Who prefers bottling over kegging?

CornyKegs 728
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I have bottled all of my 177 batches of beer ( yeah, 177 batches) and have no plans to keg. I don't mind bottling at all and like having a few bottles of many previous batches that are well aged and hiding in the corners of my 3 refrigerators just waiting to be rediscovered.
 
Something just occurred to me. Bottlers are better home brewers than keggers, and bottled beer is better than kegged. Think about it.

Keggers rely on store bought CO2. We bottlers make our own. So, you keggers, enjoy your "commercial macro" CO2. We bottlers will be over here making our own. Yeah. We brew CO2. We control what it's made from. You keggers have no control at all. Hell, half the CO2 you buy in the store is actually butane anyway. Y'all may as well buy kegs of Red Dog. That's what it's going to taste like anyway.

Ha! Take that!
 
I like bottle conditioned beers and I sort of like bottling. Cleaning and prepping bottles is piss easy for the most part. I drink 2-3 beers at a time of an evening. Bottles get rinsed and dumped in hot water before I go to bed, labels peel right off the next morning (any that don't, get recycled) then the bottles go in the dishwasher then into boxes for storage.
 
rowan57 said:
I like bottle conditioned beers and I sort of like bottling. Cleaning and prepping bottles is piss easy for the most part. I drink 2-3 beers at a time of an evening. Bottles get rinsed and dumped in hot water before I go to bed, labels peel right off the next morning (any that don't, get recycled) then the bottles go in the dishwasher then into boxes for storage.
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Hmmm... I never thought of using the dishwasher. Does that work well?

I get this residue in the bottles even though I thoroughly rinse them right after pouring the beer out. I've resorted to using a drill and a bottle brush, but it's a royal pain in the butt to clean them that way. I might have to try the dishwasher since I basically get free detergent since my gf makes the stuff :)
 
The dishwasher is great. I don't use any soap at all, just run the thing on a normal cycle after having rinsed the bottles out right after drinking.

It gets so hot that they are pretty well sanitized and I then dunk them in Starsan just before bottling and put the bottles back on the dishwasher rack to drain prior to bottling.

Another shortcut I use is to do almost all 22 ounce bottles, with a half dozen or so 12's. This cuts the # of bottles in half and a 22 ouncer is about my standard dose.
 
Well I was thinking I'd run them in a normal load with other dishes with detergent. I can't see how the detergent would be bad as I put my (cheaper) beer glasses in there and drink out of them.
 
I don't do my glasses in the dishwasher, cos it leaves an odour in the glasses, surely this would also apply to the bottles ?
 
Same, Ill soak the labels off then pop them in the dishwasher before I bottle, then dunk in star-san
 
Rhumbline said:
The dishwasher is great. I don't use any soap at all, just run the thing on a normal cycle after having rinsed the bottles out right after drinking.

It gets so hot that they are pretty well sanitized and I then dunk them in Starsan just before bottling and put the bottles back on the dishwasher rack to drain prior to bottling.

Another shortcut I use is to do almost all 22 ounce bottles, with a half dozen or so 12's. This cuts the # of bottles in half and a 22 ouncer is about my standard dose.
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fartinmartin said:
I don't do my glasses in the dishwasher, cos it leaves an odour in the glasses, surely this would also apply to the bottles ?
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MarsingRedneck said:
I put the DW on rinse, NO soap and start er up. Cleans and sanitizes just fine.
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pshhhh! blow my own bottles every time I bottle. same with my carboys. can't get more sanitized than hot glowing glass.
 
Just remember it is getting tough supplying you with sand with all this frozen ground.
 
PRE66_6TART said:
I'm the sort of nerd who gets pleasure from amassing a huge stockpile of bottles, and then filling them with way more beer than I can drink. Having an unreasonable amount of bottles full of various different beers just makes me feel better.
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Somehow I can relate to this.... I feel exactly the same way.. but about kegs!
 
