had not taken mine that high yet.  20psi was the highest so far.  In all likelihood, I will not use them again.  Not enough reliability for me.

Keg King have a different version here.  $49 each for 20 litre King Keg.  They are the same shape as their Fermenter King Junior (FKJ).  I find these fermenters seal well.  You can use the FKJ to serve from too.  I actually picked up a "seconds" FKJ in-store for $25 on Friday. You cannot order these on-line.  If you wanted a couple, you would probably have to call them and arrange it over the phone.

Although the King Kegs are $50, they hold twice as much as the Kegland PET 8 litre kegs which cost $23.  So the value is proportional.  Plus, I think that the King Kegs would be much more reliable.

You can also get second hand kegs privately for $60 or less or commercially for around $75.

Good luck with the PET kegs.  But added some options for you to consider.

[Malter White]

@Shamus O'SeanThanks about the info on 35psi. I wasn't aware. I probably should read instructions more carefully.

I'll persist with the 8l kegs until they've expired their usefulness because I bought a dozen of them. I reckon I'll gradually move to Corny kegs.

[Classic Brewing Co]

5 hours ago, MUZZY said:

@Shamus O'SeanThanks about the info on 35psi. I wasn't aware. I probably should read instructions more carefully.

I'll persist with the 8l kegs until they've expired their usefulness because I bought a dozen of them. I reckon I'll gradually move to Corny kegs.

Muzzy are you using the same 2-3 consistently or are you rotating the new with the older ? I suppose it doesn't make lot of difference in the end. They claim them to be to be a lot stronger than standard PET bottles but there is a lot pressure being forced into them.

I will work up to 4 Corny Kegs & I suppose I will need spares with 4 working taps & of course their is extra gas needed as well.

I can't see the spending slowing down anytime soon 

[ozdevil]

6 hours ago, MUZZY said:

@Shamus O'SeanThanks about the info on 35psi. I wasn't aware. I probably should read instructions more carefully.

I'll persist with the 8l kegs until they've expired their usefulness because I bought a dozen of them. I reckon I'll gradually move to Corny kegs.

muzzy  if you can , screw the red prv valve out  and replace it with a green prv  this will allow up to 65psi (4.5 bar)  kegland sell the green prv for less then $3.00

even though the rating on the 8l  pet kegs are rated at you will easily get 40 psi for your fast carbing with  out getting the hiss of Gas being released


 

[Malter White]

@Classic Brewing Co I'm rotating the kegs so they all get relatively equal use. It's not so much the kegs handling pressure, it's more the PRV that aren't, which can be remedied, as pointed out by @ozdevil (Thanks Oz).
The thing that worries me most about the longevity of the kegs is how easily the feet have dented. I feel this could be a weak point over time leading to ruptures.

[ozdevil]

5 minutes ago, MUZZY said:

The thing that worries me most about the longevity of the kegs is how easily the feet have dented. I feel this could be a weak point over time leading to ruptures.

 The thing about pet bottles in general, i think overtime they get softer  , as when you fill them with co2 they expand then retract and there more times  that this happens the plastic will soften up  and then may rupture as you say.

while i like the the idea of the 8l kegs i wouldnt use these as a long term solution  as a permenent system

even with the  unitank  FV's like the fermzillas , snub nose fv  fermerter king jrs  kegland and keg king have a life span  and i would be certain there is a lifespan on the 8l kegs kegland have as well.

 

[Aussiekraut]

Kegerator upgrade done and dusted. I replaced the three tap font tower with a 4 tap, replaced the old 1.8m beer lines with new, 3m ones and cleaned all the taps and shanks. I still need some insulation for it but I have some yoga mat I can cut up and put in. Now for the beer to cool down again as currently, all I pour is froth. 
 

[Classic Brewing Co]

12 minutes ago, Aussiekraut said:

Kegerator upgrade done and dusted. I replaced the three tap font tower with a 4 tap, replaced the old 1.8m beer lines with new, 3m ones and cleaned all the taps and shanks. I still need some insulation for it but I have some yoga mat I can cut up and put in. Now for the beer to cool down again as currently, all I pour is froth. 
 

All looking pretty swish AK, I was tempted to lash out an order one of those but I decided to go with the taps in the fridge for now.

I must admit they are a fine looking unit, enjoy. 

[Dustin Frothman]

21 minutes ago, Aussiekraut said:

Kegerator upgrade done and dusted. I replaced the three tap font tower with a 4 tap, replaced the old 1.8m beer lines with new, 3m ones and cleaned all the taps and shanks. I still need some insulation for it but I have some yoga mat I can cut up and put in. Now for the beer to cool down again as currently, all I pour is froth. 
 

Very nice.

I love my Series X. I told myself 3 taps would be enough. I can see 4 going in one day.

[Aussiekraut]

5 minutes ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

All looking pretty swish AK, I was tempted to lash out an order one of those but I decided to go with the taps in the fridge for now.

