All grain or kegging?

So, I have a birthday coming up and I plan on either buying a kegerator or equipment to go all grain (I currently do partial mash). So for those that do both what do you recommend?

I'm leaning towards going all grain. I just like the process and have never even done a full boil before. However, not bottling (or bottling very little) would be very nice and having a keg of my own beer (currently do mini kegs) would be sweet.

Tough call. It really depends on the equipment you already have. For some people, the jump from extract to AG is not that far. If you are one of these type of people, I would get the kegging equipment and then gradually make the jump to AG. However, if you need everything (new kettle, mash tun, burner, chiller, false bottom etc etc) then I would suggest getting the AG setup.

cubbies said:

Tough call. It really depends on the equipment you already have. For some people, the jump from extract to AG is not that far. If you are one of these type of people, I would get the kegging equipment and then gradually make the jump to AG. However, if you need everything (new kettle, mash tun, burner, chiller, false bottom etc etc) then I would suggest getting the AG setup.

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+1 on that, I mean the first time you pull a glass outta your own taps..its all worth it. Glad I went AG, even happier that I keg.

I do AG and bottle, and I have to say that once I started doing full boils my beers improved considerably.

Basically, I'd rather bottle good beer than keg crappy beer

I'd go with AG, but you're already doing partial mash so you really wouldn't need much more. Howabout temp control? That's more important than either AG or kegging.

yup, I just got my kegger last month. It's awesome but I think you should focus your attention (and dollars) on making the best beer you can before you worry about how you package it. Of course thats just my $0.02

EDIT: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I did both at the same time. What a logistical nightmare. Do AG first, it will make your per batch costs lower so then you can more quicly save for kegging. In the other order, kegging will increase your consumption making it harder to save money for all grain.

I am going to lean the kegging way for now. The difference between a partial mash and an AG beer will be negligible. Controlling your fermentation temperatures is way more important. What kind of set up are you looking at? If you can get one that is large enough to hold a keg and a carboy then go kegging 1st. If you are looking at a Sanyo, try to also get a $40 turkey kit that will boil 7 gallons comfortably and make a chiller so you can at least move to full boils. From that point you are only about 30 away from AG with the cooler and a manifold setup.

JustDave said:

Basically, I'd rather bottle good beer than keg crappy beer

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I'd say this statement about sums it up.

JustDave said:

Basically, I'd rather bottle good beer than keg crappy beer

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Quoted for emphasis.

Maybe because i spilled a ton of beer on the floor, got it on the counter, and in various other places all over the house. I tend to lean toward kegging. AG is awesome dont get me wrong. But the ease and peace of mind with kegging helps me sleep at night. Just give me a warm fuzzy knowing i never have to bottle again if i dont want to.

Tough call. I ended up getting the stuff for AG and kegging at tax refund time, but if I had to choose I would have went AG first.

Tough call but I'd say kegging, it makes life so much easier.

If you're already doing PM, how much more expensive would it be to go AG?

Well, I just purchased a wort chiller so that is one less expense (I hated waiting on the ice bath). I have to get a stand, pot, and mill. I could go a little cheaper and get a turkey fryer but I think I'm going to get the one at my lhbs (~100) which is a really nice stand and buy a pot (~$100) I need at least 30 quarts, right. The pot is also sold in his store and he says he uses it so it seems good enough for me. I believe the mill is $75. I've been checking craigslist for months and only find the basic kit for sale. Rarely do I find anything else.

Temperature control would be nice. Although I'm not intrigued by lagering yet, it seems like certain styles would do better at certain temps (everything I do is 64-68).

The mill is not a necessity unless your LHBS won't grind grain for you. As for the pot size you'll want something bigger than 30qt. Figure that at a minimum you will be boiling 6.5 gallons of wort for an hour to get down to a 5-5.25 gallon batch. Unless you use foam control drops or plan slightly less than 5 gallon batches I would highly encourage you to look at getting a 10G pot. You can pick up 10G aluminum stock-pots for $60-90 depending on where you shop.

I kegged years before I did AG. I am glad I did. I make some very good PM's. To me, it was the ease of not having to bottle and having my own beer on-tap. I hate bottling. You can start AG pretty cheap though. A 5 gallon cooler, a few parts and a turkey fryer with kettle and you are going. You can add all the other gadgets later. you can also upgrade equipment.

If your PM's are good, then imagine how they will be kegged.

I do AG but still bottle. I'd like to eventually keg, but even if I did, I'd likely still bottle bigger beers. My quality of beer greatly improved once I started doing AG and using starters. I have a feeling that if I kegged-I'd go through it much quicker. For me, it's kinda like labels-nice to have, but secondary to the beer itself...if I had a nice basement with a bar-it'd be different-but I'll worry about that when the time comes.

Keg then AG.

That's what I did.

Keg first. you can make all the same beers with partial mashing.