Are Kegs Worth the Cost?

So I have the opportunity to get 4 corny kegs, a 2 or 3 tap hose and picnic tap dispensing set up, freezer, and CO2 tank for around 400 dollars. My question is, is it worth the money. My fear is that I wont drink the beer fast enough and it will go bad. I may have one beer when I get home from work and maybe 3 or 4 on the weekend. I know some beers can stay fresh for years in bottles but I'm getting tiered of how much time I spend having to collect, clean, sanitize, and fill the bottles. I realize I am the only one that understands my finances and that I am the only one that can truly answer this question. I'm just looking for some input from others who have a similar drinking schedule who have made the jump.

If you are clean in your process your beers will have a hard time going bad sitting in a cold dark sealed keg. Bottle take up space and create a ton more problems than kegs IMO.

Worth every penny IMHO! Beer will last a very long time in a keg! Some hop forward styles are best consumed fresher, but you are not limited to 5 gallon batches just because you have 5 gallon kegs. You could put 3 gallons in a keg and just purge the headspace w/ CO2.

Also, I think you will see an improvement in your beer, perfect carbonation, and nice clarity that comes from cold storage or lagering.

Kegging equipment also holds it's value, so if you decide to give up kegging, you can likely recoup most or all your money spent, if you buy it right of course.

$400 sounds a little high to me, but market conditions vary with location etc....

akillys said:

So I have the opportunity to get 4 corny kegs, a 2 or 3 tap hose and picnic tap dispensing set up, freezer, and CO2 tank for around 400 dollars. My question is, is it worth the money. My fear is that I wont drink the beer fast enough and it will go bad. I may have one beer when I get home from work and maybe 3 or 4 on the weekend. I know some beers can stay fresh for years in bottles but I'm getting tiered of how much time I spend having to collect, clean, sanitize, and fill the bottles. I realize I am the only one that understands my finances and that I am the only one that can truly answer this question. I'm just looking for some input from others who have a similar drinking schedule who have made the jump.

Click to expand...

I made the jump on a two keg setup and I think it's worth it. Don't forget, you're going to need at least one regulator but it would probably be worth it to you to get a double regulator. That way, you can use one to carbonate and the other to serve and/or set different CO2 pressures for different styles of beer simultaneously.

Cleaned up used kegs are typically in the $50 range and I probably wouldn't pay over that for a used one. Very rarely you might find one for $25-$30 on the list of craigs. Make sure the seals have been replaced, buy a tube of petroleum based keg lube and that the keg holds CO2 pressure with no leaks.

As far as how long the beer will be good in the keg, it depends on the beer style in the keg, how it is stored and how often you're drinking that beer. Generally, you'll get about the same amount of time in the keg as you will in the bottle. Pale ales and hoppy beers are usually pretty good for up to six months. Malty beers up to a year and high gravity styles well over a year. With kegs, as you dispense the beer, you have CO2 constantly blanketing the beer and stainless steel protecting the beer from light, so it can really last a long time. Store it cold in a fridge or a kegorator just like you would cellar bottles.

Five gallons = 640 fl. oz.
640 fl. oz. = 53 individual 12 oz. beers

If you drink a beer a night and 3-4 on the weekends, you'll probably finish a keg's worth every month. That's just your drinking and nobody elses. If you have friends and family, they'll probably want to taste your beer at some point. Bring the keg, a regulator, the CO2 tank and a picnic tap and suddenly you're the life of the party if you brew a real crowd pleaser style session beer with fresh hops.

I'd say it's worth going to kegs by simply eliminating all the issues associated with bottles as mentioned above.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Shipping is what kills me and drives the price up. the 4 kegs I can get for 139 which I feel is a decent price but the cheapest shipping I can find for kegs that cheap is around 18 bucks. The cheapest tap system with hoses and connects are either 95 for 2 or 141 for 3 because of the manifold and 8 dollars for shipping. Can any of these things be found any cheaper with shipping included?

Like others have said...worth every penny. I doubted this thought also (before I made the plunge), but in the end....bottles suck.

The problem for you is that you buying a bunch of kegs all at once so it is a big money hit all at once. I bought 2 kegs to start, then started adding more kegs and parts little by little so it doesn't hurt all at once. But no matter what, the first buy in kegging is expensive because you start with nothing.

I bought new kegs because, like cars, I don't want someone else's problems. And I like a warranty. But that's me.

If you don't plan on having so many beers on tap at once, you can get 2 kegs and a fridge tap system (who wants picnic taps when you have a kegerator ready to be drilled?) for 2 taps from kegconnection for around the same price,, then add more stuff next year if you want. I just like new.

Oh, and 7.99 flat rate from kegconnection and peace of mind.

I am of the same opinion as received in the prior responses. Kegging is definitely worth getting into, and once you move over to it, you will ask yourself why not sooner. I agree with wilserbrewer that $400 is a bit high, but I am the type of person that hunts for the best deal on everything, and have found some great deals on kegs on CL. Cheers!

