Kegs vs bottles

I am currently fermenting my first brew, but wondering where I should go from there. Wait about 2 weeks, then bottle or keg, yeah?

I've been stashing a ton of bottles, so I'm prepared on that front. But, I'm wondering if I should invest in a keg. What are the pro's and con's of both?

I wish I had gone to kegging earlier. I always hated the cleaning and sanitizing and filing of bottles. Then of course you have to wait for them to naturally carbonate.

With a keg you're basically cleaning and sanitizing one "bottle". You can force carbonate so that your beer is ready more quickly. And when you serve your beer you don't have to worry about the sediment in each bottle, or then cleaning and storing those bottles to use again. Plus it's just damn cool to have your own beer on tap.

Though bottles do have some advantages I see. It's easy to give bottles away to friends and family. If you screw up cleaning something you generally only lose a bottle or two rather than losing the whole keg. It's easier to have more varities on hand with bottles. Sometimes on keg you get really bored with that one or two beers you have and just can't wait for the keg to kick so you can get the next one going!

Those are my pros and cons anyway.

After bottling my first 5 batches, I kegged my last two. Kegging is the way to go. The obvious is not having to collect, store and sanitize 50 bottles for each batch. I love being able to walk down to my keg fridge and draw a beer off the tap. On the down side it can be a bit pricey to get started. Kegs, C02, taps, lines etc etc can get expensive but once you have all the needed equipment, it's well worth it. Just my 2 cents.

Even bottling is easier with a keg.

Seriously. Kegs are ABSOLUTELY a necessity.

Drawback?

There is no sightglass, so short of picking it up you are usually surprised when a keg kicks, you see bottles disapear.

even that aint so bad.

I am in the same bucket as you are. I am fermenting my first brew and have put some thought into bottles or kegs. I might have more of an opinion when I have some more experience but for now I am going with bottles. I like variety and once I have a few brews done I don't want to be stuck with one on tap until it is finished. Plus, my wife likes different kinds of beers than I do so I would likely have to invest in a double keg setup to keep her happy. I also like the fact that bottles are easier to transport. If a buddy invites me over to watch a football game I don't have to fill up empty pop bottles to bring my own brew (growlers, I know but I don't have any). Or if a friend helps move a couch or watches the dog I can send them home with a six pack.

I think everyone will have thier own views, you just need to look at your situation and see what will work best for you.

cheezydemon3 said:

Even bottling is easier with a keg.

Seriously. Kegs are ABSOLUTELY a necessity.

Drawback?

There is no sightglass, so short of picking it up you are usually surprised when a keg kicks, you see bottles disapear.

even that aint so bad.

Click to expand...

Not sure I agree 100% with this. Bottling even just a few off a keg is more of a PITA to me than bottling an entire batch. I use both & like having both, but I wouldn't say kegs are a necessity.

cheezydemon3 said:

Even bottling is easier with a keg.
. . .

Click to expand...

This. With a #2 drilled stopper and a spare piece of beverage line, you can MacGuyver a counterpressure filler. If you're heading to a party, submitting to a competition, or if you just plain get sick of what you have on tap, it's pretty easy to fill bottles from the keg. I can do a sixer less than 10 minutes including sanitizing and cleanup. And the best part is that there's no sediment in the bottle.

Unless you're hurting for cash and/or space, I can't really see a down side to kegging.

Simpliest breakdown:

Kegging is easier but more expensive...sometimes has issues

Bottling is cheaper but longer...issues with carbonation or maybe oxidation

Some say (even some breweries) that bottle conditioning leads to a more "velvety" and smoother carbonation.

I have had nothing but frustrations with my kegs, still waiting for when it becomes easier...

gr8shandini said:

Unless you're hurting for cash and/or space, I can't really see a down side to kegging.

Click to expand...

I agree, kegs rock. You can always bottle with no sediment after the fact. And If you plan on drinking your brew that evening or so, just filling up a jug of brew and heading out is no problem at all.

I use a blichman beer gun to fill up a few bottles with each keg I fill and this is nice cause I can put on a few labels and hand them out. Having no sediment is very nice- I hated trying to explain to non-brewers that they should leave the last bit in the bottle.

logdrum said:

Not sure I agree 100% with this. Bottling even just a few off a keg is more of a PITA to me than bottling an entire batch. I use both & like having both, but I wouldn't say kegs are a necessity.

Click to expand...

