(Soon to be) Kegging Noob...two questions

Assuming you have room for a fridge/keezer, I'd say no.

I have a couple of the new italian kegs. But I prefer my old cornys. If I could still find them cheap locally, I'd still buy used.

 

The best 'plus' for bottles is that they offer a better way to transport/share your beer with family and friends away from your home when you want to give away more than a growler.

 

1. I'd still keep a few dozen bottles. You may want to rack the top 1/2 gallon off your 5.5 gal batch. Only 5 will fit into a keg. Bottles make it easy to cellar big beers for a long time. When you first start kegging, you won't want to tie up a whole keg for a year waiting for that RIS to set up so that you can tap it in 2015.

I should note that I have a 6 pack of kegs for my keezer and I love it. I typically brew a little extra on a batch and bottle off the top of my fermenter. I add priming sugar directly to bottles after I fill them. I stop bottling when I get about to the 5 gal mark on my bucket.

2. Refurbed stuff generally works great. New is VERY expensive. Both will probably last your lifetime if you take care of them.

 

Nothing at all wrong with used corny kegs/CO2 bottles. For used kegs you will probably do a complete dis- assembly/cleaning when you get them. This gives you indepth knowledge of how the whole system is put together . . . when it's time to troubleshoot a problem you will have a better feel for what's going on. I bought a new CO2 tank but would have been just as happy with used. If you plan on exchanging tanks it's academic. I do recommend a new reg and don't go cheap here. A dual output or wye-splitter or secondaries or some combination of these will give you more flexibility.

I think you will find having a CO2 bottle gives you advantages you may not have thought of. For instance, I just finished DH'ing in a keg and transfered the brew to another keg under pressure (beer never saw light or air). You can do the same from carboy to keg . . . very nice. If you need to purge the headspace in a carboy (or anything), just give it a squirt of CO2, easy and cheap. I also bottle some with beer gun for gifts, easy transport, etc.

 

Mothergoose03 is correct as far as bottling. I would add that it is easier to enter competitions when you bottle.

That said, you can still bottle a 6pk or two and keg the rest. I prefer kegging. Much easier.

Oh, and used is just fine.

 

basically

no.
and no.

buy some used kegs and a good, new regulator (do not purchase a cheap made in China regulator!) get a few sets of O-rings. find a local welding supplier, bite the bullet and buy a full tank with gas, preferably 10 or even 20 pounds if you can. not new either, because chances are you'll be exchanging gas cylinders.

then start kegging man.
Cheers.

 

Even though it has already been mentioned above, don't buy a cheap regulator! I bought 2 cheap ones for $30 a piece and they were terrible. The regulator took forever to read correctly. I'd set the pressure to 10 PSI and hours later it'd creep up to 20+. Ended up spending the money and bought a Micromatic one anyways.

 

So I bought a used kegerator of a kid on Craigslist today, looks in good shape....he said the only things missing were the connectors to connect the lines to the corny kegs....I'm looking online at parts but I don't know what I'm looking for? Anyone know what I'm talking about?

 

Do you mean the ball lock disconnect?

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/kegging/soda-kegs-fittings/ball-disc-1-4-mfl-liq.html

 

Probably the most important thing to do when you get it all of your equipment is to make sure that you don't have any leaks. There is perhaps no bigger kegging bummer than to empty your tank into the atmosphere before the CO_2 is used for carbonation. A while back I asked a set of questions when I was getting my kegging system set up. Here is the thread. I found the answers most helpful.

 

Yes I believe that must be it as the name sounds somewhat familiar and I definitely don't have any.

Cheers!

 

Just make sure you have the swivel nut and a hose clamp as well if you already don't since the disconnect doesn't attach directly to the tubing.

 

Gotcha. Thanks very much. I'm assuming I can probably get those from a hardware store, though I'll have to get the ball lock disconnect from a LHBS?

(I'm not very handy haha)

 

Homebrew store should have all the things I've mentioned. Its really easy. I'm not handy either and I built my kegerator with a little help.

 

For the OP and Hokies, the thread link in utahbeer's post has lots of good advice. I am re-posting a very helpful link for kegging: http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/zymurgy/free-downloads. On this page you will find a pdf file "Bottler's Guide to Kegging" . . . if you understand this you've got it made.

Also, can not emphasize enough the need to pressure check everything before you add your precious brew. Spend some real time with your fittings/connections and know they are all good. You really want to do any troubleshooting before the first drop of beer sees the inside of your keg.

 

Thanks. Port Largo. Will def print off and read.

 

Aside from using time and some CO2, would there be any downside to simulating the kegging process with water instead of beer? Essentially, start with a carboy full of water rather than a carboy full of beer and go through the process start to finish to identify any potentially issues. I'm looking to start kegging soon and I'd rather waste a couple hours and a few dollars in CO2 than risk screwing up a batch of beer...

 

In a quiet area, crank up the PSI and hook it up to the empty keg.

 

Once the beer is in the keg, you aren't going to screw it up. When you fill the keg for the first time, you will want to run some sanitizer through it before filling with beer anyway - that can be your test. Worst thing that might happen is that you waste a bottle of C02 due to a leak.