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3 Gallon Ball Lock Kegs

BeerSmith

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Does anyone know where I can get a good deal on some three gallon ball lock kegs?  I'd like one or two for portable use.

The pin lock seem to be easy to find but I've had little luck finding ball lock at a reasonable price.

Brad
 
I bought my 2.5 gallon kegs about a month ago, new, from Williams Brewing.  They are $70 a piece if you buy 2 or more.  Obviously, used would be cheaper, but the little ones might be hard to find.  I bought 2 for nitrogen pushed stout due to something I read that the CO2 eventually comes out faster and skews the mix of Nitrogen and CO2.  With the little ones, I can rotate the kegs more frequently.  We'll see...I've just started on drinking the 1st one!

 
How do you like the Nitrogen mix?  I've read about it but never tried it (except for real Guiness).

Do you have a special stout tap for it?  I understand this is needed to get the correct draft from a nitrogen/CO2 mix.

Brad
 
Homebrew Heaven has 3-gallon cornies advertised for $50. You might want to check them out.
 
Thanks!
 Still seems a bit steep compared to the 5 gal kegs, but I'll try these links out and see what I can do.

 I'm only looking for something portable to take with me to parties and such.  Most of my beer is in 5 gal kegs.

Brad
 
The nitro mix is a dream-come-true!  It's the real reason I tried kegging, and I haven't been disappointed.  Let me tell you though, there's something evil about a Guiness-like stout on tap in your basement...place's haunted now.  I keep hearing, "Come pour another.......".  ;D

I did get the stout tap too.  Not sure you could get the right result from a regular tap.  This pushed the beer through at 32psi, where I have the CO2 side on only about 17psi (and that's even a bit high, but the beer I have there is heavier than I'd like so I bumped up the carbonation).

The kegerator I just put together I got the instructions off the web.  Link is http://www.oregonbrewcrew.com/freezer/freezer.html.
Step by step, and it turned out great.
 
IBrewalot...

 I'm envious!  I ALWAYS have a keg of dry stout on tap, but not with the Nitrogen -- I just have mine in a standard refrigerator with two others on tap.

 Which reminds me - the stout keg is running a bit low -- time to brew another stout.

 Did you buy a separate tank for the nitrogen, and if so did you get a nitrogen-carbon mix or pure nitrogen?  I'm interested in how much additional equipment I would need to make it happen.

 The kegerator setup with the freezer looks awesome as well.  I like the space for fermentation - I have to sacrifice two of my kegs to free enough space to ferment in my refrigerator.

Cheers!
Brad
 
I'm using the nitrogen/co2 mix, 75/25.  I read a bunch about it before deciding, and that mix seemed to be the most prevalent in use.  Sure works for me.  The stout tap was $70 if I remember right and the nitrogen tank full was $125 if I remember right (I got a large, 40lb, tank) and the regulator was $95 (it's got to be high pressure, 2200psi).  Also, I keep the nitro tank outside the cooler and run the gas line thru the collar of the cooler.  The gas guy told me I could put it in, but at 40 degrees I'd lose a few hundred pounds of pressure, so I left it outside.  That also left room for more beer in the cooler!
 
RCB has great prices on their kegging equipment (no affiliation) and I've had good luck with them.  They have 3 gallon kegs in stock right now for $32.50 ea.

http://web.iwebcenters.com/brewersdiscount/item5104.ctlg

Cheers,
Streb
 
I paid 35 for my kegs off of ebay and RCB sold them for cheaper.  I've got four right now and I plan on buying four mor when I have the money.  My mini fridge, modified, fits three 3 gallon cornies.  Another place to buy new 2.5 or 3 gallon kegs is Sabco.  I think there around 65-75 bucks a piece.


cheers,
borny
 
...

 I'm envious!  I ALWAYS have a keg of dry stout on tap, but not with the Nitrogen -- I just have mine in a standard refrigerator with two others on tap.
...  Did you buy a separate tank for the nitrogen, and if so did you get a nitrogen-carbon mix or pure nitrogen?  ...

I just finished up my stout setup, got a faucet off ebay, and it works wonderfully!  I have a cherry stout on tap right now, and its a really tough thing to draw only one pint off in a night  ;D Those cascading bubbles are incredible to see in homebrew!
I can get and post pictures of my rig if you'd like,
cheers
t
 
Hi All,

Your info on this site is great! I love to read about other home brewers and the things they have created.

I have been reading up on these 3 gal kegs and it sounds like the perfect solution to the portable party. But how do I carbonate this thing on the road (away from home, not literally on the road). Has anyone tried the handheld Co2 charger from Genuine Innovations (link below)? I found them on Ebay but it is not clear to me if the pressure can be regulated.

I have also seen some setups using the Co2 tank from air guns or paint ball guns. Again I am not sure if there are small regulators available.

Ideally this whole package would fit into a backpack, hey sort of like a 'Camel Pack' on steroids.

Thanks Everyone.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2374373929&category=38172

 
>  Has anyone tried the handheld Co2 charger from Genuine Innovations (link below)? I found them on Ebay but it is not clear to me if the pressure can be regulated.  

--

I have a friend who uses one of these and it works great for small gatherings.  You would just use this for serving and force carbonate your beer before bringing it to wherever you were taking it.  You just kind of wing it with the CO2 dispenser and add more pressure when the beer is not flowing fast enough.  It's not a perfect solution, but it's a heck of a lot better than carrying a CO2 tank with you.

I've heard discussions on another forum that recommend that you be careful about the CO2 cartridges you buy.  Some contain oil in them so be choosy about which brands you buy.

Cheers!!!
 
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