Good Quality and Cheap Kegs?
You're on the right track. Try going to a local Coke or Pepsi distributor and be frank with your dilemna like I did years ago. Usually they respect the enthusiasm of homebrewers and will give you the 5-gal Cornelius kegs for just the deposit. Finding the CO2 cylinders might be a bit tougher but they might do the same (deposit fee). Or you can go to a welding supply store (like Airgas) and get one there. That's where you'll have to refill it anyway.
You can pick up a CO2 tank from a welding or gas supply or you can buy one from a reseller. If purchasing a CO2 tank, I'd recommend a 5 pound aluminum one. Then purchase a second one later. This way you will have a backup while one is getting filled.
I've also discovered that the best place to get a tank filled is a fire extinguisher shop. You drop it off & pich it up a few days later. Most of the gas supply places want to trade out and I have no desire to trade my pretty aluminum CO2 tank for an ugly, heavy steel tank.
Go to http://www.kegs.com/ and look into the reconditioned kegs... very good deal for your dollar... acid cleaned new seals and stem... best deal I've found without having to scrub all day... TheJet
TheJet wrote:
Go to http://www.kegs.com/ and look into the reconditioned kegs... very good deal for your dollar... acid cleaned new seals and stem... best deal I've found without having to scrub all day... TheJet
I can't speak for where you live, but that place is VERY high. The 3 local shops all wanted $35 as well, but you get it now. That place you speak of wants $35 and shipping. Not a good deal IMO.
I still say brewers discount has the cheapest. The owner, Terry, is HORRIBLE about responding to email quickly. Don't rely on that. He almost lost my business because he is email impaired. Still, he has fast shipping and the cheapest kegs I've found. I looked a few days back and they are $16.50 for a used keg plus shipping. If you buy 3 or more, that's a good deal. His shipping is reasonable.
I fill CO2 tanks at a shop that sells paintball equipment, cheap and they fill while you wait. I have 12 used corny kegs from homebrewing.org. Great kegs, not too banged up and very cheap. Save some shipping and buy at least 2 at a time.
The on line source mentioned might want $33.75 / keg but they are refurbished & come with a warranty.
www.homebrewing.org sells nice used kegs & Jason runs a good business.
thargrav wrote:
www.homebrewing.org sells nice used kegs & Jason runs a good business.
That is a pretty good deal. The cheapest I've paid was $12.50 and he wants $15.00 for double handles. I don't see his shipping costs there. He has a link for it but no information.
Michael,
My advice to you is buy local. Shipping will off-set the discount mostly anyway. A good re-conditioned corny keg runs about $35 on the average and your going to spend almost that much if you buy bottles and caps! Yes the keg is just the start of the system but still well worth it! Most "gas" supply shops carry "beverage" mix cannisters. It's part CO2 and nitrogen... same price as strait CO2 but adds no flavor to the brew if left pressurized for an extended time. rent and filled bottle costs about $30. You will need a regulator too. You can usualy talk them out of that for free. (Best to bring them a sample of your efforts!)
Prost!
Dan
Hmmm I don't know about that Dan. If you buy ONE keg, then perhaps, but all my local brew shops charge $35 per keg. So two are obviously $70.
I bought 5 kegs and a gauge cage, shipped to my door for right around $100 from brewers discount. Clearly that was a huge savings. The shipping was around $20.
I have to disagree about the shipping costs. At least where I got mine from. You need to buy a few to get savings though.