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Author Topic: 1 step closer!  (Read 9731 times)

Offline garc_mall

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1 step closer!
« on: December 01, 2012, 11:00:39 am »
I finally got 1 step closer to kegging. I have 3 ball lock kegs that I bought over the summer when I found some available. Today, Morebeer is selling a complete kegging system with used keg for 176 and free shipping, so I pulled the trigger on the system. Next paycheck will be the 14cf chest freezer for kegging and lager ferments. Then I will be (mostly) done with bottling forever!!!

Offline tschmidlin

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Re: 1 step closer!
« Reply #1 on: December 01, 2012, 11:36:24 am »
Awesome :)  Post some pics of the keezer as you build it.
Tom Schmidlin

Offline thebigbaker

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Re: 1 step closer!
« Reply #2 on: December 01, 2012, 11:39:45 am »
Congrats!  Great deal on the kegging system from Morebeer. 
Jeremy Baker

"An escalator can never break: it can only become stairs. You should never see an Escalator Temporarily Out Of Order sign, just Escalator Temporarily Stairs. Sorry for the convenience." - Mitch Hedberg

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: 1 step closer!
« Reply #3 on: December 01, 2012, 12:22:30 pm »
I finally got 1 step closer to kegging. I have 3 ball lock kegs that I bought over the summer when I found some available. Today, Morebeer is selling a complete kegging system with used keg for 176 and free shipping, so I pulled the trigger on the system. Next paycheck will be the 14cf chest freezer for kegging and lager ferments. Then I will be (mostly) done with bottling forever!!!

Get it!

Glad you said "mostly". I bottle some big beers, meads and ciders. Competitions. Then there are the friends I brew a batch for, and they don't have a keg system, so it goes into bottles. Even with 32 kegs, I will still have to move some beers I want to keep into bottles to free up a keg.
Jeff Rankert
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BJCP National
Ann Arbor Brewers Guild
Home-brewing, not just a hobby, it is a lifestyle!

Offline Jimmy K

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Re: 1 step closer!
« Reply #4 on: December 01, 2012, 12:34:28 pm »
Glad you said "mostly". I bottle some big beers, meads and ciders. Competitions. Then there are the friends I brew a batch for, and they don't have a keg system, so it goes into bottles. Even with 32 kegs, I will still have to move some beers I want to keep into bottles to free up a keg.

32 KEGS!! Dammmmmmmmmmmmn...
Delmarva United Homebrewers - President by inverse coup - former president ousted himself.
AHA Member since 2006
BJCP Certified: B0958

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: 1 step closer!
« Reply #5 on: December 01, 2012, 08:19:39 pm »
Glad you said "mostly". I bottle some big beers, meads and ciders. Competitions. Then there are the friends I brew a batch for, and they don't have a keg system, so it goes into bottles. Even with 32 kegs, I will still have to move some beers I want to keep into bottles to free up a keg.

32 KEGS!! Dammmmmmmmmmmmn...
My retirement fund.

When you do a lot of lagers, 7 or more a year, 10 gallons at a time,  you tie up a lot of kegs for a long time. Some strong beers to age, and soon you have over 20 kegs full of beer in process.

Talking to a multiple Ninkasi winner at a local comp during lunch, he smiled and said he had 50.



Jeff Rankert
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Ann Arbor Brewers Guild
Home-brewing, not just a hobby, it is a lifestyle!

Offline bluesman

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1 step closer!
« Reply #6 on: December 01, 2012, 08:38:30 pm »
Kegging is much easier than bottling and tons more fun. Go for it. I'm always looking for a good deal on kegs. Seems like you can never have enough.

Ron Price

Offline tygo

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Re: 1 step closer!
« Reply #7 on: December 01, 2012, 08:38:38 pm »
Do you have a walk in fridge?  My problem would be cold storage of all of those lagers.
Clint
Wort Hogs

Offline bluesman

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1 step closer!
« Reply #8 on: December 01, 2012, 08:56:16 pm »
Do you have a walk in fridge?  My problem would be cold storage of all of those lagers.
Good question. I'm up to three 7.5cf chests, and two small conversion refrigerators. That takes care of 16 kegs. Any more and I'll need a walk in for sure. :)
Ron Price

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: 1 step closer!
« Reply #9 on: December 02, 2012, 06:00:10 am »
Do you have a walk in fridge?  My problem would be cold storage of all of those lagers.

I can have 16 kegs lagering. Looking at another small chest freezer.
Jeff Rankert
AHA Lifetime Member
BJCP National
Ann Arbor Brewers Guild
Home-brewing, not just a hobby, it is a lifestyle!

Offline jeffy

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Re: 1 step closer!
« Reply #10 on: December 02, 2012, 06:30:15 am »
My serving freezer fits eight and I keep them busy at all times.  I think I have 5 or 6 more.  Most of my "waiting" beer is in carboys.
Jeff Gladish, Tampa (989.3, 175.1 Apparent Rennarian)
Homebrewing since 1990
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Offline dbarber

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Re: 1 step closer!
« Reply #11 on: December 02, 2012, 08:30:22 am »
Good question. I'm up to three 7.5cf chests, and two small conversion refrigerators. That takes care of 16 kegs. Any more and I'll need a walk in for sure. :)

Wow.  I'd kill for that much lagering space.  I want to get another chest freezer, but the wife is balking at the extra electricity usage.  I currently have a chest freezer that fits four, a spare fridge that fits 3 and a small serving fridge that fits 2. 
Dave Barber
Orwigsburg, PA
AHA Member, BJCP National

Offline tschmidlin

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Re: 1 step closer!
« Reply #12 on: December 02, 2012, 03:20:09 pm »
Good question. I'm up to three 7.5cf chests, and two small conversion refrigerators. That takes care of 16 kegs. Any more and I'll need a walk in for sure. :)

Wow.  I'd kill for that much lagering space.  I want to get another chest freezer, but the wife is balking at the extra electricity usage.  I currently have a chest freezer that fits four, a spare fridge that fits 3 and a small serving fridge that fits 2. 
The electricity use is really pretty minimal.  It doesn't need to be as cold as freezing, you're not constantly in and out of it, and because it's a chest freezer it doesn't dump cold air when you open the lid.
Tom Schmidlin

Offline dbarber

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Re: 1 step closer!
« Reply #13 on: December 03, 2012, 11:30:41 am »
I know, but my wife has short arms and deep pockets.
Dave Barber
Orwigsburg, PA
AHA Member, BJCP National

Offline neemox

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Re: 1 step closer!
« Reply #14 on: December 04, 2012, 12:38:59 am »
Grab one of these and hook it up. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882715001&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-NA-_-NA

It turns out my kegerator costs me less than a buck a month usually, which gave me leverage to pick up a freezer without worrying about the power consumption anymore (About the same as her hair dryer ;D)