Looking for advice about keginator

silk186 · 11 Aug 2019 at 23:41

I recently had a big party and was thinking that it could be improved by a keg of cold beer. A friend had a mini keg at their party and is was OK but not the same as a pub. I looked into it a bit and the mini keg dispensers use 2L kegs and don't require CO2. I read that the CO2 free feature affects the taste the beer by adding air. This sounds worse than drinking from cans. Also, the price per pint is not good.

I tried to look into keg systems but it doesn't seem that keg parties are as popular as they are in the US. I figure I need a keg, hose, regulator, tap and CO2. In order to avoid a coolant modual, I can put the setup in a mini-fridge.

This is when I came across the Keginator. This model is £580 and seems to work with Cornelius Style Kegs. This seems ideal for homebrew.

Has anyone build a keg setup at home. Is it worth going DIY or is a prebuilt system the way to go? What do I need to look out for? I would be happy with a 1-2 key setup as I don't really need to have 3 beers on the go (I don't have that many friends, though a key might help).

silk186 · 12 Aug 2019 at 14:54

NoobCannon said:
Why dont you and dave just go down the pub

It's hard to find a table for 20+ people and they won't let us drink until 3am.

silk186 · 12 Aug 2019 at 14:55

Kearney_1988 said:
Depends how cheap you want to go and where you are planning to keep it.

I built one out of a chest freezer I picked up on eBay.

Ended up costing me about £50 in the end for the freezer and some timber to lift the height of the lid.

Obviously this isn't as pretty on the eye but mine isnt in the house so looks are not really a priority.

A single keg setup with taps and regulators will cost you about £150 and a double kit would be around £200

A co2 tank is around £50 for the bottle deposit and £10 for a 10kg gas refill

Obviously way cheaper to DIY. Just need to know what your doing but it's not that hard

Thanks for the information. Where did you go to figure out how to put it all together and what parts are compatible?

Greebo said:
Just hire one from your local pub. Thats all we have done in the past when we have had parties and wanted kegs as well.

I didn't know that was an option. That would be the more responsible option for a party.

silk186 · 12 Aug 2019 at 21:34

TrannyBill said:
If you want ale you can just get a keg and tap it

I not a fan of warm ale in the Summer.

silk186 · 13 Aug 2019 at 23:31

It is for medical reasons, maintaining a high BMI.

silk186 · 14 Aug 2019 at 14:55

ci_newman said:
It's a good thing that summer is over then

It didn't last long. My wife just asked where the electric blanket was stashed.

I've tried some good ales like Spitfire Amber Kentish Ale, King Goblin, Doom Bar, London Pride and Bath Ales but I don't think they would be popular with even my British guests.