I have never been good at following instructions, recipes or directions. Even when I concentrate I tend to opt for my own wacky logic instead of following instructions. The end result is quietly thrown away; shamefully eaten or, like most of my furniture, left semi-propped up waiting for it's next victim.
Things are changing though!
This Christmas my parents gave me a Kegerator - a gift so amazing that it makes me not only want to learn how to properly operate it but how to clean it and follow a proper maintenance schedule (my car is going to be jealous).
One doesn't learn how to pay attention to fine any details right away. In my excitement to get the kegerator up and running for the holidays I made a few critical, simple mistakes.
I didn't realize that my kegerator was set up for Cornelius kegs which are typically used to keg homebrews but some breweries still use them (Broadhead Brewery in Ottawa). I bought a 20l keg from Beau's All Natural which uses commercial kegs and requires a different setup, including a coupler. Not to worry! Although that keg of Beau's is sitting in my dining room and not in my kegerator there is a way to go between homebrew (Cornelius) to commercial (Sanke) kegs! It'll just require a switch, me following an instructional video and potentially a lot of swearing. For the moment, after learning how to properly connect the beer and gas line to the Cornelius keg, I have Wildcard Ale from Broadhead Brewery on tap.
Next week I'll be travelling to Dogfish Head brewery in Delaware to see the popular brewery, sample many, many of their beers and possibly bring a keg across the border. And if I can't get that switch installed I'll call the kegs collecting in my dining room an "art installment."
To be continued... Read my kegerator FAQ!