What method are you using to bottle from the keg? I started with the BMBF, and I would have agreed with you, but I finally figured out that the key is to rig something you can attach directly to the tap and take advantage of the balanced system. In my case, it turned out that a length of 3/16" beverage line fits perfectly into my SS Perlicks. So bottling goes something like this:

1. Rinse out some bottles (preferably right after drinking) and soak off the labels if you're feeling fancy.

2. Give each of 'em a shot of StarSan from a spray bottle. While you're at it give the beer faucet a spritz as well.

3. Dunk the bev line / stopper contraption in the StarSan and jam it in the faucet.

4. Fill / cap

5. Rinse out the drip tray and bottle filler.

No bottling bucket. No priming solution. No waiting three weeks to carb up (unevenly). No sediment.

For bottles you need bottles, caps, filler wand, siphon or bottling bucket w spigot, capper and sugar(some sort of primer) and patience.
Pros - portability, less space needed in the fridge, variety, cost, and you can make your own labels! keep a few to compare to the next batch, or see how things age.
Cons - you must wait at least 2 weeks before drinking, you could end up with no carb to bottle bombs, cleaning & storing hundreds of bottles, filling those bottles

For kegs you need a few kegs (can't drink one kind of beer for a month now, can you?) CO2 tank, regulator, hoses, connecters, tap, tools to take apart and clean/repair the keg, and a dedicated fridge.
pros - damn near instant gratification, wow factor, only one vessel to maintain
cons - money, space, more equipment to maintain (got a funky bottle? toss it out. got a funky keg? clean it, replace the gaskets, and hope the next batch is ok)

savannahvan said:

I am currently fermenting my first brew, but wondering where I should go from there. Wait about 2 weeks, then bottle or keg, yeah?
...

Click to expand...

I've transitioned to using kegs for everything except the brew kettle. Way easier than bottles. I keep a few 1 liter flip-top bottles around to fill when I want to share small quantities of beer.

Thank you all! Very much. I found all of this info quite useful.
Unfortunately it does seem like a good keg setup will run anywhere from $300 on. I'll have to bottle this first batch, I'm sure.
I'm quite low on space as well. But I am finding that storing bottles in random spaces of the house probably takes up more space than a keg - which is partially the reason I'm looking into snagging a keg.
Any suggestions on best/easiest kegs to deal with, take apart, clean, etc?

AMonkey said:

I am in the same bucket as you are. I am fermenting my first brew and have put some thought into bottles or kegs. I might have more of an opinion when I have some more experience but for now I am going with bottles. I like variety and once I have a few brews done I don't want to be stuck with one on tap until it is finished. Plus, my wife likes different kinds of beers than I do so I would likely have to invest in a double keg setup to keep her happy. I also like the fact that bottles are easier to transport. If a buddy invites me over to watch a football game I don't have to fill up empty pop bottles to bring my own brew (growlers, I know but I don't have any). Or if a friend helps move a couch or watches the dog I can send them home with a six pack.

I think everyone will have thier own views, you just need to look at your situation and see what will work best for you.

Click to expand...

That's the main downside to me - only having one beer. We'll see how this whole bottling process works out.

rifraf said:

I have had nothing but frustrations with my kegs, still waiting for when it becomes easier...

Click to expand...

Really? Why so?

savannahvan said:

Really? Why so?

Click to expand...

Took forever to get the regulator to hold pressure, turned out the company I got it from hadn't Teflon taped the parts that needed it and told me none of it did. Now the Oetikker clamps the hoses came with are leaking so I can't leave it hooked up constantly and have to go get new ones and that tool. Haven't even tried to start line balancing yet.

Yesterday I realized that what I thought had been scuffs and discoloring due to age was actually mold on the rubber handles of one of the keg leading to a full blown contamination of my keezer. Partially my fault, I did clean the kegs really well when I got them but would have done a lot more had I expected something like that, so now I have to bleach bomb this keg.

Add that to having to go out and get separate sets of wrenches and tools because the kegs have different size posts (nice to have new tools though), dealing with checking the pressure and continuously topping off for the first few days until they stabilize their carbonation, etc etc it's just been one thing after another every time I've tried to get another beer in the keg.

Meanwhile, bottling takes about an hour to an hour and a half, and three weeks later everything is golden. I will say that having a vinerator and bottling tree have made a huge difference in ease of bottling.

Recently moved to kegging, and dont regret it.

There are little things you dont think about with kegs...

