Advantages to kegging?

[huckbof]

bottling from a keg? now you are packaging the beer twice, that is more effort
and you still gotta deal with bottles

regularly cleaning the lines and valves is effort

replacing equipment that wears out or breaks is effort

troubleshooting keg equipment issues can be a real hassle
a bad or leaky regulator, foamy wasted brew, metallic taste etc. etc. a bunch of crap can go wrong

kegged beer quality drops off after 6 to 8 weeks so you are forced to drink it fast and only in your own house, there was a guy on here who had to stop kegging because he was becoming an alky

you are just trading one type of effort for another and adding a bunch of equipment and complexity for what benefit - I don't see it

why add unecessary complexity unless that complexity is perceived as cool
or you run a brew pub

 

[stratslinger]

bottling from a keg? now you are packaging the beer twice, that is more effort
and you still gotta deal with bottles

regularly cleaning the lines and valves is effort

replacing equipment that wears out or breaks is effort

troubleshooting keg equipment issues can be a real hassle
a bad or leaky regulator, foamy wasted brew, metallic taste etc. etc. a bunch of crap can go wrong

kegged beer quality drops off after 6 to 8 weeks so you are forced to drink it fast and only in your own house, there was a guy on here who had to stop kegging because he was becoming an alky

you are just trading one type of effort for another and adding a bunch of equipment and complexity for what benefit - I don't see it

why add unecessary complexity unless that complexity is perceived as cool
or you run a brew pub

Wow...

OK, lemme tackle these:

Bottling from the keg is useful on those times you want to give away a few of your brews to a friend, or if you have another keg lined up you really want to get on tap - aside from that, I agree: kegging only to bottle from said keg is a little silly.

I'd argue that regularly cleaning lines is hardly any more work than cleaning bottles - and done about as frequently. I clean my lines (most of the time) between every keg. And it can be stupid simple - run BLC through the line, run rinse water through the line, done. Break down the faucet and give it an oxy clean bath every few kegs... As opposed to soaking and/or scrubbing ~50 bottles every time you bottle, I'd say kegging has the upper hand.

Replacing equipment that breaks would be effort, yes. I've had my kegerator online 3+ years now, and the only thing I've had to replace was the fridge itself - which I would have had to replace whether it was a kegerator or a fridge for storing bottled beer. Push.

Troubleshooting your keg system has a slightly steeper learning curve than bottling, given. But once you've done your first couple kegs, you know your system and there's really nothing to troubleshoot, unless you develop a leak, which is typically easy enough to locate using a little soapy water. Compare that to umpteen "my beer isn't carbing" threads that show up on this forum every couple days, and I'd say this is a push at best.

Kegged beer quality drops off after x weeks? Sure. If your kegging process is flawed, I'm sure it would. I routinely have kegs last longer than this - sometimes _significantly_ longer. Same for everyone in my club who has kegerators/keezers. The only time I've had a quality drop off has been when there was an issue _I was aware of_ in my fermentation process, and that problem would have arisen whether I bottled or kegged (short story - I had an infection). If anything, the quality in the keg would be more stable, since by its very nature a keg blocks ALL light from striking the beer, so skunking isn't a thing you need to worry about.

At the end of the day, whether you choose to keg or bottle is entirely up to you (personally, though I love my kegs, I'll bottle a heffe every time, because in the keg I feel like all the yeast drops out quickly and you don't get the same qualities you get in a bottled heffe), but the reasons you're listing for not kegging just don't hold up to any kind of examination.

 

[bondra76]

I went straight into kegging when I started homebrewing. I have NEVER capped one bottle.

My reason (for better or worse) was that I came on to this forum and asked people about kegging vs. bottling. I had a lot of responses from folks that they bottled for a while and now they have kegs. I was scared of the costs as well - and it did cost me a lot of money to do kegs. BUT person after person told me they started off bottling and went to kegging and never looked back.

To me, kegging was a huge initial expense, but if you bottle and then move to kegging you're going to be paying double. I just went with the kegging stuff and was done with it. To most people, kegging is a second "upgraded" phase of storing beer. I figured I would just skip phase one (bottling) and do it right from the start.

The ONLY regret that I have is that now after making beers for a few years I want to submit bottles for homebrew competitions. Fortunately you can bottle though right from a keg. Issue solved.

 

[huckbof]

Wow...
but the reasons you're listing for not kegging just don't hold up to any kind of examination.

I disagree and see misconceptions and flaws with every one of your arguments.
But I don't expect someone who has dumped a lot of cash
into kegging to be objective about the process, so I won't bother with another long reply.

