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trill

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i seriously contemplating taking my homebrew bottling process to a new level and converting to kegged homebrew.

i can get a decent little setup on ebay with 4 5 gallon kegs, 5 lb. C02 tank, 2 gauge regulator with shutoff valve and check valve, 4 outlet manifold with 4 individual shutoffs and check valves for each line, all air hoses, and liquid hoses with picnic style spigots for around $400.

this will all be self contained in my extra fridge in the garage...

in the future i will finish it off by adding taps that mount in the door as well as a drip tray on the door...

what do you all think ? anyone else use the keg ?

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I'm still bottling, but everyone I know who's gone keg is very happy that they made the investment. It is a whole new set of

 

Here's what I'm brewing next weekend, it's a hoppy red ale:

6lbs Gold LME

3lbs Pilsen LME

0.5 lbs. Dingemans Caramel Pils

0.25 lbs. Briess Special Roast

0.125 lbs. Dingemans Biscuit

0.125 lbs. Simpson's Chocolate

1oz Summit

1oz Ahtanum

1oz Amarillo

1oz Cascade

and dry hop with 2oz Amarillo and 2oz Cascade.

 

Should be drinkable in 6-8 weeks.

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yep, kinda what i'm thinking...

i assumed it would cost me $600-$700 for a setup like this...

i've already got the heads-up on getting the C02 tank filled in my area. supposed to be quick, fill while you wait and not terribly far from my house...

i am very tempted as i have an IPA and Holiday Special Ale conditioning in the secondary now. i could buy that thing and have shipped/installed by the time those beers are ready :p

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Yeah, you could keg your IPA and then perform this little trick I just heard about:

"I've had this Pale on tap for the past two weeks but it just didn't have the punch I wanted. On a whim, and after reading the tip about surface area in Zymurgy, I put an ounce of whole Centennial in the blender with boiling water, turned it into soup, then let it sit in the French Press for an hour or so. I pressed it, chilled it, then added it to the remaining half keg. The results are superb! Both flavor and aroma were kicked up a couple of notches."

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hmm, never heard of that, but it sounds cool if you wanna bump it up a notch with some hops... with a keg setup you could do that ;)

i will sure keep that in mind...

in fact, since i started brewing and a buddy joined me about a year ago, i have brewed two different pumpkin ale kits. the first was exceptional, perfect amount of spices and hops. the second which is bottled now could use some extra hops. if i had it kegged i could change that, but unfortunately i can't. maybe it will get a little tastier after conditioning in the bottles...

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You'll be happy with the keg connection stuff. I have got some of their stuff and have been really happy. You may want to watch the root beer kegs. It has been my experience that root beer leaves a taste residue in the kegs. It never comes out and adds off flavors to your beer. That is why in commercial set ups, the root beer kegs get striped. I do not brew much over the summer. The conditions are rough for me to brew. The water temperature is too warm to chill the beer enough and the temps make fermenting difficult unless you have a freezer with an outside thermostat.

In about another month I will start brewing. I will get some ales and lagers going. I will keep you posted as I get going.

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i brew outside in Texas right through the summer...

my buddy and I built an immersion chiller and we coil up a hose in an ice chest packed in ice... we can cool our beer to less than 80 degrees in about 8 mins, even in the summer...

i keep the A/C in house about 77, fermenting works fine for me...

i've heard good things about the kegconnection stuff. first i have heard about the root beer kegs. i got one of those out of four...

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C02 Tank filled and hooked up...


oops, then i discovered a leak on one keg. replaced the O-Ring but that didn't fix it. unscrewed the pressure relief valve and replaced it with another one...


seems to be holding C02 now. I will check the guage later to make sure...

 

 

Hope that works man. I'm anxious to hear how this setup works for you. I'm semi thinking about doing this myself! Not sure I can spare the coin though.

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Hope that works man. I'm anxious to hear how this setup works for you. I'm semi thinking about doing this myself! Not sure I can spare the coin though.

 

 

 

 

just that one valve on one keg. i already talked to kegconnection.com and they are sending me a new valve right out... good folks there.

 

now that the leaking keg was removed from the mix the other 3 kegs are holding pressure...

 

WOOHOO !!!! KEG home brew for Sunday Football !!!

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