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Good Quality and Cheap Kegs?
I need to know a cheap place to get a 5 gal. keg?
I think there is a bottling company around me somewhere..
but didnt know if there was somewhere else i should be thinking of...
I haven't used kegs, but I think some people start with smaller soda pop kegs.
I'm sure others here know if this works...
yeah I agree most people do start with smaller ones cause they are easiar to access.
A five-gallon Cornelius-style keg is the best way to go, according to most (myself included!). Anything larger than that gets a bit unwieldy (A full ten-gallon keg would weigh somewhere around 90 pounds!), plus most recipes are made with five gallons in mind.
I have seen three-gallon kegs as well, and have been tempted to pick one up, but then I notice that they cost about the same (if not a little more) as a five-gallon. Never have figured out why that is, but I suppose it could be simple supply & demand conflict 
A keg has numerous benefits: Easy to clean & maintain, no more bottling your beer, exact carbonation control, and ease in dispensing your homebrew! Overall, the only real problem is the initial cost of all the equipment, and of course the numerous toys & attachments available for your new keg 
I would also like to know if there is anywhere to get cheap 5 gallon corny kegs. I have seen them online, but these are brand new and pretty expensive. Does anyone know how to pick up used ones?
www.homebrewing.org has quality soda kegs for pretty cheap. I bought a couple from them and had good service and about as cheap as I found anywhere else.
www.homebrewing.org is a good source for quality used kegs but you also need the rest of the stuff to go along with the keg. Look around and you'll find resellers who sell complete setups with CO2 tank, regulator, all the hoses, fittings, a pony tap & a keg in the $150.00 price range. A package deal will save you some money unless you want to low bid eBay auctions until you get everything together.
I got a two keg set up, with CO2 tank, hoses, fittings, etc from homebrewing.org for under $250, I believe, it was a while ago, though. They were very helpful, and it seemed to me that their prices were right in line with what I was seeing from the ebay auctions for complete set ups. Plus, they spent about a half an hour one the phone with me explaining everything I needed for my set up, as I was completely new to kegging.
I definitely couldn't complain about their prices or their service.
Jason runs a good business.
Tom Hargrave
www.kegkits.com
By far the most popular to use are Cornelius style kegs. Both Cornelius and Firestone make (or made) these kegs. I bought several from brewers discount online last year for $12.50 each. 5 kegs and a gauge cage shipped to my door was about $105. Not bad! Everybody local wants $35 a keg.
His price went up to $18 last I saw. Shipping isn't too bad.
You probably don't want a 10 gallon or higher. In fact, I have never seen a 10 gallon keg, only 7.75 (pony), 15.5 (half barrel), and 31 gallon barrel. I ONCE tried to move a 31 gallon and I could barely move it across the floor. A typical corny is about 55 pounds loaded.
Definitely pick up a few though. You don't want just one type of beer. I like to have at least 3 on hand at all times.
BTW, pop (soda) kegs ARE cornelius kegs. They were originally designed for coke, pepsi, etc, but most restaurants have switched to bag in a box and are ditching the keg.
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.
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