Kegging or going all grain?

So I have a few extract brews under my belt to which each has been better than the last. I think I can say I'm officially addicted to this hobby now. Ned some advice on what my next step should be. Should I invest in kegging or going all grain first? I'm leaning toward kegging because the idea of fresh homebrew on tap is very appealing and I know my wife would like to have her coat closet back which is now my fermenting room an bottle storage.

Thanks

Do both! Bottling is time consuming and all grain is so much more tasty!! If bought in bulk, cheaper also

Id do both. If your doing full boils now, you should be able to do biab very cheaply

Kegging first then all grain. Once you take bottling out of the equation its a lot more fun.

If you have to pick one I'd go with kegging. It makes the entire process so much less taxing and time consuming. You'll be able to do what took hours before in about 15 minutes.

Another vote for Do both, I recently switched to doing AG BIAB batches and started kegging too, you could also do partial mash batches and most likely still use the boil pot you have, I have to say, kegging and having beer on tap is the best.

Cheers

Depends how much you want to spend,if your getting a bunch of all grain equipment then you will have even more stuff to put somewhere.Although if you can do BIAB or partials then you may not need much or anymore equipment than you already have to do all-grain. Youll probably end up doing both,but if its space your concerned about,and your buying a bunch of all grain equipment,then it wont eliminate that problem-if it is one. People who have space problems often end up doing smaller batches,its also easier to do all-grain biab for small batches. All done in the kitchen with minimal equipment.

All grain!

Nothing wrong with bottling.

I think that going all grain would first choice.

I am one of those that does not mind bottling. I like variety and always about 8-10 different brews in my beer fridge, and have over 20 different brews in bottles. If I kegged There is no way I could have that kind of variety. I do keg but it is mostly my nitro tap for stouts and a few other beers that I like on beergas.

I bottle when I brew so it is not a problem. I rack to the bottling bucket while my strike water is heating, and once I start my mash I bottle and am done well before the mash is done.

My vote is kegging... Of course, I haven't been brewing that long either and I am doing extract. I just got a kegging system about two weeks ago and it rocks.

All grain

Kegging...and do some partial mash BIAB and AG BIAB half batches on your current equipment for awhile.

I have been partial mashing for nearly a year, I think it is the best of both worlds for me right now. Don't need new equipment, saves some $, gives me lots of control over using different base malts, oats etc and is still faster than AG.

I'd go with the one that's most attainable the quickest. I am equally glad that I've done both. I thoroughly enjoy drinking my all grain beer from a keg. I'm finding that I can have several styles of beer ready in under 2 weeks (is it still slightly green? maybe a little, but I'm drinking right through the greeness).

I say all grain because it will help you make the beer less expensively, give you more control and really is not all that expensive compared to kegging.

Look around at garage sales/ Craigs List for a co2 tank and regulator buying just those outright is CRAZY EXPENSIVE compared to paying $25 bucks on CL. I recently got a spear, faucet, tank and regulator for $25 because the guy just wanted it gone. Gauges are $8-10 to replace BTW so even if the regulator has a broken gauge it is still a steal at those prices. Then the only thing you will need is the kegs and connecters depending on what kind of kegs you get.

It may depend on what your time is like. Kegging will speed up your brewing and all grain will slow it down. While AG is apealing to me, I don't know if I have that kind of time to spend brewing. Bottling for me takes 40 minutes of active time. 10 in prep and 30 to bottle, so not a problem. Maybe if you're looking for something different try BIAB.

I would vote for all grain BIAB. Minimal equipment investment, cheaper ingredients. I like to have a variety on hand too, so bottling allows this easier.

Kegging, its so much simpler, and you can get rid of all those bottles (or at least have fewer bottles),

All grain, I've saved a ton of money going all grain and buying malt in bulk.

All grain upgrades the way you make beer kegging only upgrades the way you serve it.

Kegging.

I'm not sure I would have stuck with this hobby if I still had to bottle every batch. Bottling was by far my least favorite part of brewing.

I'd go with All grain. Your beer will be better, with more control. That's more important that kegging right now imo. And this is coming from someone who hates bottling and only kegs..

To go to all grain from extract really only requires a mash tun. You can buy a rubbermaid cooler and add a weldless ball valve assembly with a threaded bazooka screen for less than $75. I use my kettle as my HLT, and only have to hold the first runnings in a bucket while sparging.

Kegging is great but it is also an expensive investment. I love my kegging setup but went all grain first in my starving first job out of college days.

I agree with an earlier post - do both. AG BIAG will cost you the pot, bag, burner and possibly a mill. That will about equivalent to a kegging setup, but the combination is so very good..

This depends what your needs are. I do both all grain and extract, it just depends how much time I have. All grain takes longer but you are able to do more with recipes and I find it is cheaper per recipe. I love kegging my beers but make sure you have a pipeline because you will go through more just from the pleasure of pouring a nice glass of your beer. Kegging will save you time in cleaning. You will love both options just decide what you "need" first.

