Advice on Beer dispenser

[Beerdrinker]

Hi guys

This is my first post but on having a wee look I can't see any answer to this so asking for some advice.

Basically, I'm in the process of setting up a wee bar at home. I'm investigating the best means of dispensing my lager
I enjoy beer to and I hope to do some brewing next year but for now I will be buying kegs of regular lagers.

Do you think something like this is any good for dispensing and if not is there a better solution out there for a beginner like me :
http://www.draughtbeeronline.com/all_dispensers.html

I'll buy a keg a month probably so would like good draught that isn't flat in a day!!

Thanks for any help you can give me.
Col

[Wonkydonkey]

Well, hello and welcome to the forum,

I hope you enjoy your stay.

Well at the prices on that link, I think you could save yourself a fortune, if you were to just crack on and brew/build yourself a a kegorator. All the info is here inthe forum, you just need to ask the right Q's or search a bit.

Ps, All a kegorator is, is a stc1000 in a box and a fridge and a tap on the front,

Hope this helps a bit.

Enjoy your new hobbie to the max

[Beerdrinker]

Thanks for the quick reply there. Yeah, I did think this wasnt particularly cheap right enough. I was also unsure if they would be suitable as I see they use an inbuilt compressor which I'm guessing is probably easier than co2 but maybe won't keep the beer as fizzy?

I'll investigate a kegerator. I guess what drew me to that dispenser was the space and wife factor. I had hoped to replace a kitchen unit with a keg theh just connect a dispenser to the top hehehe

[Wonkydonkey]

Those sort of mini kegs and little fancy things that they call names like "carlsburg draft master" and the like. Means your tied with them, and there hefty prices..

The best way is to figure out where you want to end up, ie serving from bottles, or kegs. The next thing is space, will it fit. Or what can fit.
Bottles have there problems in the time they take to clean, and space can be an issue, although some peeps do enjoy a bottle or a few, and think it tasted better, it does with some beers. I think...
Kegs are a bit easier, just a few cylinders holds a lot of beer, cornies are probably the most used, but there are others. Some are like pub kegs, some are like the cornies, tall and slim, but with a top that you can't get your hand in to clean.

Cold beer vs warm beer,

We know what's best here, beer served at the right temp. Then we need a place to cool it, kegs need a fridge of there own. bottles can go in the house fridge,

Cheap secondhand fridges with that said stc1000 or something very similar. Will keep it at the temp you want. you could even turn a chest freezer in to a keezer, with that stc1000.

Making beer or lager do need different temps in the fermenting part. Beer is a bit easier, then there's all grain or extract brewing. The latter is easy for beginners, take a look at "ditches master class stout" it's a long read but if you take a peak you may get the idea of what's really going on, tweeking the brew into somthing better.

If you went the all grain way you could try the brew in a bag way, it only needs a big pot and a bag.

There is soomany ways, to much to type..and as it's Friday I should be supping me beer"n"reading not typing.

Anyhow it's a lot to get your head around at first. So have a read around the net Google a few things look at the Ozzie sites as well as the usa they do it a bit differently but most importantly,,,end up with good beer.

Cheers...

[Fil]

Hi and welcome..

the system you linked to IS a Top notch bit of kit and will work very well someone in here on in another of the brew forums I frequent has recently set themselves up with one.. the benefit is you simply flick a switch to turn it on and pour the beer cold.

However there are other cheaper(to buy/build) options, a keg fridge for example or a shelf chiller. You need to consider running costs of a keg fridge perhaps. But a freecycled fridge + an stc1000 controller + ex pub beer font/tap could be up and running for circa £50. and a shelf chiller 2nd use via ebay should cost between 30-£50 for a decent one in good nick, taps and fonts on top.. a shelf chiller will let you serve upto 4 beers at once..

You will need a co2 supply and regulator(with Prv) for any system to pour from a sankey style keg regardless of the chilling option employed.

the 3rd option and what i use is a shelf chiller which is probably the forerunner to what you have linked to. These employ a chilled waterbath in which sit coils that the beer runs through. When used commercially these run 24/7 maintaining an ice wall in the waterbath to provide a cold dump to cater for rush hour continual pouring.. when at home you dont need to use them this way at all. Mine i switch on 30-40mins before i want to pour which is ample time for the compressor to chill the waterbath down to 0c, at which point i can start to pour, and if its just me I turn off the compressor as the insulated waterbath retains plenty of cold to keep me in beers for the evening, if entertaining i will leave it running a little longer..

hope that helps

[Beerdrinker]

Thanks folks. I appreciate your replies and help here. Cheers

[Cromptonbrew]

Hi all new to this but I'm sure hear is where I get the answers. I'm currently doing several batches of larger's but for some reason I can get the head right but it still comes out flat from the corny. I have been told that you won't be able to get the carling standard of bubbles and a nice pint. Is this true surely there is a way and someone hear can help
Many thanks richard

[Wonkydonkey]

Hi cromptonbrew,

Welcome to the forum, There is a new members thing so you can introduce yourself. If you do post there, you should get a warm welcome from Jim,

And You really need to start a new post/thread if this one did not answer your q's. As old threads can be a bit redundant/not looked at. And they can get very long.

But anyway I'm not a lager type person, so I cannot answer your head problem

Anyway I hope you enjoy your stay at jim's".........