bottle or keg first batch

newbie with a question, been reading a lot and is it over kill to just go to kegs right off the bat or should I do my first couple batches in bottles ?
just seems easier to do kegs

Thanks

Kegging. Easier? Not really. Quicker? Definitely. Cheaper? No.

If this is your first brew, bottle.

Whatever you have sitting in front of you, do that. Bottles are generally easier to come by [for free], and you can usually get a bench capper or wing capper going for less than $25.00 , with crown caps included. The kegs.... you'll probably be $25 into it just for a used corny keg, then new gaskets/parts, then gas lines, then CO2 tank, then....

I have the CO2 tanks and reg, and a small drop in freezer, would need the keg and lines

SWAMPER said:

I have the CO2 tanks and reg, and a small drop in freezer, would need the keg and lines

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Well in that case, I would keg.

For about 35 more bucks you could be kegging.

Kegs are nice but non-movable and non-sharing. You can not give a s-pack away to friends and so forth.

I've bottled 30+ batches and I'm fine with it.

If you've got the gear go ahead and keg it. You'll be able to drink it sooner.

Bottle the next batch. Unless your keg is empty by then.

Grinder12000 said:

Kegs are nice but non-movable and non-sharing. You can not give a s-pack away to friends and so forth.
.

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4 letters.... BMBF

At your point, if you have the bottles, do that once. If you find it too timeconsuming, upgrade to the kegging route. I found that kegging renewed my love for brewing, because i hated bottling.

Bottling does have the advantage that you just grab a 6pack and give it away, whereas, I have to fill bottles on demand. I usually just fill a 1/2gal growler if i want to take some, and I only give it away to people that I know will return my bottles.

I'd start with bottling, it's kind of like doing calculus the long way... then the professor shows you the "short cuts" via kegging.

IXVolt said:

I'd start with bottling, it's kind of like doing calculus the long way... then the professor shows you the "short cuts" via kegging.

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true! also, if you are just starting this hobby, why spend more money on a new hobby before you get your tastebuds wet.

I still do both. I usually make ~6 gallons at a time. Keg 5, and bottle 1.

I still need to buy my equipment and was just going to get the keg kit, but i do like the idea of kegging most and bottling some

As much as I love kegging, i would bottle you're first batch. No need in spending extra money until you're certain you like the hobby. Plus it's kind of a Right of Passage so to speak. You won't fully appreciate kegging if you've never had to bottle!

guess I better start drinking more and saving the bottles

SWAMPER said:

guess I better start drinking more and saving the bottles

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That's why I bottle, so I can drink more and save the bottles!!!! It's half the fun

SWAMPER said:

guess I better start drinking more and saving the bottles

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Ahh the sacrifices we make

hoppheadIPA said:

That's why I bottle, so I can drink more and save the bottles!!!! It's half the fun

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Yeah I am doing that right now even though I will doing my first brew tomorrow....

If you have the equip already I say keg. If you really hate kegging, unloading a corny for the same price you bought it won't be a problem unless you're way out in the sticks or something

I would actually bottle the first few batches. I decided I wanted to open them over time to see how the flavor changed, see what I liked, and let some sit for a long time too. This would be tough to do in a keg unless you start stock piling kegs. Since it is your first batch, and if you are interested in learning how the flavor changes with conditioning, and if you want others to try the results of your new hobby, you should bottle. Once i settle on the recipe that I want to make and the timeframe it takes to ferment, condition, and be drinkable, then I will start kegging that, but I don't have the space or the $$s for equipment it would take for the 21 varieties I have made since February if they were in kegs.

If you are only making one kind, want to drink as fast as possible, and don't care about tracking the changes, then keg away.

webnmar said:

I would actually bottle the first few batches. I decided I wanted to open them over time to see how the flavor changed, see what I liked, and let some sit for a long time too. This would be tough to do in a keg unless you start stock piling kegs.

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I think bottling a couple of batches is worth it just to familiarize yourself with the process.

However, there's no reason you can't keg a batch and bottle up a couple of six-packs once it's carbed to stash away for the longer term.