I must admit they are a fine looking unit, enjoy. 

They are good looking but can be very fiddly to set up and connect. Even changing kegs can be a pain in the neck. Right in the beginning, I had some beer leaks in the font tower. When you have virtually no space to manoeuvre your hands around and push things up from below, it doesn't take much to push a duotight lock in and slightly dislodge the beer line for example. Swapping a keg from the 2nd row, you disconnect the forward one and take it out, when you then have the other one out, When putting the rear one in, you need to somehow keep the beer and gas lines for the front one accessible or you will start taking it all out and re-do it. Luckily once there ate 4 full kegs in there, you don't have to swap any time soon  

I'm toying with getting a chest freezer big enough for 2 or 3 kegs and build a nice Keezer with a collar for the taps and all. That should be easier to manage but of course you have to lift heavy kegs in and out, which isn't the best thing for my dodgy back. I'll see how I go.

[Aussiekraut]

8 minutes ago, Dustin Frothman said:

Very nice.

I love my Series X. I told myself 3 taps would be enough. I can see 4 going in one day.

Yeah, I thought that too. For some odd reason, I only wanted to use the 4th spot for lagering. It didn't take long and I used a pluto gun for the 4th keg and now I finally had enough and put the bigger tower and the extra tap in  

[Dustin Frothman]

41 minutes ago, Aussiekraut said:

Yeah, I thought that too. For some odd reason, I only wanted to use the 4th spot for lagering. It didn't take long and I used a pluto gun for the 4th keg and now I finally had enough and put the bigger tower and the extra tap in  

I use the fourth keg position for set and forget carbonating. I have the second rear port connected to another gas bottle and regulator, and cycle kegs through that position to carbonate before connecting to dispense.

[Aussiekraut]

2 hours ago, Dustin Frothman said:

I use the fourth keg position for set and forget carbonating. I have the second rear port connected to another gas bottle and regulator, and cycle kegs through that position to carbonate before connecting to dispense.

I thought of that sort of setup but decided to go down a different track. My gas bottle is connected to a 4 port manifold and each port has a separate inline regulator attached (yeah I know they're crooked AF), so I can have different serving pressures for each keg. It gives me a lot more flexibility. I just set the regulator on the gas bottle to 45PSI and then set the individual regs to whatever I need, be it fast carb or serving pressure.

Edited April 24, 2022 by Aussiekraut

[Dustin Frothman]

2 minutes ago, Aussiekraut said:

I thought of that sort of setup but decided to go down a different track. My gas bottle is connected to a 4 port manifold and each port has a separate inline regulator attached (yeah I know they're crooked AF), so I can have different serving pressures for each keg. It gives me a lot more flexibility.

Very nice. 

I have the manifold but not the inline regulators. I may add those at some stage.

[ben 10]

On 4/15/2022 at 8:15 AM, Mickep said:

Silly question but if a keg has been suitably carbonated with CO2 will this keg hold that same pressure if disconnected from the gas line for a few days? I presume so - but not certain. 

Yes, it's like a bottle.

[ben 10]

11 minutes ago, Aussiekraut said:

I just set the regulator on the gas bottle to 45PSI and then set the individual regs to whatever I need, be it fast carb or serving pressure.

nice one

[ben 10]

On 4/21/2022 at 2:00 PM, Classic Brewing Co said:

I have jus joined the ranks of the Keggers

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahha

 

 

 

I knew you would,

 

When is the brewery opening?

[Aussiekraut]

30 minutes ago, interceptor said:

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahha

 

 

 

I knew you would,

 

When is the brewery opening?

Sooner or later, we get them all. I never wanted to go AG, I never wanted to get kegs, I never wanted to brew Sours 

[ben 10]

1 minute ago, Aussiekraut said:

I never wanted to brew Sours

Gotcha

[Classic Brewing Co]

34 minutes ago, interceptor said:

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahha

 

 

 

I knew you would,

 

When is the brewery opening?

   Soon 

[Shamus O'Sean]

1 hour ago, Aussiekraut said:

Nice work.

Planning to set mine up tomorrow.  Except I will put the manifold at the bottom and the mini regulators at the top.  Hopefully make it easier to see the mini regulator gauges.  I am gonna add on another ball valve and mini regulator out of the port at the end of the manifold.  I will just have a gas ball lock on the end of this for gassing stuff outside the kegerator.

AK, Is there anything you learned from doing and using yours that you would do differently next time?

[Aussiekraut]

1 hour ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

AK, Is there anything you learned from doing and using yours that you would do differently next time?

No, I don't think so. If I need to fast carb a keg, I just turn up the pressure on it.. I set the main regulator to a pretty high pressure, so I have enough for all single regs as needed. When I have a stout or porter, which needs less pressure, I set it right for this particular keg. If I need more pressure, ditto. I thought of getting a dual pressure regulators and things like that but this is the setup it always came back to. If somebody can come up with a better way, please tell me. I'm open for suggestions.