UnkleKunkle

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im thinking about switching from bottling my beer to kegging it. other than not having to buy caps and dextrose, and dealing with cleaning the bottles, is kegging easy enough to do at home and worth it when it comes to the final product? like the flavor difference between living beer and dead beer. (forced CO2 carbonation vs. natural yeast carbonation)

dougf

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I think it's worth it, but thats completely up to you. Cost can be somewhat high, but you save a lot of time. No more bottle day taking an hour or more, just rack to a keg. Theres a lot of issues that come with kegging as well, such as portability and you lose the simplicity of bottling.

buzzkill

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YES! kegging is worth it. but nothing wrong with bottling if you got the time/space. getting to clean out the closet of all those empty bottles will make the wife forget about the upfront cost.

UnkleKunkle

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haha tru that. what about the flavor of the beer. does it really affect the beer by using co2 vs letting the yeast naturally carb up?

homebeerbrewer

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I too am on the "it is easier" bandwagon. I got my first keg a couple years ago, and I haven't bottled a batch since. However, my expenses have gone way up because I continuously find that I need more kegs and accessories. And, I'm hunting around for a keezer candidate, so that'll be even more money.

If I'm bringing some to a party, or giving some to friends, I'll bottle from the keg. You could also "bottle condition" in the keg. Just add your priming sugar, and let it carb naturally.

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buzzkill

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I have carbed bolth ways,and I cant tell any difference. but I like IPA's so my pallate is burnt.

JOHN51277

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Yes, Kegging is definitely worth it!

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On Deck: Centennial Blonde, Midnight IIPA
Primary: SMaSH Citra/2 Row, KBS Clone
Secondary: ???
Kegged:
Bottled: Gulf Oil Spill Stout, Breakfast Stout, Amarillo SMaSH, Orange Wit, RIPA Oak/Bourbon Aged, Barleywine, Apfelwein,

SumnerH

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Kegging is totally worth it--it's way less effort and time than bottling. It's _so_ much easier that I brew a lot more often.

I still bottle some batches: mostly long-aging stuff that I'm going to want to drink over the course of years, or give away as gifts. But for day-to-day beers, kegging is a huge, huge win.

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On deck: Little Bo Pils, Bretta Off Dead (Brett pale)
Secondary: Oude Bruin, Red Sky at Morning (Sour brown ale)
On tap: Saison Duphunk (sour), Amarillo Slim (IPA), Earl White (ginger/bergamot wit)
Bottled: Number 8 (Belgian Strong Dark Ale), Eternale (Barleywine), Ancho Villa (Ancho/pasilla/chocolate/cinnamon RIS), Oak smoked porter (1/2 maple bourbon oaked, 1/2 apple brandy oaked)

strat_thru_marshall

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do it do it do it do it.

nothing better than homebrew on tap 24/7. do it do it do it.

GRHunter

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I bottled about 10 batches and then started kegging. There are pros and cons to both methods but for me I just got tired of messing with all the bottles. I'm probably going to bottle at least a couple of batches for hunting season, but for the most part I am going to stick with kegs.

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Brewing beer is a fun and rewarding hobby. When you do good, you get beer. When you do bad, you get beer.
It's a lot like recreation league softball.