I've only bottled thus far, but bought 2 ball lock kegs awhile back. I also was gifted a Tap a Draft system, which I have yet to use. I had been planning on getting a paintball co2 bottle and regulator to try that out (got some kit off eBay to do it just have got around to it yet).

I am wondering after reading here (and sorry if this is covered elsewhere) - I don't have the $ or space currently for a dedicated kegerator or keezer, but it seems like it might be easier to bottle out of a keg, and instead of getting the 20oz co2 maybe get the 5lb... I already planned to get a regulator anyways & It would allow for more dialed in carbonation? And a faster turnaround? What all would I need other than lines, regulator & co2? Or is it not worth the effort?

I have no real issue bottling personally other than waiting to drink it :)
 
I keg, in general, but I don't mind bottling the very big beers I brew. With help from the young one, and a set of cleaned and de-labled bottles (Taking label off sucks) I can get it done in under an hour, complete start to complete finish. And a lot of that time is just getting the stuff gathered.

It's slightly more work by myself, but the kid loves to help and who am I to deny her her fun?
 
I bottle since I started brewing 2 years ago.Bought a kegging system a month ago can't wait to build my kegerator. Can't wait to see my wife face when she see the kegerator in the workshop hahaha! I do 23 liters batch so i'll bottle 4L and keg the left-over. I gave a dark ale to my friend last year and we drank it yesterday, it was delicious. I don't think I'm able to age a beer that long in a keg. I'll continue to bottle beer because it's a great gift for friends and family and so easy with my hundreds of grolsh bottle. It's so rewarding when you look at all those bottles filled with delicious beer :)

grolsh.jpg
 
Spawn2qc said:
I bottle since I started brewing 2 years ago.Bought a kegging system a month ago can't wait to build my kegerator. Can't wait to see my wife face when she see the kegerator in the workshop hahaha! I do 23 liters batch so i'll bottle 4L and keg the left-over. I gave a dark ale to my friend last year and we drank it yesterday, it was delicious. I don't think I'm able to age a beer that long in a keg. I'll continue to bottle beer because it's a great gift for friends and family and so easy with my hundreds of grolsh bottle. It's so rewarding when you look at all those bottles filled with delicious beer :)
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That's great and they look awesome but I highly suggest you actually read this thread... you can bottle from your keg and as yooper pointed out a properly sealed keg is better then a bottle for ageing as its light impervious. Bottles still let light in.
 
Doctor_M said:
That's great and they look awesome but I highly suggest you actually read this thread... you can bottle from your keg and as yooper pointed out a properly sealed keg is better then a bottle for ageing as its light impervious. Bottles still let light in.
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Do you keep your beer in the garden? I've yet to skunk a beer and I bottle everything. I even keep meads in 12 oz crown bottles for over a year with no issues.
 
MarshmallowBlue said:
Do you keep your beer in the garden? I've yet to skunk a beer and I bottle everything. I even keep meads in 12 oz crown bottles for over a year with no issues.
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I was responding to his post where he implied he didn't think his beer would keep as well in a keg. And yes your right the majority will not have skunking issues from bottling but that doesn't change the fact that some uv light (the cause of the phenomenon of skunked beer) gets through. Since a keg is not transparent like a bottle there is no risk.

I know I'm becoming a parrot and I'll try and step away from this thread but like it or not aside from cost and space (and as someone brought up getting the lines leak free which can be a pain til you can track them down) kegging is superior in every way. I can do everything a bottle conditioner can do (including bottling) and more and to top it all off it takes a shorter time period.
 
Really not wanting to get into an argument (I've never kegged, so I don't know). I'm really looking for the correct answer because I'm setting up my kegerator right now, but I was still planning on bottling some batches. Is it really faster to bottle from a keg?

