Kegging

[Mike Neilson]

Looking at doing a keg set up, Is it cheaper and easyer to go with the brew craft setup or designing your own set up, and getting the bits from the likes of Craft brewer, etc?
Whats your thoughts?

[Stu McKinlay]

Pester Steve if he doesn't get back to you... He won't mind. He can take a while sometimes. He's a busy guy.

[James P]

The brewcraft starter kit is an easy way to get into kegging, I too started with that kit (get the fridge tap, as the gun is arse!).

I would recommend you get the MFL disconnects from craftbrewer which will take John Guest fittings. It's a little extra cash, however they are excellent. With the NZ dollar that way it is at the moment, you should look at getting your John Guest fittings locally say from Aircontrols in New Plymouth or Blackwood Paykels (if they have them in stock.)

Sorry just had to add my 10 cents worth again!

[Dale Cooper]

I have the gun tap, haven't used it yet so it may well be arse. Looks nice though ;-)
Still waiting for ferments to finish so I can get some beer in kegs. Patience is hard!

[Stu McKinlay]

Brendon has a gun. I thought it was pretty good but I'm more than happy with my picnic taps.

[James P]

In retrospect if I was to balance my lines better, the gun would proabably would not be arse...

[Nolen Smith]

I have both the gun and a picnic tap. I've only used the gun twice - it's impressive at parties, but i reckon the picnic tap is easier to clean afterward.

[Stu McKinlay]

Everyone is so hot on the John Guest fittings... why????
I've thought about them but i really don't see a need. what's so hard about taking off a ball-lock fitting?

[James P]

Push me pull you is better than hose clips in my opinion (given i have stabbed myself countless times while taking the lines off to clean or replace).

[Barry]

It's not the ball lock. It's the lack of barbs/hose clamps.
Barbs are a gigantic pain in the arse.

[Stu McKinlay]

ok, so it is only of use if you have a tap in a door or gas coming from outside a fridge or something? I only see a barb and a hose clamp once in a blue moon - when I'm attaching a new piece of equipment or putting on a new piece of line. In these cases you'd still have to deal with them too.

[Barry]

Not with John Guest fittings. I haven't used a barb and hose clamp ever. I use MFL fittings that you can get a JG fitting to screw onto, then just plug the beer line in.

Every time I keg a beer I run sanitiser out of both the gas in and beer out posts, through my picnic tap. With JG fittings it's far easier to swap the picnic tap over to each post. You'd never bother if you had to stuff around with a barb.

[Reviled]

I have the MFL connections, and only one picnic tap, but when I swap the tap between kegs I keep the tap connected to the qd and just move the whole thing over... Probably not the most sanitary way of doing it, but I discovered that some beers taste really good mixed this way :o)