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Kegging and Bottling
New to Kegging
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Topic: New to Kegging
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DrunkenSteel
1st Kit
Posts: 2
New to Kegging
«
on:
April 22, 2020, 08:19:02 pm »
I have decided to start kegging and not really sure on what size CO
2
bottle I should use. My plan is to have a keezer that will hold up to 3 kegs using a manifold system. Do I need one bottle for the keezer and a separate one for carbonating?
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mainebrewer
Brewmaster
Posts: 594
Re: New to Kegging
«
Reply #1 on:
April 23, 2020, 04:28:39 am »
I have a kegerator with 5 kegs and faucets.
I use a 5 pound CO2 tank.
I use the one tank for carbonating, serving the beer, cleaning beer lines, purging kegs, etc.
I brew every 2-3 weeks.
The 5 pound tank lasts 3-4 months.
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"It's not that people are ignorant, it's just that they know so much that just isn't true." Ronald Reagan
jeffy
Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
Posts: 4223
Tampa, Fl
Re: New to Kegging
«
Reply #2 on:
April 23, 2020, 05:20:47 am »
Keep in mind that the cost is not proportionate with the size of the tank. A 20 pound tank costs only a few dollars more to fill than a 5 pounder.
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Jeff Gladish, Tampa (989.3, 175.1 Apparent Rennarian)
Homebrewing since 1990
AHA member since 1991, now a lifetime member
BJCP judge since 1995
MNWayne
Brewer
Posts: 447
Re: New to Kegging
«
Reply #3 on:
April 23, 2020, 07:08:05 am »
My local welder stocks 20# tanks, so that's the size I use. It takes a few years to run out, but when it's out I can get an immediate swap.
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Far better to dare mighty things....
goose
Senior Brewmaster
Posts: 1289
Re: New to Kegging
«
Reply #4 on:
April 23, 2020, 08:00:13 am »
As Mainebrewer said, you can get by with one CO2 tank to both carbonate and serve. I did this for years. I have 6 on tap and use a 20 lb external CO2 tank for the keezer.
A few years ago in invested in a separate chest freezer that I use for both lagering and for carbonating (it is also a backup incase the older keezer croaks). I keep the second kegs of beer (I usually brew 10 gallons at a time of the more popular ones) in that one and also now use it for carbonating since I keep the temperature in that one at around 33 degrees when carbonating the beer. My lagering freezer has a 5 lb CO2 tank inside it and it lasts for 6 months or more The serving keezer it at around 40-45 degrees so the beer is not too cold to numb your tastebuds. Just remember at a higher temperature it will take longer for the beer to carbonate.
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Goose Steingass
Wooster, OH
Society of Akron Area Zymurgists (SAAZ)
Wayne County Brew Club
Mansfield Brew Club
BJCP Certified
spurviance
Assistant Brewer
Posts: 186
Re: New to Kegging
«
Reply #5 on:
April 23, 2020, 09:07:28 am »
My LHBS has 5lb CO2 bottles that they simply swap out so I use that size. I have a 6 tap keezer and a single bottle will last around 3 months. I keep a 2nd bottle as a backup because there's nothing worse than running out of CO2 in the middle of a party...also the pressure gauge that is supposed to show remaining volume is pretty useless. My backup bottle is also the one I use when I want to quick carbonate a beer.
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On tap, Vienna Lager, Doppelbock, Dortmunder Export, Pale Ale, Porter, Saison
Fermenting, Saison
Slowbrew
I spend way too much time on the AHA forum
Posts: 2859
The Slowly Losing IT Brewery in Urbandale, IA
Re: New to Kegging
«
Reply #6 on:
April 23, 2020, 09:56:06 am »
I generally have 2 tanks. One 20# that is on the 4 tap keg fridge and a 2.5# that use on a rolling cooler I rigged up as a portable kegerator.
I could easily get by with one 20# tank. The 20#er last more than year most of the time.
I have somehow become the collector of orphaned tanks lately though and now have 2 extra 20# tanks. I need to find a home for at least one of them.
Paul
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Where the heck are we going? And what's with this hand basket?
ynotbrusum
Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
Posts: 4887
Re: New to Kegging
«
Reply #7 on:
April 23, 2020, 11:35:20 am »
I have a 20 lb. tank I use as the initial force carb after racking to keg with a 4 line manifold (got the manifold from a friend when a restaurant was being remodeled); then I have 2 ten lb. tanks for serving from a basement keezer (3-4 kegs) and a garage 4 tap fridge, then 2 five lbs. as back ups in an emergency or to take to parties. I inherited most of the stuff from guys who were not using them for whatever reason and knew that I could find a use for them. It helps to give away a lot of homebrew....
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Hodge Garage Brewing: "Brew with a glad heart!"
DrunkenSteel
1st Kit
Posts: 2
Re: New to Kegging
«
Reply #8 on:
April 23, 2020, 07:50:28 pm »
Thanks everyone for the good and useful information.
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American Homebrewers Association | AHA Forum
General Category
Kegging and Bottling
New to Kegging