I'm in the same boat. I just started brewing though. Don't even have a secondary fermenter yet. One thing on my my mind about kegging would be a quicker turnaround for carbonation.

My advice is to do a lot of research here. There's many ways you can save money. Check out the "show us your kegerator" thread here for some ideas. You can save some of your budget for the kegs by making your own tap tower, building your own keezer (chest freezer kegerator), etc., etc.

The only downside to kegging is the price of used kegs. They have doubled and seem to be harder to find than they were 2-3 years ago. Even at today's price, it's still worth it. Heck, if you're afraid that 5 gallons is "too much", there's always the 2.5 gallon stackable kegs from various vendors. I have two of those and want to add more so I have an excuse to brew more.

Kegging is a win-win in my opinion. Another thing is the Beir Muncher bottle filler gun. It's basically a counter pressure filler made from a racking cane and rubber stopper used to fill bottles from the keg. I made one and use it to fill a few bottles. I took a 12 pack sampler of four of my beers to my cousin's house to brew his Heady Topper clone.

Yes, kegging is definitely worth considering!

Yesfan said:

Another thing is the Beir Muncher bottle filler gun. It's basically a counter pressure filler made from a racking cane and rubber stopper used to fill bottles from the keg. I made one and use it to fill a few bottles. I took a 12 pack sampler of four of my beers to my cousin's house to brew his Heady Topper clone.

Click to expand...

Nice, where did you get the plans to make your bottling gun?

From here.

link


But I went this route. Check out Joe Fisher's version of the "BMBF" gun.

You can also use one of these to fill bottles, if you have a perlick 525 tap. They work pretty well for the occasional bottle that I fill.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Growler-Filler-for-Perlick-525SS-Faucets-/320896717175?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ab6ef 5177

akillys said:

Shipping is what kills me and drives the price up. the 4 kegs I can get for 139 which I feel is a decent price but the cheapest shipping I can find for kegs that cheap is around 18 bucks.

Click to expand...

Are those 4 kegs ball locks or pin locks? If ball locks, I'd be interested in where you can get them at that price. I keep tying up my extra kegs for several weeks in the lagering freezer.

I have an 8 keg keezer and usually have 5-8 beers on tap. I am the only beer drinker in the house. I end up giving away a lot of what I brew, but I keep the best stuff for myself. Within the last month I just kicked a 7+ month old keg of milk stout and a 6+ month old keg of Kentucky common. Both were amazing beers, the time had done nothing but improve them. As was mentioned above, the secret is sanitation and care to prevent oxidation. Here are some of the things I do on every batch:

Soak everything in starsan for at least 1 minute
Purge kegs with CO2 before filling
Only transfer beer in the morning when dust hasn't had a chance to be stirred up yet
Use sanitized aluminum foil over the top of the carboy and the keg while transferring to prevent bugs from the air falling in
Use a long piece of tubing (no racking cane) to transfer so I can fill from the bottom of the keg without splashing. I purge the keg to help with this, but it doesn't get rid of all the O2
Purge the headspace 15 times after filling the keg - waiting 5 seconds between each purge to allow gasses to blend. Almost no O2 should remain after this.
Cold crash in the keg only so I don't have reverse bubbling into the fermentor
Soak beer lines in starsan between kegs

I do everything I can to keep the beer safe from bugs and oxygen after fermentation has begun. I'm sure some of this will sound crazy to a lot of people, but after having some of my first kegs go stale on me I decided to step up my defense.

Kegging is a great time saver over bottling. I cannot imaging going back. One thing to consider if you are do not drink a lot of beer is that you only have to fill one keg at a time. Granted... if you had more kegs you could. Just saying. I drink my beers at about the same rate you appear to. I have one keg and just make sure I start another brew in time fort he last batch to kick.

Another plus for kegged beer is that you don't have to drink in whole bottle increments. Sometimes I just want a taste, sometimes I want to fill a 20 oz glass. I second the craigslist mention. I bought most of my kegging stuff that way - some pretty good deals if you're patient.

Kegging is worth it just for the time and effort saved on bottling. More reasons than that, but most people start because of it.

After a bottle exploded in my hand while capping, the decision was easy! Kegs all the way!
It's way cheaper than the damn ER bill ...


Roed Haus Brewery

Hamaki said:

Another plus for kegged beer is that you don't have to drink in whole bottle increments. Sometimes I just want a taste, sometimes I want to fill a 20 oz glass.

Click to expand...

Maybe it's just me but kegging was a big 'enabler' for me. Now that I don't have a number of empty bottles as evidence that I'm a lush I'm free to drink even more!

khawk95 said:

After a bottle exploded in my hand while capping, the decision was easy! Kegs all the way!
It's way cheaper than the damn ER bill ...


