Corny Query

[holty]

First brew is coming up this weekend - we're going to start off with a Spitfire clone and plan to bottle it after 10-14 days in the FV.

Query is - Is it worth getting a Corny or two now (there's two of us so we'd probably have one each) or should we just suck it up for a while and use bottles?

I've seen a corny from normannupta on ebay for a fair price (I think) - should I snap a couple up and then figure out how to use the beasts (I've read the very helpful how to, but need hands on experience) and get a co2 injector thingy?

 

[jamesb]

You might as well get them now, you'll only end up getting them later :lol:

Seriously, while they are fantastic things, it's up to you whether you want to jump into them straight away, or use bottles to start off with.

It's more of a learning curve, and obviously you generally need more equipment for cornies, whilst bottles have the advantage of turning up for free most of the time (Magners!) - but equally have the disadvantage of needing more cleaning.

 

[Aleman]

Cornys have to be purchased in twos, don't buy just one its cruel!

You will find though that having acquired a pair you will need more and more

 

[Smod]

Check-out Norm in the links above.

Top bloke and I think he's cornered the Corny market in the UK.

 

[A T]

Cornies are dead handy and save a lot of time but if you have the patience for bottles (i don't) the beer tastes much better!

 

[Dunfie]

I'm with the lads here, cornies are great and the most convenient way to condition and serve beer.

You have already read Vossy's "How To" which is brilliant so just make sure you consider the following.

* you will also need to have some way of dispensing so you will need at least one tap
* some CO2 (either through a soda stream type bottle, hambleton bard bottle or a big gas cylinder)
* some way of connecting to the cornie to inject the CO2 (either using S30 valves or a through a gas regulator)
* A 7/8" ring spanner is also useful for getting the posts off (I got one off of eBay).

Just want to make sure you have considered the initial setup costs. :

 

[holty]

Cheers guys

Think I'll leave off getting them at the moment - cash is running a bit thin on the ground, so will make do with the bottles we've already got for now, and then once pay day comes round I might have to have another look!

 

[holty]

Right - still skint, but not fancying faffing around with bottles again, it looks like it might be corny time!

Scoured ebay and found some of norm's, that come with what seem to be usual fittings - now all I need to do is find the other kit I need (cheers dunfie):

* you will also need to have some way of dispensing so you will need at least one tap
* some CO2 (either through a soda stream type bottle, hambleton bard bottle or a big gas cylinder)
* some way of connecting to the cornie to inject the CO2 (either using S30 valves or a through a gas regulator)
* A 7/8" ring spanner is also useful for getting the posts off (I got one off of eBay).

Being a bit of a spanner myself, I'm struggling to tot up how much this would come to (excluding the corny) - any ideas from anyone who might have got this kit recently?


Cheers

 

[ash]

I got all the stuff off Norm (went direct rather than through ebay) for £125 for everything i needed (cornie, gas, regulator, posts, tap). All I did was email him and asked for a quote for everything i needed and he was very helpful. :

[email protected]

 

[GazBar]

Its worth dropping Norm an email if you have not done so allready. He can supply everything you need. I will hopefully be opening my Corny account on pay day!

Cheers

 

[holty]

hmm, seems like it'd make a lot more sense to get everything off him - to email!

 

[Moley]

At the moment all of my beers are bottle conditioned, I don't find prepping them too much of a pain as I wash them as soon as I get them or empty them, sanitise when I've got enough to warrant mixing up a bucket of solution, then cap them with foil until they are needed. It suits me that I can currently go down my cellar and choose from 6 different brews according to what I fancy at the time, and I know those bottles will keep for many months (given the chance).

However, with a sediment in the bottles, they aren't really portable if I'm visiting friends or going to one of our “Boaters' Banters” so I have been considering Cornies, or at least putting them in my letter to Santa (no joke, it's not that far away ).

Although I was interested in AT's comment that beer tastes better out of bottles, how long does beer keep in part-filled Cornies?

 

[A T]

Cornys have to be purchased in twos

Aleman

 

[tubby_shaw]

Although I was interested in AT's comment that beer tastes better out of bottles, how long does beer keep in part-filled Cornies?

With cornies the benefit is that you really need a decent gas source 7kg bottle
Which means you can easily purge a corny with CO2 before filling, in which case a half filled corny will easily store beer for a year or more, not that my beer ever gets the chance :lol:

 

[Parva]

Just to reiterate the last post, a 7Kg bottle of C02 is without a doubt the biggest issue with cornie kegs. It's easy to get the kegs and ancilliaries but the C02 itself can be a problem. I would suggest that you try to source this before you go down the route of purchasing the kegs and regulator.

It is possible to use cornies with Hambleton Bard or SodaStream cylinders but to get the maximum benefit out of cornies you will want to be able to force-carbonate the beer and probably also prime the keg with C02 prior to racking the beer to it, both of which require a fair amount of gas. I would guestimate that you will maybe manage four kegs on an HB or SodaStream cylinder and I would make a conservative estimate that a refill will cost you £5. Ok, if you're careful you may even mange six, I honestly don't know.

I've just replaced my 7Kg C02 bottle after 15 months of usage (and there was still a bit left in the old one) and it cost me £10. It had easily done over 60 kegs and this includes me being extremely wasteful to begin with as I was new to the kegging scene back then.

The HB or SodaStream cylinders will work but you will very quickly realise their limitations and how much more it costs to run that system. Furthermore, if you run kegs with the S30 valve you have an additional point of potential leakage.

I would hate to put anyone off going the cornie route and I certainly wouldn't be without mine but I would strongly advise you to find a source of pub sized C02 cylinders before you decide to purchase them for the reasons outlined above. Whilst you can secondary in a cornie and save some gas you'll miss out on the best selling point of the kegs if you introduce more sediment into the brew. I keg miy beer bright, force carbonate it for a few days then it can sit in my 18c kitchen (or anywhere else in the house / garden) untouched for say 6 months, hook it up and it's all good. :)

 

[tubby_shaw]

Moley, this is the gas supplier myself and other home brewers in the area use :thumb:

Severn Gas Suppliers
01905640961
Main Road,
WORCESTER, WR2 6PW

 

[Moley]

Parva: many thanks for an excellent post. :

Tubby: ideal :thumb:

Looks like I may be going the Corny route too, in the not-too-distant future.

 

[jamesb]

I have a halfords welding gas thingy that I used to use before I got pub gas. That worked quite well and lasted for a while before i needed refills. Will see if I can dig out pictures. I still use it when I take a corny on trips.

Ho hum..

Something similiar to this (this isn't mine)

Also, on the spanner thing - there's more than one size of post. On my new little babies, one of the posts is a weird shape and I had to get a 24mm spanner to get it off.

 

[markp]

Excellent thread.....and it looks like I'm about to take the plunge myself over the next day or so.

I have no problem getting gas, as my folks own a pub.....pity they went bag-in-box before I started brewing again

I'm just a little confused about something that I hope someone can clarify.
Are people conditioning beer in cornys.....i.e. with the sediment and portability issues this brings??

Would it be possible to condition beer in a KingKeg, transfer it to the corny minus the secondary sediment and the re-gas the beer?
Would this overcome the portability issue for parties etc??

Thanks in advance.

ETA.....with having good access to gas, what would people recommend....CO2 or CO2+N mixture?

 

[jackmorgan]

I've just replaced my 7Kg C02 bottle after 15 months of usage (and there was still a bit left in the old one) and it cost me £10. It had easily done over 60 kegs and this includes me being extremely wasteful to begin with as I was new to the kegging scene back then.

60 kegs...15 months.............LEGEND :clap: