Try here: http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/cornelius.htm. Loads of people seem to buy their setups from Norm on ebay, try searching this forum for more details.
Matt
Cornelius for beginners
Re: Cornelius for beginners
hi,
i'm also looking to buy my first cornny this weekend or so, i've also found a lot of conflicting info, the fisrt part of your question was what equipment do you need, i'm not that knowledgeable but type this in http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/cornelius.htm you should be able to find out yourself what equipment you need.
Secondly all the carbonising is done by the keg and co2 supply, no priming is required
i'm also looking to buy my first cornny this weekend or so, i've also found a lot of conflicting info, the fisrt part of your question was what equipment do you need, i'm not that knowledgeable but type this in http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/cornelius.htm you should be able to find out yourself what equipment you need.
Secondly all the carbonising is done by the keg and co2 supply, no priming is required
Drink till she's cute, but stop before the wedding
If i can't brew it i dont drink it
keeper of yeast
hate work on beer nights
If i can't brew it i dont drink it
keeper of yeast
hate work on beer nights
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adm
Re: Cornelius for beginners
Norm, Norm, Norm...... 
His kegs are reconditioned with seals replaced where neccessary and come with disconnects and some 3/8" beer line. You will also need:
A CO2 regulator
A CO2 bottle (big pub type one highly recommended. Check out the "Gas supplier" thread)
A tap (Dalex ones are good)
You could also use some 3/16" beer line and a pair of 3/8" to 3/16" reducers for the beer out line from the keg to the tap.
You can get all of the above from Norm (apart from the CO2 bottle) - have a chat with him via email and he'll put a package together for you.
WARNING: Cornie kegs get lonely easily, so you will soon find more than one in your house.
His kegs are reconditioned with seals replaced where neccessary and come with disconnects and some 3/8" beer line. You will also need:
A CO2 regulator
A CO2 bottle (big pub type one highly recommended. Check out the "Gas supplier" thread)
A tap (Dalex ones are good)
You could also use some 3/16" beer line and a pair of 3/8" to 3/16" reducers for the beer out line from the keg to the tap.
You can get all of the above from Norm (apart from the CO2 bottle) - have a chat with him via email and he'll put a package together for you.
WARNING: Cornie kegs get lonely easily, so you will soon find more than one in your house.
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Dr. Dextrin
Re: Cornelius for beginners
Although I've been brewing for a while I'm also a noob where Cornies are concerned - but definitely considering going in that direction. Could I ask the experts a couple of questions as well?
I quite like the real ale taste and relatively low carbonation I get using pressure barrels, but I'm not so keen on the fact the beer doesn't last that long. I can start to taste oxygen getting in after only a week or so in a plastic barrel, and it goes downhill after that. I generally have to finish a barrel in 4 weeks or so - or trash it.
I'm hoping I might be able to use Cornies a bit like a barrel, but without the problem of oxygen getting in through the plastic. Would I be able to do this? Could I prime with sugar and make minimal use of external CO2 like with a pressure barrel? Sorry, I don't want to hijack the thread, but could someone explain whether an external CO2 system is an essential part of using a Cornie, or is a Cornie just like a barrel but made of stainless steel?
Another question that occurs to me is: how do you tell how much beer is left?
I quite like the real ale taste and relatively low carbonation I get using pressure barrels, but I'm not so keen on the fact the beer doesn't last that long. I can start to taste oxygen getting in after only a week or so in a plastic barrel, and it goes downhill after that. I generally have to finish a barrel in 4 weeks or so - or trash it.
I'm hoping I might be able to use Cornies a bit like a barrel, but without the problem of oxygen getting in through the plastic. Would I be able to do this? Could I prime with sugar and make minimal use of external CO2 like with a pressure barrel? Sorry, I don't want to hijack the thread, but could someone explain whether an external CO2 system is an essential part of using a Cornie, or is a Cornie just like a barrel but made of stainless steel?
Another question that occurs to me is: how do you tell how much beer is left?
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adm
Re: Cornelius for beginners
Yes, no, maybe....
Well - you CAN prime with sugar in a corny and just treat it like a stainless steel barrel.
BUT - the lid probably won't seal well at such a low pressure (in reality, no pressure at all at first), so you'd need to give it a squirt of CO2 to about 30psi or so to make sure it seated correctly. After that, it should be absolutely fine for the priming to keep the lid closed.....although, you wouldn't need to as you could just set the CO2 to a low pressure like 5-10psi or so to carbonate, then it shouldn't be too fizzy when you serve it.
So basically you do really need external CO2, but there's no reason for your beer to be any more carbonated than you want it - that's part of the beauty of a corny set up - it's almost infinitely adjustable.
As for how much beer is left.....the only way to really accurately tell is that as soon as you have the pint that made you say "Bloody Hell....that was by far the best one yet" you can guarantee it was the last one.
Seriously though, you can gently lift the keg and tell by the weight, or just keep a rough mental or paper record of how many pints you've had. Maybe a little blackboard where you could put a chalk mark for each pint. Count down from 32 to 0!
Well - you CAN prime with sugar in a corny and just treat it like a stainless steel barrel.
BUT - the lid probably won't seal well at such a low pressure (in reality, no pressure at all at first), so you'd need to give it a squirt of CO2 to about 30psi or so to make sure it seated correctly. After that, it should be absolutely fine for the priming to keep the lid closed.....although, you wouldn't need to as you could just set the CO2 to a low pressure like 5-10psi or so to carbonate, then it shouldn't be too fizzy when you serve it.
So basically you do really need external CO2, but there's no reason for your beer to be any more carbonated than you want it - that's part of the beauty of a corny set up - it's almost infinitely adjustable.
As for how much beer is left.....the only way to really accurately tell is that as soon as you have the pint that made you say "Bloody Hell....that was by far the best one yet" you can guarantee it was the last one.
Seriously though, you can gently lift the keg and tell by the weight, or just keep a rough mental or paper record of how many pints you've had. Maybe a little blackboard where you could put a chalk mark for each pint. Count down from 32 to 0!
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Jack
Re: Cornelius for beginners
Norm sold me the whole rig: 2 kegs, regulator and bottleadm wrote:apart from the CO2 bottle
Cornies are definitely the way to go!
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Parva
Re: Cornelius for beginners
Never a truer word spoken!adm wrote:As for how much beer is left.....the only way to really accurately tell is that as soon as you have the pint that made you say "Bloody Hell....that was by far the best one yet" you can guarantee it was the last one.
