Do brands of Kegs matter?

[Sajjeev]

Hello,
I am planning to start Kegging and have decided on 5 gallon ball lock kegs. I see that Old Ale Kegs are around $90 (including shipping) and the Kegco ones are over $130. Do you think, I will be ok with the Old Ale brand kegs or am I missing something? Thank you in advance for the help. Loving the group!

 

[Dr_Jeff]

Either should work fine.

Due to the cost savings, I went with used kegs and most came with new seals, it was minimal effort to replace the seals and clean the kegs.
Even with new kegs, it's a good idea to clean them before use. They can have oil from manufacturing and possibly other contaminants that you might not want in your beer.

 

[Sajjeev]

Thank you Dr_Jeff, Appreciate it.

 

[mongoose33]

Do brands of kegs matter?

Not to the beer.

 

[wsmith1625]

I have 2 AMCYL kegs which I purchased new for $75.00 each. I looked at other more expensive kegs, but for the price I couldn't pass them up. I'm very happy with them and can't see how the other brands would perform any better.

 

[Redpappy]

make sure they are want you want, i.e. either ball lock or pin lock. no reason to have a system with both styles.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

You can get new ball lock kegs from Adventures in Home brew for $75 now, an excellent price. Some people favor Italian made kegs, but I don’t see enough difference to pass up a good bargain.

 

[wardens355]

I only buy the Italian AEB kegs now, I've always been happy with them and did have some rust issues with Chinese kegs once, decided to stick with AEB since I could afford it. I buy through Beverage Elements, who have used, AMCYL and AEB, seem to be a fairly good deal. Just checked price, the AEBs are $95, AMCYL $70, and used are $110 for two, $210 for four. The used kegs I've bought from them have been in good shape, and last order I actually received 4 lightly used AEB kegs, which was an amazing deal (no guarantee to get them but was awesome).

 

[InspectorJon]

I don't want to start a political discussion but that may be inevitable with this question. Has anyone had experience ordering kegs or other brewing hardware direct from China? I buy flashlights for my work that way and they are way cheaper for similar quality. One has to do a bit or research to find reputable dealers. This link is very generic and is not a recommendation but gives an overview of potential options.

 

[mongoose33]

Ooe other thing about kegs--and this is about the form factor, not the brand per se.

I don't like kegs with only one handle on them. I find them more difficult to put into and lift out of my keezer than ones with two handles. If they're empty, lifting them out is not a problem, but if they're full...and I have on two occasions had a beer leak that required me to remove full or almost full kegs to clean out the keezer.

 

[Mutant]

I would not recommend Torpedo kegs for at least the following reasons: 1) keg posts are not standard if you measure with a micrometer and it is difficult to put connectors on (I ended up getting replacement posts), 2) the poppet assemblies are different.

 

[bwible]

make sure they are want you want, i.e. either ball lock or pin lock. no reason to have a system with both styles.

I used to have my regulator set up with fittings for both when I used to go to club events. “Just in case” anybody ran out.

Years ago, we heard the stories that all the soda companies were switching from kegs to bag in a box. The thought then was that kegs were going to start going away and getting scarce. “Pin lock” were Coke kegs, called that because the fittings have little pins that stick out. “Ball Lock” were Pepsi kegs, I think there are little stainless balls inside the fittings.

I’ve been lucky enough to acquire 5 of the 3 gallon kegs over the years and they are what I primarily use. All ball lock. Every now and again they still show up on ebay for a decent price. Mine all have one welded handle. I never found this to be a problem. I still have a few 5 gallon kegs but I rarely use them. My kegerator is set up for homebrew kegs. I don’t go thorough it quickly so a couple 3 gallon batches lasts me awhile.

Brand new kegs are expensive. In the late 80s and into the 90s when I was acquiring all my kegs, used 5 gallon kegs could be had in great shape for $20 or $25. But the 3 gallon ones were still more money. Every once in a blue moon you would see the rarest of them all - the 10 gallon keg. Not many if any of those around any more. Most of them were cut up and converted into unitanks or fermenters.

How about the colors of the rubber tops on the 5 gallon kegs? Most of them are black. I have a green one which I think is also pretty common and a red one. I think the red colored ones are pretty rare - I haven’t seen them much. I think there are also yellow colored ones that I have seen very rarely.

 

[dpeters]

I would not recommend Torpedo kegs for at least the following reasons: 1) keg posts are not standard if you measure with a micrometer and it is difficult to put connectors on (I ended up getting replacement posts), 2) the poppet assemblies are different.

I do notice that mine are a little tight and almost get stuck sometimes, I will have to mic them up. Other than that I really like my Torpedo kegs.

