Kegs... How many is enough?

[Keith]

So I'm wondering how many kegs is enough. Since I acquired my last 2 kegs I'm not at 8, and I'll soon be upgrading from 3 to 5 taps.
Depending on the week/month, beer flows at a different rate. Honnestly how many kegs is enough lol. I know there is no real means to answer this, but I don't want Stanley to run dry and want to keep a variety. I was thinking 12 kegs would be the magic number, but do I really need 7 reserves?

I'm thinking my tap setup would be something like this, but I also don't want to end up with spoilage.

Tap 1 - IPA/APA (1 on 2 off)
Tap 2 - Variable Tap (1 on 1 off)
Tap 3 - Red\Amber (1 on 1 off)
Tap 4 - Brown\Porter\Stout (1 on 1 off)
Tap 5 - Seasonal (3 kegs dedicated to Seasonals or aged beers)

[Woody]

When's your bar opening Keith?

[Keith]

I don't think it has ever closed. Always a constant flow of beer\people at my place lol, however I'm only on 3 taps right now.

[chalmers]

This is a serious question, and not a comment disguised as a question, I promise: how much beer are you drinking a week? Maybe it is better asked as: how long does a keg last in the current, 3-tap, fridge?
I have 5 taps and a dozen kegs. I haven't had much help in drinking my beer, so the same beer can stay on tap for 4 months (that's the longest, but it does happen). I also had a few tied up to Barrel-Aged projects that I'm now starting to go through, so they're back in circulation. But that slowed down the entire works, as 4 kegs have been basically off my ledger for a year-plus, and so it's been difficult.
If you go through a keg a month, then having roughly double the number of kegs to taps sounds about right. If more frequently, then increase that number to 2.5 to 3 times the tap number.

Of course, that's all guessing and conjecture, as every brewer and drinker is different! A keg a month is only a bomber of beer a night, which seems about my average.

[jacinthebox]

we have a pool of kegs

I have 4 taps...I have 6 kegs filled (or about to be filled)...4 empty (use to run cleaner/santitzer through beer lines).
Rod (brew brother) has a 3 tap set up (plus room for a 4th keg to carb)...5 kegs filled...2 as extras.
Jason (brew brother) is getting a 2 or 3 (gotta measure) tap set up as a bday gift...so I will give him 4 or 5 kegs with his set up.
Eric (brew brother) has plans to do a 2 tap set up later this spring, so I have 3 kegs set aside for him.

we need lots of kegs, we plan on bringing 10 with us to stanfest this summer

I also just sold 6 of my overstock

[AllanMar]

I have always belived the minimum is 1 keg free for each keg (tap) you have in use. How many more above that really depends on how you cycle through them.

[Keith]

Awesome Thanks gents!

[CorneliusAlphonse]

You can always have a beer in a carboy, such then when a keg kicks, you just siphon it in and let it carbonate over a week or so. But you would still want to have probably 2 kegs for each tap.

[jeffsmith]

I have always belived the minimum is 1 keg free for each keg (tap) you have in use. How many more above that really depends on how you cycle through them.

I'm of somewhat the same mind. I've got 10 on hand at the moment (for 4 taps), though most are empty at the moment because I just haven't had time, nor ambition to stand out in the fucking cold to brew lately.

[GuingesRock]

Keith. I have 7 x 5 gallon kegs and 6 x 2.5 gallon kegs. The latter are used to supply family as they fit in their fridges …also to rack beer into to take places.

Obk is getting in some of these kegs: http://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/5_Gallon ... no-keg.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And I’m watching to see when they come in. I love those kegs, they are the same as my 2.5 gal ones. I think they will be about the same price as a used one from NG. I wrote a review on the OBK site about the 2.5 gal ones:

I have six of these now. Not sure why you call them “economy”. There’s no economy of quality, materials or design that I can detect.

The post assemblies and poppet valves in particular work very well, easy to take apart and put together for cleaning. The poppet valves are sturdy and trouble free, and yet the ball lock connectors still snap on easily.

I have both new and used Cornys, and they have their frustrations. When these ones come around in the rotation for kegging, I relax because I know everything will go smoothly.

Small enough for my father-in-law to keep one in his normal fridge. He opens the fridge door and hooks it up to the CO2 tank for a second or two when it needs recharging.

I often fill these from a full sized keg with a keg jumper. Then I have beer to go, with no sediment to get stirred up on the road, since that’s left behind in the bigger keg.

Please get some 5 gal ones in. I will order half a dozen of them and sell my other kegs.

[AllanMar]

Obk is getting in some of these kegs: http://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/5_Gallon ... no-keg.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And I’m watching to see when they come in. I love those kegs, they are the same as my 2.5 gal ones. I think they will be about the same price as a used one from NG. I wrote a review on the OBK site about the 2.5 gal ones:

They were around $95 (5Gal) when he had them in last time IIRC. Used Kegs at NG are $59.99 arn't they? Thats even less then OBK used to sell the 2.5Gal's for isnt it?

[GuingesRock]

Perhaps you're right and I was being optimistic/enthusiastic. Have to wait and see, unless you feel like emailing Patrick. In any case I think they will be a good deal.

[AllanMar]

I've tried to contact him and get the details on the 2.5gals coming back (as I want more) but he didn't have any details then. I don't think he sets the prices until he sorts out the import costs. I'd expect near the cost of last time, hopefully a preorder discount in advance mayb.