It seems like a very similar process. You still have to clean and sanitize all the bottles (biggest pain in the butt to me). You still have to transfer over to some vessel. You still have to fill the bottles, which from what I've been seeing, it more annoying from a keg due to foaming issues which you don't have when bottling with priming sugar. So is it really faster to fill bottles from the keg?

Of course there is also the question of which is better, but I've seen people on both sides say their method is better, so I'm just going to assume it's either equivalent or possibly recipe dependent and we don't have a definitive answer on this.
 
I can't skip the money argument when a grolsch bottle if free from my buddy and I should pay 65$ from the LHBS. I would love to have a lot of keg. It takes less space than beer case. For the light skunky argument, my bottles are in a cardboard box in my basement so.. and the grolsh bottles have the same rubber seal than keg vs twist cap. I'll look for the beer gun :p I suppose there is no priming sugar because it's already carbonated
 
mtnagel said:
Really not wanting to get into an argument (I've never kegged, so I don't know). I'm really looking for the correct answer because I'm setting up my kegerator right now, but I was still planning on bottling some batches. Is it really faster to bottle from a keg?

It seems like a very similar process. You still have to clean and sanitize all the bottles (biggest pain in the butt to me). You still have to transfer over to some vessel. You still have to fill the bottles, which from what I've been seeing, it more annoying from a keg due to foaming issues which you don't have when bottling with priming sugar. So is it really faster to fill bottles from the keg?

Of course there is also the question of which is better, but I've seen people on both sides say their method is better, so I'm just going to assume it's either equivalent or possibly recipe dependent and we don't have a definitive answer on this.
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Most people don't bottle whole batches from their taps. They bottle a 6-pack or two at a time for competitions, for taking to parties, for sharing with friends, for camping, etc.

I do think kegging is the way to go if you have the space and money to throw together a kegerator. It's a lot easier to bottle from a keg than it is to keg from bottles... ;)
 
mtnagel said:
Really not wanting to get into an argument (I've never kegged, so I don't know). I'm really looking for the correct answer because I'm setting up my kegerator right now, but I was still planning on bottling some batches. Is it really faster to bottle from a keg?

It seems like a very similar process. You still have to clean and sanitize all the bottles (biggest pain in the butt to me). You still have to transfer over to some vessel. You still have to fill the bottles, which from what I've been seeing, it more annoying from a keg due to foaming issues which you don't have when bottling with priming sugar. So is it really faster to fill bottles from the keg?

Of course there is also the question of which is better, but I've seen people on both sides say their method is better, so I'm just going to assume it's either equivalent or possibly recipe dependent and we don't have a definitive answer on this.
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It actually may take a wee bit longer in terms of the actual process of bottling from a keg as you have to clean and sanitize the keg and beer gun in addition to the bottles you already would have to clean and sanitize if bottle conditioning. Maybe an extra 15 minutes maximum. If your not bottling a batch you probably save almost an hour as your only cleaning one giant bottle and filling one giant bottle. Where it CAN also be faster is the amount of time it takes for your beer to be carbonated. In the long run kegging will save you time. Maybe not for every batch if you decide to bottle but unless a beer is really special I almost never bottle. If I just wanna bring a growler I skip the beer gun and fill it up from the tap.

You can in a pinch do the chill ,force carb ,and shake method and have carbonated beer in 48 hours. You can't do that when bottle conditioning. What happens if you under carb in bottles? Over carb? In kegging it's as simple as adding co2 if low or pulling the pressure relief valve if to high. Not as easy to adjust when bottling.
 
Keg almost all the time. I use a beer gun when I need/want to bottle.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Home Brew mobile app
 
When I have extra time and a quality beer: I like to bottle

When I am in a hurry and have more things on my honey to do list: I keg

I think most of us that have been brewing for sometime likely have done both methods and/or currently do both to some degree now. It just depends on your resources and how quickly you abandon one for the other. I gradually added more equipment in time with my set-up. Because I have bottles, I'm going to be resourceful and find a use for them.

