A Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine reader recently asked us the following question:
I’m thinking of switching from bottling my beer to kegging. What do I need to begin kegging beer?
Kegging beer offers a huge time savings versus bottling. Stainless-steel kegs are very easy to clean, and you can force carbonate your beer, which gives you better control over the exact carbonation level. The only downside is that you do need some kind of refrigerator—either space in an existing refrigerator or a dedicated freezer/refrigerator or kegerator to store the keg because proper serving pressure requires refrigeration.
Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine® has a great class on kegging your beer, but here are the basics. The most basic system consists of a keg, a CO2 tank and regulator, two hoses with connectors, and a simple plastic picnic tap. The most popular kegs are 5-gallon (19 l) Cornelius (soda) kegs, which are about the size of a scuba tank, though 2.5- and 1.5-gallon mini-kegs are good options if your refrigerator space is limited. Kegs may have either ball-lock or pin-lock connectors, which refers to the style of connector used on the in and out ports of the keg.