[GuingesRock]

Also 5 gallon kegs always seem to be about $10 more than 2.5 gal kegs (costs the same to manufacture them, just a little more steel). Have to factor in shipping also, but I do love those kegs. They are great for X's boiling water and invert super sterilising technique as they have 2 handles so you can stand them upside down and no rubber handles (I'm worried the rubber handles may eventually become unstuck with the heat from the boiling water). No gaskets to replace either and that's another expense with used kegs.

With the 2.5 gal ones, I seem to remember they were about the same cost as a used NG keg plus a set of gaskets. That's not even factoring in the hassle of defective poppett valves etc. and everything is new.

[AllanMar]

That's a valid concern, I've had the rubber come off a couple kegs with the boiling water. Epoxied it back on without issue.

The 2.5gals were $79 when I bought em, I think they were cheaper at one point though.

[jeffsmith]

They were. I think the sale price was $50 or 60 at one point. I grabbed a couple of them then for bigger beers.

[redoubt]

12 seems to be a magic number...we've got 12 now as well. And I think that'll be it for us. We've got 3 taps, but plan on having extra on hand most of the time. We still bottle some things as well, so more than 12 would certainly be overkill.

-Keely.

[Woody]

I'm really finding this thread interesting. So I have a double tap kegerator and only 2 kegs. I always have beer in carboys ready to roll. When I know a keg is getting close to empty I fill up a few growlers and free the keg. This is not a sarcastic question I just haven't done it any other way. Do you guys have the extra kegs to finish fermenting or fill and purge and keep on the side lines so you have zero down time waiting to carb? I cold crash in the keg overnight and rock the keg for 3-4 mins to carb so I can drink right away. I realize I have to wait a few days to a week for it to clear but hey when you want a beer . Please enlighten me. I started kegging back in May and if there is a better way of doing this I want to know.

[CorneliusAlphonse]

One option is to have the spare kegs filled and purged.. And then letting them naturally carb (add priming sugar to keg, let sit at room temp ~3 weeks) that way you can truly swap it out and just let it chill for a day or so. Rocking the keg after filling accomplishes the same thing

[LeafMan66_67]

I'm really finding this thread interesting. So I have a double tap kegerator and only 2 kegs. I always have beer in carboys ready to roll. When I know a keg is getting close to empty I fill up a few growlers and free the keg. This is not a sarcastic question I just haven't done it any other way. Do you guys have the extra kegs to finish fermenting or fill and purge and keep on the side lines so you have zero down time waiting to carb? I cold crash in the keg overnight and rock the keg for 3-4 mins to carb so I can drink right away. I realize I have to wait a few days to a week for it to clear but hey when you want a beer . Please enlighten me. I started kegging back in May and if there is a better way of doing this I want to know.

I have two taps, 7 kegs. I keep my extras filled, purged and carbed. 90 percent of the time, I carb in the keg with priming sugar. So, when a keg is getting low, drain it into growlers and swap out. If I want to switch up taps mid week, I just pull the keg and swap in a new one for chilling.

[jtmwhyte]

I have always belived the minimum is 1 keg free for each keg (tap) you have in use. How many more above that really depends on how you cycle through them.

I'm of somewhat the same mind. I've got 10 on hand at the moment (for 4 taps), though most are empty at the moment because I just haven't had time, nor ambition to stand out in the fucking cold to brew lately.

I think I'll likely max out at 12 kegs for 4 taps. It seems I am getting more into beers that need to age, so this seems like a logical number. I'm half way there now with 2 taps and 6 kegs and quite enjoy it, so when I go to 4 taps next week I'd like to add some kegs.

[Woody]

Thanks gentlemen for the info!

[HoweFox]

For those of you with more kegs then taps, where are you storing the extra full kegs?
Do you have extra room in your kegerator/keezer?
My kegerator only holds 2 kegs, so I'm not sure what the benefit would be with filling extra kegs with beer that can't be on tap.
Maybe you naturally carbonate?
Or do you think it is better to store waiting beer in a keg instead of a carboy?

[jacinthebox]

For those of you with more kegs then taps, where are you storing the extra full kegs?
Do you have extra room in your kegerator/keezer?
My kegerator only holds 2 kegs, so I'm not sure what the benefit would be with filling extra kegs with beer that can't be on tap.
Maybe you naturally carbonate?
Or do you think it is better to store waiting beer in a keg instead of a carboy?

I will be bulk priming in the keg with my El Hefe'...first pour or 2 should get rid of the sludge at the bottom of the keg...

other than that, I will just fill keg, hook up co2, burp a few times, disconnect gas, and sit it aside until I get room in the fridge

[LeafMan66_67]

For those of you with more kegs then taps, where are you storing the extra full kegs?
Do you have extra room in your kegerator/keezer?

Nope ... 2 taps, 2 kegs. Fully carbed spares are stored in the basement at 15 to 18 degrees.

My kegerator only holds 2 kegs, so I'm not sure what the benefit would be with filling extra kegs with beer that can't be on tap.

They are always ready to go, either when a keg blows or if there's a "Brewnoser Emergency"

Maybe you naturally carbonate?

I bulk prime in the keg 90% of the time.

Or do you think it is better to store waiting beer in a keg instead of a carboy?

I prefer the keg - its always ready to go.