Which?

[Hoppyfeet]

Hello folks,
I am not sure which way to go regarding storing/dispensing my home brew and I would welcome opinions from members who have experience with the Keg and or Cornie system before I spend my dosh, lets face it these are pricey items and it needs to be right, up till now I have bottled my brews but this is becoming a bit of chore that I could well do without, thing is, the beer out of the bottles is generally excellent just the way I like it! a nice fizz with rising bubbles but losing perhaps a 5th of the brew because of the yeast rising when pouring, now my questions folks can you get beer to the same quality, fizz, head retention, etc, when it is dispensed from a Keg or Cornie and what is the best! Cornie or Keg! I really would appreciate some experienced opinion on this.
Tom

[sib67]

Personally, I would go with Cornies.

[OldSpeckledBadger]

The plastic kegs don't hold a lot of pressure. They're great for real ales but cornies would be better for the fizzy stuff. Head retention is more to do with the recipe than the container.

[RatboyOllie]

For me my kegs were a waste of money. The top tap is especially bad. Both are ok for flat brews but if you want a lager or a wheat beer or even just something remotely fizzy then the kegs are crap in my opinion. I bottle everything at the moment but once Ive got the cash i will be buying cornies. Have a search on here there is loads of info on the shiney shiney's but they definitely seem to be the way to go. Wish I had put my keg money towards a cornie setup now, ya live n learn.......

[lukesharpe]

I'm migrating from plastic kegs to Cornies. Got 3 now and need more shiny. Below are some of my observations on plastic versus Cornie.

Plastic kegs:

• Ok for cask beer
  Don't take too much pressure
  Taps can leak with too much pressure
  Some are difficult to clean (2 inch cap ones)
  Beer needs to be primed if you want a good head / slight fizz
  Difficult to chill the beer

Cornie Kegs:

• You can only keg bright beer, can't have any sediment
  Can take a lot of pressure
  Requires proper CO2 gas cylinder
  Beer can be forced carbonated
  Requires a separate beer tap
  You can chill the beer using a cooler
  Easy to clean
  Very durable

[sib67]

I'm migrating from plastic kegs to Cornies. Got 3 now and need more shiny. Below are some of my observations on plastic versus Cornie.


Cornie Kegs:

• You can only keg bright beer, can't have any sediment

Not true - I always keg straight from primary after 7-10 days. Once beer has dropped clear in the Cornie, and you've drawn off a couple of pints, the beer will be crystal clear as long as the keg is not disturbed.

[Parva]

Agree with sib67. A further advantage of cornies is that your beer is stored in total darkness and therefore not subject to light strike. All of my cornies sit at room temperature and are dispensed via a flash chiller. Some of these beers are now approaching 6 months of age and there's absolutely nothing wrong with them.

[Hoppyfeet]

Many thanks all you good folks you have answered my questions and the concensus comes down firmly in favour of the cornie, this is a lot more on the expensive side but I wanted some firm facts don't want to spend my savings and find that I have bought kit that does not fit the bill, whats a quick chiller parva? (don' say a scary film mate)
again thanks all.
Tom

[Parva]

A flash chiller is basically a small fridge that has a bath of water in it. The water is chilled to a very low temperature (referred to as an ice bath but it's not actually ice) and within this bath sits a stainless steel coil (or several if it chills more than one beer). The warm beer flows through this coil and what comes out of the tap is lovely and cold despite the fact that my kitchen is currently sat at 22c.

Mine's in the bottom right of this picture.

[Hoppyfeet]

Thanks for the explanation and the picture but blimey what a set up! way beyond me I think ! I like those small cornies? bottom right in your picture are these available anywhere? sorry to be a pain,
Tom

[lukesharpe]

I stand corrected on the bright beer issue.

This is my little set up a the moment. The black box on the bottom right is the cooler, Cornelius Maxi 110. The thing with the dials is the gas regulator.

Cooler & regulator £70 ebay
2 x Cornie Kegs £70 Norm
Beer tap and stand £40 Hop and grape
Gas bottle £20 Local gas supplier
Misc, line cleaner, beer line, John Guest fitting £20 various
Cool beer on a hot summers day.... Priceless

[Parva]

Yes, Norm of Ebay fame often sells them but unless you really need portability I wouldn't bother as at last count I think they were £65 for a pair. His larger kegs (which you can also see in the picture) are of course double the capacity and I think around £35 delivered each so for almost the same price (£70 for two large ones compared to £65 for two small) you have double the capacity.

I use the small ones and a portable CO2 gas charger to take round to mates houses as it's somewhat easier than carrying around an 18l keg full of beer and a gas bottle that weighs about 50Kg in total!

It's very expensive to get started but once you've made the initial outlay it gets much cheaper and repays itself in no time. Furthermore, you'll always get back at least what you paid for the kegs and they'll last a lifetime so they're a very sound investment.

To start up I'd get one keg £35 (2 if you can stretch to it), 1 x CO2 regulator £35, 1 x CO2 cylinder £18 (this is the toughest hurdle) and one tap pre-fitted to the keg (can't remember). You should be able to get your first keg setup and ready to go for no more than about £120. That sounds a lot but each subsequent keg is £35 as opposed to near £50 for a King Keg plastic keg and they'll last you for years and years, unlike the plastic ones, and that's not to mention the advantages of force-carbonating and whatnot.

You can get everything you require from Normanumpa of Ebay fame (I'm sure someone could link you if you wanted to email him with your requirements for a price), the only thing you can't get from him is the pub gas. There's a thread on places to get this elsewhere on the forum. Slight correction, he does do a 2Lb CO2 cylinder at £35 I believe but it's best avoided as once used you will struggle to get it refilled.

Hope that helps.

[stephenfranks]

Parva,

Could you explain how your chiller is connected up? I woud like to do a similar setup, but not quite sure I get how yours works as is on the photo!

[Hoppyfeet]

Parva and Lukesharpe! great pictures and great explanations very good of you both to take the trouble.
many thanks I am now much clearer in my mind.
tom

[lukesharpe]

The gas line goes from the CO2 tank to the regulator. The regulator allows you to adjust the pressure in the keg. Then from the regulator to the 'In' post of the Cornie. The 'Out' connection goes to the chiller 'In'. Chiller 'Out' goes to the tap. From the tap into the glass and the rest you can figure out.