What’s the cheapest way to get started kegging?
It’s a thought in a lot of homebrewers minds. There is a lot of conflicting info out there about kegging. Regulators, 5 lb vs 20 lb co2 tanks, keezers, cornies and more!
Here is a simple breakdown of the absolute minimum you need in order to stop botting as soon as possible. Afterwards I’ll talk a little bit more about the downsides of a minimalistic setup like this, and offer up more solutions.
The absolute most basic kegging setup you can get is:
- a Corny keg $49
- gas and liquid fittings for the keg $12
- picnic tap and dispensing tubing $10
- hand held co2 charger $25
- 30 – 16 gram threaded co2 cartridges $30 (you will need around 7 per keg)
- mini fridge / full size fridge / keezer or ice bucket – your choice. (Not priced because you will need this regardless of the route you go.)
Total ___ $126
With this setup you have to carbonate in your keg the same way you would normally do in your bottles – by adding priming sugar when you rack it into the keg. It’s actually even easier because you don’t have to worry about mixing it.
You’ll next attach your co2 dispenser to your gas side and give it a burst of air to set the seal on the corny. Take the gas connector off (and take the beer dispenser off as well if it was connected.)
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