Homemade Beer Keg – Introduction

If you are passionate about learning how to make beer at home, you will definitely love the homemade beer keg. The new settings may take a little time to get used to, but with time and familiarity, you will master the new techniques with ease and be able to enjoy your fresh brewed beer in no time. There are many reasons to add the homebrew keg to your arsenal of brewing equipment and techniques. Below are some of the most popular among homebrewers:

• A time saver: no more sanitizing, filling and capping approximately 50 oz bottles.
• Drink your infusion faster, you no longer have to wait for natural carbonation. You will have the option of forcing the carbonate using CO2. In addition, you will have greater flexibility to carbonate beers of different styles at different levels.
• No more guesswork, you have full control over how much carbonation is in your beer. You will no longer have a few highly carbonated bottles and a few flat ones.

Ultimately, the main reason many homebrewers decide to move to the home brew keg it’s because it makes your life so much easier.

For those of you who may not know what a homebrew keg is, I wanted to share with you a brief introduction and some background information.

There are many types of kegs available on the market. First is the familiar half-barrel that is typically shipped to pubs around the world. These half barrels typically hold between 14 and 16 gallons (53-60 liters). The empty half barrel weighs around 20-30 pounds and a full one could weigh over 150 pounds. This keg is a beast to move around on its own and therefore not an ideal choice for the homebrewer.

Next on the size scale is the “pony barrel” or quarter barrel. These barrels can hold 5-7 gallons (19-26 liters). This size is much closer to what homebrewers are looking for, but the “pony keg” doesn’t allow for easy access for both cleaning and filling.

Lastly, we have the Cornelius Keg or “soda keg” which is universally accepted and sought after by the homebrewing community. The Cornelius keg was originally manufactured by the IMI Cornelius Company. The “Corney”, as it is commonly known, was used by the soft drink industry to facilitate delivery. Today, instead of using barrels, the soft drink industry has switched to using the boxed version or bag-in-box (BIB). The BIB contains condensed syrup which is then mixed with water on the spot. Due to this change in delivery methods, Corny kegs are more readily available on the market. Great score for homebrewers everywhere!

In addition to the popular 5 gallon keg used by many homebrewers, there are other sizes available such as the 3 and 10 gallon “Corney”. There are also two types of “Corney” kegs on the market. The difference between the two is in the connectors, but they will both work similarly. These homebrew kegs can easily be found at your local homebrew store and with many vendors online.

In conclusion, I hope that you now have a better understanding of what a homebrew keg is and can identify some of the most popular kegs available on the market. Good luck on all your home brewing adventures and just enjoy the process. Health!