Conflicting informations

[Chart]

So I was all set to get a Danby kegerator, with a dual tower, one stout faucet and standard so I could keep two different kinds of beer in two corney kegs. Only thing I was missing was empty kegs that I could take to the micro and have filled, and a place to find beer gas.

So I head to the local homebrew store trying to find those and the guy told me conflicting information with what I read elsewhere.
1) Stout faucet. He says you can't fit one on some towers because the fitting is different or some such. I have a hard time believeing that one cause I was at the Montreal beer fest this weekend, and saw places that had towers with both kinds of faucets on them. Can anyone c/d?
2) Beer gas. He says that beer gas is used in commercial applications because they have longer tubing, but that if I use it in a home situation like in a kegerator, I'm sure to get all foam for lagers and such. But he says I need it for stouts, so if I wanted to serve a stout and a lager at the same time I'd need 2 gas cylinders with different gases. That don't make sense to me. Again, anyone can c/d?
3) CO2 Regulator. Okay this one makes sense. he pointed out that the couplers on corneys have fittings of 1/4" where regular couplers are 3/8" (or is it the opposite?), so I'd have to change the regulator that comes with the kegerator, and also the gas lines.

He also mentionned that while some micros are willing to fill your kegs, not all of them are equipped to fill a corney, since the couplers are so different. So yeah, I was set to buy everything this week, and now there all this stuff to think about. Great.

Any input would be welcome, I'm drowning in information and disinformation.

[jumper]

You will need 2 different gas cylinders for stouts and lagers... one CO2 and the other a Nitrogen CO2 mix.

Are you buying the fridge with the 2 tap tower already installed? If so then simply install the stout faucet on one of the shanks.

[cubby_swans]

You should be able to get a stout faucet on there. If you find that some of the fittings, he probably means the shank that the faucet connectes to) are not standard, they are easily replaceable.

Beergas - you need a nitro/co2 blend for nitrogenated bears such as guiness or boddingtons. You need a straight co2 blend for regular beers. If you wish to have both on tap at the same time he is correct, you will need seperate gas tanks. Also the gas blend requires a different regulator, but since you need a second gas tank, you'll need a second regulator anyways.

I can't say much about the regulator/corney thing, but that doesn't sound right to me. I'll have to defer that to someone with more corney experience.

Corney's open up easily. Home brewers that keg their own beer use corney's. The brewers may not fill them, though. You really do need to contact your intended micro brewer and ask them. If they can't fill your corney, they may be able to get you a 1/6 barrel instead. Those are quite popular these days. You should be able to fit two 1/6ths in there.

[Chart]

Originally Posted by jumper

You will need 2 different gas cylinders for stouts and lagers... one CO2 and the other a Nitrogen CO2 mix.

Are you buying the fridge with the 2 tap tower already installed? If so then simply install the stout faucet on one of the shanks.

Yeah, the 2 tap tower comes installed with two standard faucets. I jsut looked at shank prices, and yeah, even if it doesn't fit I guess I'll just replace it. Thanks for the tip.

I really thought you could do both types of beer with the same gas. But I'm quite new at this. At least I know where I'm going with this now. And since I need another tank I'll need another regulator already... Okay, this already clears up a lot of questions, thanks for the replies so far guys!

[jackstraw]

You can serve stout with the same gas as lager (CO2). However, some stouts such as Guinness should be served with Nitrogen/CO2 mix. You should check with the brewery that you are planning on buying the stout from and ask them what they recommend.

[Chart]

Originally Posted by jackstraw

You can serve stout with the same gas as lager (CO2). However, some stouts such as Guinness should be served with Nitrogen/CO2 mix. You should check with the brewery that you are planning on buying the stout from and ask them what they recommend.

I did, and they said beer gas. But I thought I could serve other beers like lagers with the same mix, was where I thought wrong.

[Jay1]

I am going to install a 20ft chilled line and was told I could use Nitro/c02 for both types of beer. Is this due to the length of the line. If so why not just install a long line and leave it coiled inside the Kegerator.

Perhaps I was given bad info ?? Inquiring minds want to know ? - especially before we spend money (albiet I already have the beer gas regulator).

[Scott Zuhse]

Mixed gas designed for nitrogenated beers such as Guinness were never intended to be used for ales and lagers. The ratio of CO2 (25%) is incapable of maintaining the carbonation levels of ales and lagers as they will become flat within two to three days gases.