Thoughts on this kegging system?

that is a fairly expensive system for what you are getting. if you want new, then go for it. but you can probably save around $100 if you bought the items separately.
two ball lock fittings will cost about $12. one gray for gas one black for liquid.
tubing will be a few dollars, maybe $5 if you are only buying by the foot. you need a "Cobra tap" which you can buy pre-made with the ball lock fitting. you will need gas tubing.
a dual gauge regulator is about $60 retail.
a new 3 gallon corny keg is $100. but I recommend you buy used. same thing but cheaper and not shiny. the replacement O-rings cost about $4 a set and you change them once when you get the used keg and rarely ever again.

you will need a co2 tank, and these are typically exchanged when refilled, like a propane tank for the bbq. you really don't need to buy a shiny new tank. just purchase at your supplier the first time you buy gas and then you exchange for a filled tank when needed.

the system does have everything you need to keg, and it will fit into a fridge. you are paying for the new co2 tank here though.
Cheers.

 

Cheaper, but good quality-

http://www.morebeer.com/products/homebrew-draft-system-25-gal-ball-lock.html

 

Too expensive, by a wide margin. If you live close enough to an LHBS that does tank swapping, it will really lower the initial cost...and is just darn convenient.

 

5 lbs is pretty small for a CO2 tank, and they aren't very cost-effective to get refilled. Also, like others have said, it's very possible that you'll be exchanging tanks every time you get a refill, so your shiny new tank will disappear the first time you use it. I bought a refurbished 10 lb tank from AIH for about 60 bucks, and I think that's a decent way to go.

I don't see anything wrong with the keg, new kegs typically run in the $100 range. Interestingly, it's no more expensive to get a 5 gallon keg, which I believe will work equally well for small batches (since you purge with CO2 before and after filling it up). Then again, they're a lot harder to fit into your fridge, if that's a concern.

 

I can get a 5 gallon set up with 2 used kegs for cheaper than that at my LHBS. Do you ever anticipate stepping up to 5 gallon batches? If so, I'd definitely think about just going with 5 gallon kegs and skip the 3 gallon kegs...that pigeon holes you into having to buy more equipment if you want to step up, but you can still keg 3 gallon batches in a 5 gallon keg. And I think most that keg will agree that you will eventually want to have at least 2 kegs, that way you can keep something on tap all the time, while the other keg is getting refilled and carbed. Just my opinion, but possible food for thought.

 

$234.85 (w/ CO2 cylinder) + $7.95 flat shipping

http://www.kegconnection.com/1-faucet-basic-homebrew-kegerator-kit/
http://www.kegconnection.com/3-gallon-kegs-new-ball-lock/

 

I bought a lot of my keg stuff from kegconnection.

I got my co2 tank from here http://www.aquariumplants.com/CO2_Cylinders_guaranteed_unbeatable_prices_p/t.htm at the time it was the best deal I could find on a 20lb tank. It is definitely worth spending a little more for a larger co2 tank, they last longer and don't cost that much more to fill vs. a small (5lb) tank.

I would go with 5 gallon kegs, no reason why you can't just half fill it and that size is a lot more common than 3 gallons and so likely to be a lot cheaper. Make sure you get a couple kegs, no matter how many you buy, you will always want another one

 

I have a couple of the Italian 3 gal'ers as linked to above from Keg Connection. They are well built and have served well for almost 2 years. Would not hesitate to buy these used but they are almost never available, at $100 new from KC you are doing pretty good. You do know with one keg you will be at least six weeks between pours? A good rule of thumb is to decide what you really need, then double that.

CO2 tanks: Before you buy anything determine how you will refill. If you have a reliable re-filler it may pay to buy new (I did), if you have to exchange you will never see Mr. Shiny again. So beat the bushes and compare prices on how/where/cost of refilling. The only thing worse than a 5 gallon tank is a 2.5 gallon. Search the Home Bar Forum and you'll find threads on how little extra the big tanks cost to refill . . . you can get a 20 gal'er on Amazon for about $125. But again, how you fill or exchange drives this decision.

I would not buy a generic reg (Amazon), rather spend an extra 20 bucks and rest easier. Also, an online retailer can customize your rig. I had Keg Connection add a "wye" to my reg output and only paid for the extra shut-off valve. Most any small retailer should do things like that for free. No reason not to get an extra gas/liquid QD, you will use CO2 for a lot of chores that you haven't thought of yet.

Picnic faucets will work, but you'll want something nicer pretty quickly. Search Home Bar for multiple threads on the subject. Decide if you want barbed fitting on your QD's or male flares (MFL), some discussion in Home Bar on this. Also, I used to recommend buying twice the amount of beer line you think you will need (you will need it) but stopped giving this advice because no one every followed through.

Nothing at all wrong with getting used 5 gal'ers. They make take a little tweaking but don't be afraid of that. You are going to end up becoming a "keg maintenance man", it's just a matter of when, not if. There is no one to call when something in your keg system gets crooked . . . instead, you go for the tool kit. You're going to love kegging . . .

 

I always look at those 3 gallon kegs and think about what my buddy did with his. He uses a paintball setup and the whole thing fits inside of a 5 gal Igloo sports cooler. He drilled a tap on the outside and has a jockey box in the shape of a cooler.

 

I have several 2.5 and 3 gallon kegs, and love them I bought a cooler with a taller than normal lid, drilled holes in the sides for shanks, and using a paintball co2 tank I have an awesome portable 2 tap kegerator. It's very awesome for parties!

 

The party cooler does sound nice, but at least for me there aren't very many occasions where I'm looking to blow through 2.5 or 3 gallons in a night. Unless you want to do that regularly I'd still say used 5 gallon kegs are a better value. You can always fill growlers, 2 liter bottles or a party pig for that type of event.

 

The beauty of kegging, if it's not all drank it's still fine for another day!

 

I am kind of curious how you plan to store and serve your beer from a 3 gal keg. Is this going in a dedicated kegerator or keezer? Also, plan on having 2 or 9 kegs for a pipeline. It get's kind of ridiculous if you're not careful.

 

I think it all boils down to the fact that it's nearly the same amount of work and expense to end up with 30 beers as it is to have 50 to enjoy. 20 lb tank and 5 gal. kegs..
If your main concern is portability, then maybe bottles are still the answer.

 

It's look 30% expensive comper to other option. Can you explain way you decided 3 gallon over 5 gallon system ?
My self looking to "start" kegging but I prefer to keep the 5G end result format.

 

I'm not here to judge--I started a separate thread for that.

With a smaller setup, this could easily work with a mini fridge. Just keep in mind how many different types of beer you want on tap at one time. If it's only one or two, a mini fridge will work great. If it's more, you'll need to take over that freezer in the basement. Kegging is no different than any of the other large purchases that you endure as a brewer. Do your homework, think about how big this is going to get, and only buy once. Keep in mind you'll want a dual regulator if you want to serve two different carbonation levels of beer: http://www.beveragefactory.com/draf...m9kBk7qrySqC650mcxXimHSMJgffft0gsUaAotp8P8HAQ


I personally have 6 taps and find that I only use the second regulator for high pressure purging and sealing kegs. The 6 kegs all run at a modest carbonation.

 

@Mag00n These things are cheap! http://www.homebrewing.org/product....F22v1xmlhQHTM8ubbPdQI3eZbWRDzJM3bUaAs-D8P8HAQ

I'm going to build a jockey box!

 

eh, Pin Locks. too bad they aren't ball lock.

a jockey box for three gallons is not a solution imo. jockey boxes have a very limited purpose and cost quite a bit. with a 3 gallon keg I would expect the keg to be kicked quickly. may as well use a cobra tap and put the thing on ice or wrapped in a blanket. that's my two cents anyway.
Cheers.