Thanks to all for the advice. Think I'm just gonna go for it and do both. On a side note I was lucky enough to get a brick of Westy 12 last week. Can't wait to try it. Surprising some Christmas guests with an exclusive tasting. Hope it's as good as all the recent hype.

I'm new to brewing , I'm on my 11th batch or so .. I love the idea going all grain but sanitizing 50 bottle sucks ass ... I hated cleaning bottles but I kinda take pride in cleaning my kegs ... Be careful buying from CL , check for the age on the Co2 tanks to make sure they aren't to old to refill .. I think my next project is gonna be either a door faucet or most likely a DIY stir plate for yeast starters woooo

^stir plates are a killer addition. One of my favorite tools.


Great yeast health is priceless.

I think kegs vs all grain is literally the "apples vs oranges" discussion. One will add a ****load of time to your brew day, one will save some on your packaging day...AG can be done as simple as a $10 brew bag, kegs are gonna cost you several hundred.

...but...

Kegging will save you some time but not as much as you probably think it will. Cleaning bottles is easy compared to properly cleaning a keg...and if you improperly clean a bottle or 2, no big deal...mess up cleaning and your entire batch is ruined. And then there is chilling...you will need a fridge come summer time which adds to the expense and I spend a lot of time messing with my meager draft system. Will it make your beer better? If you are having oxidation problems then yes as you will have C02 to purge with but other than that, probably not.

That said, I think you should do both because all grain is fun and kegs are awesome

Personally, I got in to kegging first, then AG. If I had it all to do again I'd do it exactly the same. I still enjoy bottling, but kegging is so much easier. AG is awesome as is kegging, but you'll need a LOT more equipment to begin AG brewing ESPECIALLY if you're only doing partial boils at the moment.

I had the same dilemma 7 months ago. I went with kegging, then moved from extract to partial mash/BIAB, while I figure out what AG setup I want.

I'm going to throw a curve ball. Go AG and get a fermentation freezer, it seems that you are not controlling your ferm temps. Once you get AG figured out and are controlling ferm temps your beer will be 100% better, that is assuming you are already pitching the correct ammount of healthy yeast.

Kegging saves time.
AG saves money.
It depends which you have more of, time or money.

The price of corneys is constantly going up. When I first started kegging a 5 gallon ball lock was $20 at the LHBS. Now they're $60-65. The price of grains has only gone up slightly over that same time.
So keep that in mind as well.

I_B_Mongo said:

The price of corneys is constantly going up. When I first started kegging a 5 gallon ball lock was $20 at the LHBS. Now they're $60-65. The price of grains has only gone up slightly over that same time.
So keep that in mind as well.

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This is true and I wish to change my answer. Used cornys have a limited supply since pepsi and coke don't use them anymore. It won't be long until they are all bought up by homebrewers or crushed for scrap metal and we will have to buy the crappy new made in china kegs. If you can get used cornys, buy them now and worry about all grain later.

Go with all grain first and gradually acquire your kegging equipment.

All you need is a cooler with a braid for a mash tun and you are all-grain tomorrow.

Kegging is expensive, but it you keep your eyes open for sales, garage sale scores, and craig's list finds you can slowly get your kegging equipment without spending a ton of money.

If you have the refrigeration space all you need to keg is a keg, co2 tank, regulatior and picnic tap. Look for them on sale or used. The stuff shows up if you are patient.

i went with all grain first, working on kegging set-up now. I do not mind bottling (as i have been doing it for two years and have not experianced the kegging side) i went with this option because i was more focused on quality of beer as opposed to how it was despensed.

All grain. It is SO much more fun, and the result is amazing.

Someone mentioned a fermentation freezer. If you're not controlling ferm temps that is the #1 priority IMHO. That is the biggest key to consistently good beer.

Gameface said:

Someone mentioned a fermentation freezer. If you're not controlling ferm temps that is the #1 priority IMHO. That is the biggest key to consistently good beer.

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Agreed , my fridge and my ranco temp controller is the most important equipment

Gameface said:

Someone mentioned a fermentation freezer. If you're not controlling ferm temps that is the #1 priority IMHO. That is the biggest key to consistently good beer.

Click to expand...

duh - not sure why this always escapes me.

yeast health and treatment is the key to great beer. love my ranco/freezer combo. biggest improvement I've made.

I stopped brewing for several years because I hate bottling. My keg investment rekindled my love for brewing. Because I bought a keg system, I took the step to AG.
My next step will be a temp controlled fermentation system. In the middle, get a stir plate and flask for yeast starters and yeast rinsing. I get a kick out of that too!

bottling is a pain in the @$$!!! i vote for kegging!