Bottling vs Kegging

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rferguson61

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So Im brewing my first batch soon and trying to get all my ducks in a row before i get ahead of myself and I have reached the 'bottling' step. And i have heard about people kegging and im curious about the advantages/disadvantages of kegging over bottling. Bottles seem more portable. But i dont know how long kegged beer lasts after its tapped....let me know what you think! Thanks!
 
For Pros/Cons read the Stickies on Bottling/Kegging forum and use the search since this has been discussed thousands of times. For your first batch just bottle it. You don't want to invest the minimum $200 (on avg) to get a keg setup...especially if you don't stick with the brewing. You can bottle from a keg so portability isn't an issue. Kegs don't go "stale" like the commercial kegs at a party that are hand pumped using oxygen. Corney Kegs are sealed with CO2 and pushed out via CO2...thus it will have to difference in age vs a bottled version. Welcome to the site by the way...you'll learn a ton.
 
+1 on reading the stickies.

Bottling is cheap and easy. Start there.

I started off kegging, but I already had tap tower plans for my bar, so it made sense for me. If you have somewhere you want to put taps, and are willing to make the $$ commitment right away, I'd say go ahead and keg. But with that said, I still bottle some to take out of the house and share. So you'll wind up doing both.

Bottling:
Capper: Wing Capper $15.00
Caps: Come with the kit = Free
Bottles: Beg friends, drink a lot of Sam Adams or some other pry-off beer = Free
Total = $15.00

Kegging:
Corny kegs: Craigslist, LHBS, Online = $25.00 + each (You'll need one, but you'll want more!)
CO2 tank: 5# = $80.00
Regulator: Single pressure, dual gauge = $100.00
Connectors: Quick Disconnects = $12.00
Serving: Picnic Faucet = $13.00
Freezer: Craigslist, Online, Lowes, Home Depot, Sears, etc. = Free to $400+
Thermostat: So you don't freeze your beer! = $60.00 +
Beer/CO2 line: = $0.55/Ft give or take, depending on where you go to get it...

Total = $300 or more, plus the cost of a freezer/fridge/Or whatever you find to keep your beer cold!
 
Bottling is fine, but can be a bit more work. Kegs are nice, but more expensive to get started in. Revvy's got a great thread about bottling that can be very useful. I wish I knew how to find a thread and link.

I have a keg system and still bottled a half-batch of IIPA last night, and will likely bottle a full batch of American stout very soon. I didn't keg the IIPA because it was a half-batch (actually less than half), and I'm bottling the Stout because I plan on sharing with the co-brewer and it's just easier that way.

Bottling gets easier with a few tips and a little practice. Cleaning the bottles is probably the most work. If you use empties, get a scrub device and some oxy clean. Let them soak overnight in hot oxy and scrub the bottoms with a brush. If there is a seriously hard piece of gunk, toss that bottle. It's not worth the hassle. If you buy your bottles from a LHBS, then you only need to sanitize them just before using. I recommend star san. Just dip a bottle in the star san and place upside down in the top rack of you dishwasher (if you have one) and they are ready to fill. No reason to wait until they dry. Just fill and cap.
 
Great advice here--start with bottling (pay yer dues, dangit!) because it's much cheaper, especially if you don't stick with homebrewing.

I still have 60 240ML PET bottles from Coopers that I use for beer that I brew for the MBC drinkers. After I pop a bottle, I immediately wash it out thoroughly with hot water. Makes cleaning and sanitizing as painless as possible.
 
Thanks for the tips guys! Just an update I brewed my first batch on the 17th and I'm keeping it in a wune fridge ($90 on craigslist) to keep it at a constant temp (70.1-71.4) and it's bubbling away nicely. =)
 
I've recently discvered it sucks waiting for a 10% Barleywine to carb in the bottle. I found myself drinking a nearly flat one and thinking, "I wish I could have force carbed this."
 
I made an american hefewiezen. It's a recipie I got from my LHBS. It's supposed to be a a Widmer hefe clone.
 
How long should it take? I brewed it on the 17th and i just took the blowoff tube off today and put the airlock on but the bubbling seems to have already slowed. Is that normal?
 
That's normal. Most of the fermentation action takes place in two to three days. After that generally it's much slower (but still important!). My SOP is to leave it in the primary for three solid weeks before transferring to a keg or secondary for another week of COLD conditioning (33 degF, I put it right in the freezer with my lagers) under the CO2 for forced carbonation. Then it's off to the bottles for some and the rest I just drink from picnic taps.
 
An added note about starting out brewing and bottling, is that it's much easier to spread your brew around and get more feedback. You can take a few to work or over to your neighbors and pass them out. If you tell them to return the bottle, you can get their feedback when they bring the bottle back.
 
For Pros/Cons read the Stickies on Bottling/Kegging forum and use the search since this has been discussed thousands of times. For your first batch just bottle it. You don't want to invest the minimum $200 (on avg) to get a keg setup...especially if you don't stick with the brewing. You can bottle from a keg so portability isn't an issue. Kegs don't go "stale" like the commercial kegs at a party that are hand pumped using oxygen. Corney Kegs are sealed with CO2 and pushed out via CO2...thus it will have to difference in age vs a bottled version. Welcome to the site by the way...you'll learn a ton.

dirt...all i want to say is well said :)....I actually kegged 5gal of a kolsch today and bottled 18 liters of a belgian dobbel...just because i like it that way :)
 
Alright. I guess I'll hold off lol. Your right though it will be hard. A question about temps...it was holding around 70-71 but now it's holding 67-69. I'm keeping it in a wine fridge that's shut off cuz it turned on holds in the mid 50s and the temps aren't for the actual beer but for the temp of the space in the fridge. So my questions are...is it okay that it's dropped a fee degrees or is it super important it stays at a certain temp? Also do you ever check the temp of the beer durring fermentation?
 
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