I’m thinking about starting to keg my beer but had a couple of questions. First I was wondering what size CO2 cylinder most people get? I’ve seen 5 LB and 10 LB. I was thinking 5 LB just for space and ease of handling but was wondering how long a typical 5 LB cylinder would last.
My second question deals with bottle filling from a keg. I want to still be able to bottle beer for competitions and to take to parties, etc. I’ve seen 3 different things for bottle filling from kegs. One is the beer gun from Blichmann. The others are 2 different counter pressure bottle fillers, one from Keg Connection and one from More Beer. I was wondering what people used and which would be best? I’m thinking about going counter pressure but not sure which system works best.
For tanks, 5lb is pretty standard and a good place to start. I have 5, 15 and 20lb tanks. And a set up for paint ball CO2. For me, the price to fill 5, 10 and 15 is the same. 20lb costs more to fill.
To fill bottles, I use a piece of racking cane and a drilled stopper. I think it’s a number two stopper. Jam the cane into a picnic tap, push it into the bottle so the stopper seals, start filling, burp the stopper to release pressure as necessary. If I’m bottling for competition or long term storage, I will flush the bottles with CO2 from a second tank (or a split line) using a pneumatic air gun and a hose.
Go with a bigger tank if you can afford it money and space-wise. I’d even suggest getting a 5lb tank too so when the big one runs out on a Sunday afternoon when everyone is closed, you’re not stuck.
I have a Blichmann beer gun, which is great but sucks for just filling a couple bottles. For that I have a growler filler that fits in my Perlick tap. I then hit to headspace with a little CO2 before capping and it’s good to go.
For parties I use growlers and fill them with the same hose the Dark Side referenced, just be sure to chill the growler and drop the psi or you’ll get quite a bit of foam, same thing when filling bottles regardless of what you use.
5 lbs are standard but will run out fast if you brew often… maybe only last for 3 or 4 kegged batches. i own a 20 lb and it well worth it if you have the space will last for around 10 batches. i think i pay like $48 to get it filled. but the deposit cost on the tank is much higher than a 5 lb.