Best Keg?

[shepp]

My other half needs ideas for what to buy me for Christmas, I was thinking beer keg.
I wondered which is the best one on the market and what gas system is best to use?
Thanks

[joe1002]

Casks

Depends what type of keg you want really. Sankey kegs get my vote but they all have their advantages and disadvantages.

I've never used plastic kegs, from what I have read they seem more trouble than they are worth but others opinions / experiences may differ.

[shepp]

I don't want the expense at this stage with buying steel kegs, I want to bottle some and keg some.

[Kev888]

There are a few plastic sankey kegs around, but far more commonly plastic means pressure barrels. Did you mean those?

[shepp]

Sorry I meant pressure barrel.

[Fil]

PB's are a compromise solution, the beers maximum condition level is dependent on the ambient temperature, and as they are tricky to sit in a fridge that generally excludes pouring highly conditioned beers like lagers and are better suited towards ales and bitters..

the pour of the beer from a pb is also a variable as it changes from pint to pint as the internal pressure drops between top ups, and is a knack some find easier than others to master, a dalex style tap upgrade can help those who struggle with the pour knack

imho the s30 valve and bottles for c02 are the best vfm system for maintaining pressure in a barrel and a single bottle shold last you a good 12months of use before a refill is required..

opt for a barrel with a 4" neck/lid as you can add extra hardware easier such as co2 input valves and some also install tyre valves to take pressure readings from

Kegs require a bit more investment to set up but if you have the space can provide a much better pour and when used with a temperature control system such as a keg fridge provide you with the ability to serve beers at any level of condition,
the kegs themselves are only the storage aspect you will also need regulated co2 supply Taps beer and gas line and some sort of temperature management costing circa £200+ to set up with a few kegs,
£25-£75 for a co2 bottle (deposit dependent)
£30 for a regulator
£30+ tap and beer/gas line
£20 in JG fittings to join up line taps (probably fitting some microline in the beer feed to avoid fobbing)
£50+ keg fridge
£20-£80 per keg, options range from polykegs (30l pop bottles) corny kegs, crusader kegs etc...

[shepp]

Thanks for that, very informative.