Roed Haus Brewery

Click to expand...

Had a sam adams bomber explode while capping no cuts but just thinkin of a shard of glass goin down the palm of the hand gave me shivers. Finished bottling the last 20 cases of cider though. Might wear a glove this spring.

I guess Im the one person here who likes bottling more than kegging. I hated cleaning kegs. I hated if I didnt drink for a bit I had to pour out half a beer to clear the lines.

akillys said:

Shipping is what kills me and drives the price up. the 4 kegs I can get for 139 which I feel is a decent price but the cheapest shipping I can find for kegs that cheap is around 18 bucks. The cheapest tap system with hoses and connects are either 95 for 2 or 141 for 3 because of the manifold and 8 dollars for shipping. Can any of these things be found any cheaper with shipping included?

Click to expand...

To be honest with you, I paid $70 per ball lock keg I own. I know it's on the high side, but there isn't much available here in central FL for homebrewers.

On the flip side, I don't regret a dollar of that purchase. I have one regulator, a c02 line slitter for both kegs, and a kegerator that I purchased a double tap perlick tap tower for. It's just simply so convenient to have to sanitize ONE keg for a full 5 gallon batch of homebrew. I hated bottling...dreaded it even...

I agree - kegging your own beer and keeping it on draft is great!

Yes. You can do anything a bottler can do including bottling from the keg. And no more problems with getting high gravity beers carbed up. The only negatives to kegging are cost and space used.

Without a doubt worth it. I still bottle specials, but love having three kegs on tap in the garage. Nothing beats the convenience.

Kegging stimulates the imagination and spawns DIY projects. I enjoy being in that space. I 'm not just making beer anymore, I 'm creating systems, schedules, and processes that will allow me to rule the world. Something I just couldn't accomplish with bottles. Bwah-hah-hah-hah.

I drink beer about the same rate -- maybe 8 or 9 pints a week. I keep three taps going all the time, so often one of the kegs is 3 or 4 months old before it's kicked. No problems with beer "going bad." Some super hoppy beers have lost a bit of aroma by then; I've added some hops to the keg midway to freshen them up a bit. I'm really happy with kegging, and wouldn't go back.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

ong said:

I drink beer about the same rate -- maybe 8 or 9 pints a week. [...]

Click to expand...

Slacker!

Cheers!

Kegs will change your outlook on beer and life. Do it! brewing is fun, but if packaging and drinking you beer isn't fun and easy... whats the point?

Kegging is the way to go. If you do want to bottle you can bottle straight from the keg after the beer clears and ages for a bit. You can also add some perlick faucets to the mix and raise your coolness factor by 100.

Just got all of my kegs (4) pin lock, 5lbs co2 tank, regulator, 10 feet of beer line, and a freezer chest that I messed with the thermostat to stay around 40. Now just waiting on my pumpkin ale to finish in a few weeks so I can use my first keg. Thanks to all for encouraging me to take the leap.

You won't regret it. Once you keg that first batch, you will wonder why you questioned it in the first place!


Roed Haus Brewery

It will be worth it. That is a good deal for the kegs with the included equipment. Kegging is much less of a pain, and you'll get good at force-carbing your beer and keeping it at the right pressure for your system with a little practice. Your beer won't go bad. It'll get better. Go for it!
:rockin:

I suggest you keg AND bottle. What I do is make 6-10 gallon batches of every beer. 5 goes into a corny and then either the basement or kegerator.... the other surplus (between 1 and 5 gallons) get bottled.

I share alot of my brew and single bottles is the way to go. I dislike sharing via growlers.... the volume is too high.

With my kegs I often pull them out of the fridge and rotate um to the basement before kicking.... just to keep what's on tap something new. A few months later I snag one from storage and toss it back in.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Home Brew mobile app

I plan on doing both, but I will bottle from the keg. There is a thread that is a sticky here that shows how to make a cheap beer gun with a stopper and some hose.

I love kegging, but it's definitely a bit of an issue as if I had to bottle, I definitely wouldn't brew and therefore drink as much as I do. Another nice thing is that the brewpub I frequent will fill a corny for me if I bring it in. That came in handy for me this winter when it just got too cold to brew as regularly as I like to. So that allowed me to keep a third beer on tap all winter.

akillys said:

I plan on doing both, but I will bottle from the keg. There is a thread that is a sticky here that shows how to make a cheap beer gun with a stopper and some hose.

Click to expand...

Search "growler filler" on flea bay, they are less than $15

Airplanedoc said:

Search "growler filler" on flea bay, they are less than $15

Click to expand...

Make sure you get the right growler filler too. When I upgraded my taps to my Perlicks, I also had to buy the growler filler for them. The old filler wouldn't work with the Perlicks.

Another thought - as the number of ball lock kegs in the marketplace has diminished the price has gone up. My kegs are an appreciating asset!

At least that's what I tell SWMBO.