As far as aging, I prefer to bottle a "special recipe" and store in a dark cellar. I've got the bottles so I'm going to use 'em. Bottling is more personal and if I've got a sexy batch brewed, it's going in a bottle. If I've got a lawnmower, it's wham bam thank you ma'am put her in a keg!
 
BeerLoverHere said:
When I have extra time and a quality beer: I like to bottle

...
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I agree, there's something very cool about picking up a bottle of beer that I brewed and bottled, popping the cork, and pouring a frosty beverage.

I don't drink very much anymore, so the act of presenting and savoring that brew is important.
 
Doctor_M said:
It actually may take a wee bit longer in terms of the actual process of bottling from a keg as you have to clean and sanitize the keg and beer gun in addition to the bottles you already would have to clean and sanitize if bottle conditioning. Maybe an extra 15 minutes maximum. If your not bottling a batch you probably save almost an hour as your only cleaning one giant bottle and filling one giant bottle. Where it CAN also be faster is the amount of time it takes for your beer to be carbonated. In the long run kegging will save you time. Maybe not for every batch if you decide to bottle but unless a beer is really special I almost never bottle. If I just wanna bring a growler I skip the beer gun and fill it up from the tap.

You can in a pinch do the chill ,force carb ,and shake method and have carbonated beer in 48 hours. You can't do that when bottle conditioning. What happens if you under carb in bottles? Over carb? In kegging it's as simple as adding co2 if low or pulling the pressure relief valve if to high. Not as easy to adjust when bottling.
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Thanks for the info. Makes sense.
 
I just bought myself a keg kit with my score of amazon gift cards I received for christmas. So I will soon know the joy and decision making of bottling or kegging. (Ultimately I will keg my next batch no matter what lol)
 
I've actually never bottled a whole batch of beer. I've filled a dozen bottles or so from kegs to give to friends and family, but never a whole batch.

After I made my "initial equipment buy", I bought my kegging stuff while my first batch was still in the fermenter. I watched a bunch of people bottling and was already over it =D
 
i enjoy both, bigger beers that will benefit from aging go into bottles. The belgians i brew typically go into bottles. Stuff like ipa's, pa and ambers usually go into the keg, since i typically enjoy them when they are fresher.
 
tallahasseegreys said:
Are there any veteran home brewers out there who prefer to bottle as opposed to kegging? Forget money differences, or time till you can drink differences. Are there any all grain brewers who just *prefer* to bottle??
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*From the brewer who wrote the dissertation: "The Beauty of the Bottle"....

Bottling from a bottling bucket is for the birds.

I keg 90% of my brews, but still prime and bottle (from a keg) every once in a while.

Enjoy bottles, but kegging is the end destination.

Bottles have 2 distinct advantages:

Portability

and

Storage/Conditioning Options

It is possible to put a sixer in the basement cabinet and forget it.

It is possible to put together a mixed case for your dad.

It is possible to take a sixer to a party.

It is possible to store 24 of them in the fridge your food is in, spread out where a large 1/4 barrel would not fit.

It is possible to drink half of a batch, and let the other half condition for four months.

Short of that, kegging is so far superior in any way, it is not worth discussing.
 
QuercusMax said:
Do you mean you mix up the priming sugar in the keg, then fill bottles and bottle condition them? Or do you mean you keg-condition, then bottle?
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Bottling from a carbed keg is a little iffy and not very elegant.

I purge the keg, put my priming solution into the empty keg, rack the beer onto it, hook up 3 or 4 PSI Co2, bottle from the tap.

So effing easy it should be illegal.

I bottled 2 batches of beer and 2 batches of wine for SWMBO in 45 minutes.

Of course, I had all my bottles sanitized and in a row, but talk about easy!
 
Im shocked this thread is still going...even more shocked that there are people who prefer bottling over kegging..bottling over 1 gallon of beer just plain blows..nothing fun about it..IMHO but whatever as long as beer gets packaged
 
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