Sounds like we might have similar plans, all the way down to the keg conditioning. I'll take you through my rough plan, and note the different parts. I put this together with the intention of making super tasty, low-ish dissolved oxygen, quick grain to glass homebrew, with a reduction in co2 use via spunding.
-Stovetop BIAB in a paint strainer bag or cheese cloth sock, in 16 quart pot
-Standard brew day, mash, boil, and then put it kitchen sink with cold water and frozen pop bottles of ice to help cool down
-Transfer directly into 2.5G keg, which is the fermenter vessel
-Pitch yeast and then oxygenate
-Put a few drops of fermcap in if you have it
-Stick it in a temp controlled room or ferm chamber (lets say at 65F and carry that temp through the rest of the process for now, as an example)
-Put a gas quick disconnect on the keg, with a tube going into some sanitized solution in a bowl
-Day 2 of fermentation, draw off a small sample, and put it on top of the fridge, or somewhere else warm for 24-36 hours. This is a fast ferment test to estimate final gravity
-Use a refractromer to determine estimated Final gravity. You could also use a hydrometer, but that is a lot of sweet sweet beer to draw off for testing.
-continue to sample every day or every other day or so
-When you are about 6 points away from estimated Final gravity, detach the gas post and tube, and attach a spunding valve. We will set that spunding valve relief pressure equal to what we want our final carbonation level to be, at the current temperature. I want my ale, fermenting at 65, to have a pretty standard co2 level of 2.5 vols, which looks like it happens at about 28.5 PSI, according to the handy dandy beer carbonation chart
https://www.glaciertanks.com/site_templ ... -chart.jpg
so lets set our spunding valve to 29 psi and leave everything alone now till the beer is at final gravity in a few days, and you'll finish with a mostly carbonated keg at this point. From here you have a few options:
-if you can cold crash, do that for two days, draw off the sludge till you have clear beer, and then hook the keg up to co2 at proper pressure for your serving temp, and serve out of the keg you fermented in. I'm trying this plan first, and won't be cutting my dip tubes to start, though any dry hopping or additions will be done in a sock
-if you can cold crash, do that for two days, draw off the sludge till you have clear beer, and then transfer this keg over to a serving keg. hook the keg up to co2 at proper pressure for your serving temp, and serve as usual.
-Set the keg aside in a cellar or whatever, and come back when you want. It should be very low Dissolved oxygen at this point, and should keep very well, its also already mostly carbonated, so when you wanted to finally crack it, you could just quick carb it up based on your planned serving temperature, and have at it.
Top of the beer tap on my current set up is about 17 inches high, tap handle adds 3 more.
Parts for tap, from keg to spout (this could also be a picnic tap, tube, and standard liquid QD to save some bucks):
Intertap Stainless Steel Ball Lock Liquid Disconnect - 1/4" MFL (Black)
https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/Interta ... iq-mfl.htm
Nylon Flare Fitting Washer - 1/4"
https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/Product ... swivel-nut
Stainless Steel Flow Control Beer Faucet Keg Disconnect Adapter - 1/4" FFL
https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/S_S_FC_ ... faucet.htm
Beer Faucet Coupling Nut
https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/Beer_Fa ... et-nut.htm
Intertap Stainless Steel Flow Control Faucet
https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/Interta ... faucet.htm
Sodastream parts
co2 regulator for sodastream
https://www.amazon.ca/Charger-Stainless ... NrPXRydWU=
Sodastream co2 tank refill adapter
https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/Product ... ptor-valve
Gas Quick disconnect I used after sodastream/regulator becuase I dont know if the regulator includes a check valve
https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/CM_Beck ... 1-4mfl.htm
Spunding parts from ontario beer kegs
Adjustable Pressure Relief Spundling Valve With Gauge (0-15 PSI) Gas disconnect not included
https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/Adjusta ... -gauge.htm
Low Pressure Gauge (0-60 PSI | Right) the included gauge that the spunding valve comes with only goes up to 15, which isn't ideal
https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/Low_Pre ... -gauge.htm
In terms of differences between the two styles of kegs, some quick googling suggests very little difference, but that AEB seems to be higher quality, and more new company, but people seem happy with either.
I can't say exactly how long the sodastream bottles will last, but relying on spunding to initially take care of the majority of the carbonation, should mean much less co2 use, since you'll be mostly using it for pushing the beer out of the keg, as opposed to burst carbonating it.
I'll be doing my first test brew of the above plan in about 2 weeks, and have a kettle sour berliner weisse and NEIPA planned.
Any other questions, go nuts. I clearly love talking about this stuff