Like i have a pumpkin beer that i spiced per the recipe, but it just seems really mellow on the spice...so im going to keg/cool/carbonate it and see how it is..if its still too mellow I can pop the keg, throw in some more spice tea, reseal it, shake it up a bit and try again. Not to mention there are no irrecoverable overcarbbed or undercarbed beer's, no forgetting to put priming sugar in, no bottle bombs...

gr8shandini said:

What method are you using to bottle from the keg? I started with the BMBF, and I would have agreed with you, but I finally figured out that the key is to rig something you can attach directly to the tap and take advantage of the balanced system. In my case, it turned out that a length of 3/16" beverage line fits perfectly into my SS Perlicks. So bottling goes something like this:

1. Rinse out some bottles (preferably right after drinking) and soak off the labels if you're feeling fancy.

2. Give each of 'em a shot of StarSan from a spray bottle. While you're at it give the beer faucet a spritz as well.

3. Dunk the bev line / stopper contraption in the StarSan and jam it in the faucet.

4. Fill / cap

5. Rinse out the drip tray and bottle filler.

No bottling bucket. No priming solution. No waiting three weeks to carb up (unevenly). No sediment.

Click to expand...

Yeah, BMBF here. What length of tubing are you using? I have SS Perlicks, so this idea definitely appeals...Do you drop the keg pressure? chill the bottles?

savannahvan said:

I'm quite low on space as well. But I am finding that storing bottles in random spaces of the house probably takes up more space than a keg

Click to expand...

I've learned an awful lot of things by coming to this site, but I'm a 100-percent passionate booster of this bottle storage system. This is also a spectacular way to blow off events/gatherings you'd rather not attend. "Sorry, but I have to spend the evening reviewing my files..."

Also, Revvy's Bottling Tips for the Homebrewer thread was also super-duper valuable for my first go-around...

savannahvan said:

I am currently fermenting my first brew, but wondering where I should go from there. Wait about 2 weeks, then bottle or keg, yeah?

I've been stashing a ton of bottles, so I'm prepared on that front. But, I'm wondering if I should invest in a keg. What are the pro's and con's of both?

Click to expand...

Kegging pros:
1) Heck of a lot easier than bottling. Saves a lot of time. No more saving, cleaning and delabeling bottles.
2) Carbonates faster than bottling, sometimes a LOT faster.
3) Pouring a homebrew from a keezer is pretty awesome and impresses fellow beer drinkers.
4) Saves money by no need for bottle caps or priming sugar.
5) If you screw up the carbonation level, it can be fixed, unlike bottling.

Kegging cons:
1) I tend to drink my beer a lot faster if I keg it than if I bottle it.
2) It's a LOT more expensive up front. We're talking hundreds of dollars at a minimum, perhaps over a thousand dollars if you do a really nice DIY keezer and a few kegs.
3) Costs more in electricity and now you have to buy CO2.
4) Trips to the store to get your CO2 tank refilled on occasion.

logdrum said:

Yeah, BMBF here. What length of tubing are you using? I have SS Perlicks, so this idea definitely appeals...Do you drop the keg pressure? chill the bottles?

Click to expand...

I didn't really measure it. I'd say it's about 18" or so. No need to drop the keg pressure since you've already got the 5 feet of line or more running to the faucet. I don't bother chilling the bottles either. When you first open the tap, you'll get about an inch of foam in the bottom, but as soon as the pressure builds up, it's all liquid goodness.

I also found that if you press in on the side of the stopper instead of trying to lift it, you get a much more controlled "burp." More of a hiss, really. Once you get the technique down, it takes about 15 seconds to fill a 12 ounce bottle.

I want to keg most of my beers, but I bought botteling gear for some other things that like to age like apfelwein.

You can always bottle from the keg. I used the poor mans bottling method and my beer still had carbonation a month later. not sure it would hold up indefinitely as long as naturally carbonated bottles though. It works well enough to share some brew for sure.

Just drop the pressure to about 5PSI before you bottle.

I jumped right into kegging because I knew bottling was not for me. But again, I will still do some bottled batches, I think the pro's outweigh the cons with kegging. You Could, naturally carbonate your keg too, but you will still need some CO2 to push the beer.

Not including the chest freezer 4 kegs will run you about $220, then a nice dual regulator and Co2 tank an manifold is probably another $200.

a single Keg single regulator and bottle would be significantly less though.

I sometimes think the bottled beer, even bottled from the keg, has nicer carbonation. But...I love kegging, I have 5 now and a double regulator. I routinely bottle from the keg when I need to free one up for a new batch. I also use my kegs to bottle my wine. The more "closed" the system, the better in my book.

I will say this..get the largest CO2 bottle you can afford, the gas price per pound drops significantly with larger bottles. For me, a 10# bottle only costs a couple bucks more to fill than a 5# bottle so that cuts the gas price per pound almost in half. The savings are even greater with a 15# or 20#.

JDFury said:

I've learned an awful lot of things by coming to this site, but I'm a 100-percent passionate booster of this bottle storage system. This is also a spectacular way to blow off events/gatherings you'd rather not attend. "Sorry, but I have to spend the evening reviewing my files..."