 

[bwible]

I don't want to start a political discussion but that may be inevitable with this question. Has anyone had experience ordering kegs or other brewing hardware direct from China? I buy flashlights for my work that way and they are way cheaper for similar quality. One has to do a bit or research to find reputable dealers. This link is very generic and is not a recommendation but gives an overview of potential options.

Most of what I see in that link is small stainless steel growlers. “Man Can” knockoffs. These only hold a gallon or a half gallon depending on what size you buy.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

I have bought several items from China, and have had good luck with everything that I bought.

I don't want to start a political discussion but that may be inevitable with this question. Has anyone had experience ordering kegs or other brewing hardware direct from China? I buy flashlights for my work that way and they are way cheaper for similar quality. One has to do a bit or research to find reputable dealers. This link is very generic and is not a recommendation but gives an overview of potential options.

 

[Sajjeev]

Thank you so much everybody, had a lot to process. Ended up ordering AEB kegs for $95 from the beverage elements (Thank you Wardens355). I debated a lot between these and their $70 China makes but ended up with the AEB just to be safe. Can't wait to get into kegging my Ambere ale. You guys are awesome!

 

[doug293cz]

I have bought several kegs from Adventures in Homebrewing, and have had no issues with them. New kegs go on sale periodically for $75. There is a sale on now.

Brew on

 

[Ultryx]

I have 2 AMCYL kegs which I purchased new for $75.00 each. I looked at other more expensive kegs, but for the price I couldn't pass them up. I'm very happy with them and can't see how the other brands would perform any better.

I have the same ones. I tried to find used ones for a good price, but after shipping most were nearly the same price as a brand new one with shipping included. I haven't had any issues with mine at all.

 

[Deadalus]

I used to have my regulator set up with fittings for both when I used to go to club events. “Just in case” anybody ran out.

Years ago, we heard the stories that all the soda companies were switching from kegs to bag in a box. The thought then was that kegs were going to start going away and getting scarce. “Pin lock” were Coke kegs, called that because the fittings have little pins that stick out. “Ball Lock” were Pepsi kegs, I think there are little stainless balls inside the fittings.

I’ve been lucky enough to acquire 5 of the 3 gallon kegs over the years and they are what I primarily use. All ball lock. Every now and again they still show up on ebay for a decent price. Mine all have one welded handle. I never found this to be a problem. I still have a few 5 gallon kegs but I rarely use them. My kegerator is set up for homebrew kegs. I don’t go thorough it quickly so a couple 3 gallon batches lasts me awhile.

Brand new kegs are expensive. In the late 80s and into the 90s when I was acquiring all my kegs, used 5 gallon kegs could be had in great shape for $20 or $25. But the 3 gallon ones were still more money. Every once in a blue moon you would see the rarest of them all - the 10 gallon keg. Not many if any of those around any more. Most of them were cut up and converted into unitanks or fermenters.

How about the colors of the rubber tops on the 5 gallon kegs? Most of them are black. I have a green one which I think is also pretty common and a red one. I think the red colored ones are pretty rare - I haven’t seen them much. I think there are also yellow colored ones that I have seen very rarely.

Even rarer I think then the 10 gallons are the 13's and the 15's. I have a 10 and a 15, both are Challenger VI.

I have one green (a racetrack) and two salmon (pinkish) colored rubber top 5 gallon kegs and have seen blue ones as well.

 

[wsmith1625]

AMCYL kegs are made in India. I'm not aware of any Chinese manufactured kegs, except maybe the stainless steel growlers.

Good luck with your new kegs. I am so happy I switched from bottling to kegging. Saves a ton of work, easier to control carbonation levels, and so delicious!

 

[LokiM4]

I have 3 new US made old Ale kegs and 2 new AMCYL kegs I got from AIH on a good sale. There was about $20-25 each in cost between the OA and AMCYL, the OA being more expensive. I think they worth it for the better finish and appearance. The stainless is smoother and polished, the rubber top and bottom is finished more nicely and is smooth and shiny, the AMCYL ones aren’t as polished or highly finished-to me there are not solely appearance issues either. A smooth polished surface is easier to clean and disinfect.

 

[wardens355]

Thank you so much everybody, had a lot to process. Ended up ordering AEB kegs for $95 from the beverage elements (Thank you Wardens355). I debated a lot between these and their $70 China makes but ended up with the AEB just to be safe. Can't wait to get into kegging my Ambere ale. You guys are awesome!

Enjoy. The Italian kegs are very well made. I usually soak with PBW/oxiclean and rinse a few times with water before first use. Also, you only need to tighten the posts by hand, no need to crank down with a wrench normally.

 

[bracconiere]

damn, when i got my used kegs , they were $35 a piece....(besides the one...lol) but besides new o-rings they've lasted 15 years of brewing......wait and a new lid....

 

[Sajjeev]

Great, Thank you Receiving them this weekend!