New to Kegging -- Out of Sight, Out of Mind?

I got really lucky on my kegging gear. I had brewed and bottled about 5 batches before I had an epiphany; my dad worked for Pepsi back in the '70s and I suddenly remembered that I grew up with a commercial soda fountain in my house. When I asked pops about it before going home for a visit this month he said we could take a look at the old gear and I could help myself. There ended up being 4 cornies, spools of hoses, all the fittings and disconnects, and a 20# co2 tank. Jackpot. When I got home I scored a mini fridge on CL for $20 and (thanks to this forum), got it working in short order. Kegged an American wheat and loving it.

So, here's the issue: I think when I had to physically watch the bottles of beer diminish I paid more attention. Now, it's just too easy to pour a glass without worrying. I used to have maybe 1 beer a day, now I grab draws much more frequently. It's probably just because it's new, but did any of you guys increase your daily intake when you switched?

Cheers,
Mark

 

Keeping mine in the detached garage has made it maybe a little less tempting. Are you worried from the standpoint of calories, addiction, or having/getting to brew more frequently?

 

I never bottled first, i went straight to kegging since i figured filling and capping 54 bottles would be very annoying vs filling 1 keg. I have kicked a few kegs and thought to myself, wtf how did it go so fast.

Nice score off your pops though. wish my stuff was free.

 

Thanks for the concern, I'm not worried about developing a drinking problem, but more that I will burn through my precious homebrew about twice as fast.

 

I don't think I actually drink more, but I get a better variety on any given day being able to pour 5-6 oz of 4 different beers rather than drinking a single bomber. Since I hated bottling with a passion I do find I brew a lot more in the years since I started kegging. Nice score on the gear, it's great that your old man didn't let it go in some yard sale over the years!

 

I may have increased my intake somewhat after beginning Kegging. One difference is that I'm less concerned about maintaining my stock of a particular brew - and when a keg kicks it's a little exciting. I think in part it's because with bottles, each one is a labor of love, whereas a keg is simpler (and when it's empty, it's time to brew again!).

I have a few half-pint glasses I like - I prefer to have a few half-pints of a variety of things (6-tap keezer, plus some picnics taps inside it, and some kegs in my downstairs lagering fridge), rather than a full 12- or 22-ouncer.

Sampling a batch that's conditioning doesn't require cracking open a whole bottle, either - dumping a 4 oz sample isn't really a big deal.

 

Good post, I so wish I would have grabbed the Keg stuff since my family in the day had a Pepsi bottling plant. I have my keezer in my detached garage which helps with the consumption. What has happened though is my wife doesn't want me to run out so I have to keep the pipe line full.

 

I agree bottling is a pain sometimes, but if I had keg, I would probably start drinking too much without even thinking about it. Someday when I have the funds, I am sure I will start kegging, and it would only take one monster hangover to remind me.

 

My biggest annoyance is never knowing when a keg is about to be finished, and running out of something just when I was planning on filling a growler for a dinner party.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

Yep, for me it's not as much that I drink more or faster (though if you're pouring it into a glass, then it doesn't matter whether it's bottled or kegged, it can be way easier to down one quick).

For me it's more that it's tougher to stop when I'd normally not want to crack a whole other beer, but can just pull the 4-8 ounces more I want... Then I might want another 4-8 ounces... Then maybe just a few more to cap off the night... Aw, what the hell, what's another 4 ounces.... "Gurgle, gurgle"... Well damn, when is that next batch gonna be done?

Plus it's really tempting to want to sample frequently as it's carbing and conditioning. My first homebrew keg kicked right after it was fully carbed and starting to taste really good. I've tried to go easier on it since then.

 

You could always just brew twice as often

 

i have two methods of checking the volume in the keg without picking it up. Picking it up as you know will stir the sediment then cause you to dump a pint or two after doing that.

If im just trying to get a rough estimate i just knock on the keg from top to bottom and listen for the sound difference caused by the beer OR you can just leave your keezer or kegerator open and let the warm air in so that the moisture will condense on the side of the keg and show you the volume line.

 

why not pick up a cheap scale from walmart and leave the keg on it?

 

There's a group that's working to evolve a tap list display kit into a system that will also track what's left in kegs.

Anyway...I will say that switching to kegging coincided with my annual production jumping from roughly 100 gallons to <cough> "200 gallons" <cough> .

Of course, there's no telling if that was totally cause -> effect, but let's face it, there's an allure to good beer on tap, not only on household members who can grab a pint any time of day, but friends and relatives ("Hey! Let's go over to Dave's house!" )

I used to be surprised how quickly a handful of folks could croak a keg...

Cheers!

 

Space is sometimes an issue for people. also most people have more than one tap and keg. i only have 2 taps on my kegerator and i kinda wish i had gone the keezer route and did like 5-6 taps.

 

200 gallons?? Hey, everybody, let's go over to Dave's house!

 

Ahahahahaha! Good one!

Cheers!