Also, Revvy's Bottling Tips for the Homebrewer thread was also super-duper valuable for my first go-around...

Click to expand...

Wow. You're right. That bottle storage is a fabulous idea. I must track down a file folder. The bottling tips were super helpful, too. Thanks a million!

Chefencore said:

For bottles you need bottles, caps, filler wand, siphon or bottling bucket w spigot, capper and sugar(some sort of primer) and patience.
Pros - portability, less space needed in the fridge, variety, cost, and you can make your own labels! keep a few to compare to the next batch, or see how things age.
Cons - you must wait at least 2 weeks before drinking, you could end up with no carb to bottle bombs, cleaning & storing hundreds of bottles, filling those bottles

For kegs you need a few kegs (can't drink one kind of beer for a month now, can you?) CO2 tank, regulator, hoses, connecters, tap, tools to take apart and clean/repair the keg, and a dedicated fridge.
pros - damn near instant gratification, wow factor, only one vessel to maintain
cons - money, space, more equipment to maintain (got a funky bottle? toss it out. got a funky keg? clean it, replace the gaskets, and hope the next batch is ok)

Click to expand...

Like a batch of beer lasts you a month...right, try 3 or 4 days

I started bottling like most others when starting brewing, so i have about 2-3 cases of 22's...
At first when i was going to kegging i was a bit worried that i'd spent money on those bottles(even though half were bought used from LHBS for 50%) and had nothing to use them for now...
But now im realizing i can use it for my long aging brews, like Ciders, Meads, etc....and it makes it easier to get friends/family beer as i can just fill a bottle and cap from the keg off my party tap in like 15-30 seconds

Bottles - dead simple, real ale aspect, easier to age, easier to transport, and if you do it right (which despite the billion threads around here, should be extremely easy) its a no fuss system - chill bottle after 3ish weeks, open and enjoy.

Kegging - to hell with bottling.. Seriously though, its faster, no question about it. By the time I rack into the keg I'm done... Bottling would still require.... The ACTUAL BOTTLING part (because racking into the bottling bucket is the first step). Also I found my hoppy beers got hoppier due to keg hopping. But it's expensive and absolutely something else in the homebrew hobby to "deal with" co2, keg lube, pressure, o-rings, etc. However, if you brew a lot, it's extremely easy to keep a pipeline going if you need it. You can also dedicate kegs to age for bigger beers if needed, it'll just be 5 gallons of it.

Overall, I damn near had to be talked into it, but I can honestly say I'm more than happy I did. I have this thought that Ill brew a massive beer like an RIS or a Barleywine and then bottle it...... Sure, sure I will.

savannahvan said:

Thank you all! Very much. I found all of this info quite useful.
Unfortunately it does seem like a good keg setup will run anywhere from $300 on. I'll have to bottle this first batch, I'm sure.
I'm quite low on space as well. But I am finding that storing bottles in random spaces of the house probably takes up more space than a keg - which is partially the reason I'm looking into snagging a keg.
Any suggestions on best/easiest kegs to deal with, take apart, clean, etc?

Click to expand...

Watch Amazon during the holidays. I picked up my keg system for $150. The Beverage Factory usually has some good deals, make sure you get an extra set of o-rings.

helibrewer said:

I sometimes think the bottled beer, even bottled from the keg, has nicer carbonation. But...I love kegging, I have 5 now and a double regulator. I routinely bottle from the keg when I need to free one up for a new batch. I also use my kegs to bottle my wine. The more "closed" the system, the better in my book.

I will say this..get the largest CO2 bottle you can afford, the gas price per pound drops significantly with larger bottles. For me, a 10# bottle only costs a couple bucks more to fill than a 5# bottle so that cuts the gas price per pound almost in half. The savings are even greater with a 15# or 20#.

Click to expand...

Me and my neighbor both had our co2 bottles filled at the same time. His 5# bottle was $21 and my 20# bottle was $28. Seems like a good deal to me

- Destin

If you have the money to keg, and you don't mind only having as many varieties as you have kegs, I think kegging sounds wonderful.

For me, I'd rather spend my beer money on more ingredients, and I love having a ton of variety on hand at any given time. I'll be bottling for the foreseeable future.

I move to kegging after doing 5 extract batches. I was pushed along by getting a 20# co2 tank and a regulator for free. The only downsides? Of kegging is I go through beer faster than bottles, and giving away beers makes me bottle off the keg sometimes. Not having a beer gun or counter pressure filler makes it more of a chore, but not really that bad. I bottled a batch without kegging first, and ended up with a crazy gusher bug. I'm thinking the beer gods were punishing me.