Corny keg setup

One of the things on my list to do someday with homebrew is kegging. Several years ago, I picked up a cornelius keg, CO2 tank and the necessary hoses and regulator from a garage sale, and as near as I can tell it’s all in usable condition. I’d simply have to clean the equipment and recharge the CO2 tank, and then learn how to use it all, of course.

There’s a decent primer here: Introduction to the Cornelius Keg System. I need to remember this: "Bleach should never be used to clean stainless steel because it is corrosive and will cause it to rust with continual use." Another good page is here.

Kegging sure would make things simpler, as far as bottling is concerned. The problem is, I only have the one setup—I’m not brewing enough beer these days to make a difference, but it would be nice to have several kegs on-hand to have a "rotating" tap. Unfortunately, these setups can get rather spendy. This page, for instance, offers a new complete keg setup for $280. Used kegs by themselves generally look to run in the $30+ range.

Whew… sometimes this ain’t a cheap hobby.