Kegging just has a cool factor and that is the bottom line.
Cool factor and having more equipment to play
around with, maintain and upgrade to be even more cool.

 

[bondra76]

I routinely take my sanke kegs to parties thrown by my friends. It's 10x more convenient than bottles for that purpose.

 

[huckbof]

To most people, kegging is a second "upgraded" phase of storing beer. I figured I would just skip phase one (bottling) and do it right from the start.

upgraded? lol more like downgraded and lazy...stay ho,e and drink it fast before it spoils

this is right from the kegerator website

"If refrigerated within a kegerator that uses CO2, a keg will generally last at least 6-8 weeks before it starts to lose its fresh taste. If you store it at the appropriate temperatures, pasteurized beer will last you at least three months, sometimes as long as six months. Unpasteurized beer will only last two months."

 

[JonM]

I have been kegging for years, cleaning the lines is a snap - I just run cleaner through them when I clean the next keg. Other than O-rings and a couple of poppets, I have NEVER had to replace equipment. I had one leak when I first started and, thereafter, I have NEVER had to troubleshoot problems with the equipment.

And Kegged beer going bad in 6-8 weeks? That is absolute nonsense. Nonsense. I have a barleywine that has been in the same keg for almost 2.5 years. I have a robust porter that has been in the keg for maybe 4 months. I have never, ever, ever heard of or experienced kegged beer going bad in 6-8 weeks. Never.

Cool factor? It's in my basement. No one ever goes down there except me and SWMBO. I think maybe 1 or 2 people have seen my keg fridge, so there is definitely no "cool factor" for me.

Bottom line - from start to finish, I have a beer from the fermenter to the keg and everything cleaned and put away in under 30 minutes.

 

[jbb3]

I disagree and see misconceptions and flaws with every one of your arguments.
But I don't expect someone who has dumped a lot of cash
into kegging to be objective about the process, so I won't bother with another long reply.

Kegging just has a cool factor and that is the bottom line.
Cool factor and having more equipment to play
around with, maintain and upgrade to be even more cool.

Just for reference; Do you keg now or have you ever kegged in the past?

 

[brewprint]

Personally; I cannot understand why anyone would not keg over bottling if they had the funds. So the funds being just about the ONLY reason not to keg.

There may be personal reasons why a guy won't want to keg such as drinking too much. I drank too much when I bottled or kegged. There's no difference.

Bottling out of a keg takes as much time as bottling out of a bottling bucket and carbing naturally. With a keg you're not stuck with 50 bottles. You can do one or a case...whatever you choose. I started making everyone that wants beer get growlers so now I don't even do that. If I'm going to a gathering I just fill a couple growlers and life is good.

I just see almost no reason to bottle over kegging besides funds.

 

[jbb3]

upgraded? lol more like downgraded and lazy...stay ho,e and drink it fast before it spoils

this is right from the kegerator website

"If refrigerated within a kegerator that uses CO2, a keg will generally last at least 6-8 weeks before it starts to lose its fresh taste. If you store it at the appropriate temperatures, pasteurized beer will last you at least three months, sometimes as long as six months. Unpasteurized beer will only last two months."

huckbof, I have to hand it to you. You've made some compelling arguments. So this one's for you! :rockin:

 

[bondra76]

upgraded? Lol more like downgraded and lazy...stay ho,e and drink it fast before it spoils



this is right from the kegerator website



"if refrigerated within a kegerator that uses co2, a keg will generally last at least 6-8 weeks before it starts to lose its fresh taste. If you store it at the appropriate temperatures, pasteurized beer will last you at least three months, sometimes as long as six months. Unpasteurized beer will only last two months."

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1429828805.609233.jpg

 

[bondra76]

upgraded? lol more like downgraded and lazy...stay ho,e and drink it fast before it spoils



this is right from the kegerator website



"If refrigerated within a kegerator that uses CO2, a keg will generally last at least 6-8 weeks before it starts to lose its fresh taste. If you store it at the appropriate temperatures, pasteurized beer will last you at least three months, sometimes as long as six months. Unpasteurized beer will only last two months."

Well if the kegerator site says it.....


View attachment 273145

 

[bondra76]

upgraded? Lol more like downgraded and lazy...stay ho,e and drink it fast before it spoils



this is right from the kegerator website



"if refrigerated within a kegerator that uses co2, a keg will generally last at least 6-8 weeks before it starts to lose its fresh taste. If you store it at the appropriate temperatures, pasteurized beer will last you at least three months, sometimes as long as six months. Unpasteurized beer will only last two months."

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1429828898.152055.jpg

 

[bondra76]

Ha

 

[pvpeacock]

I quit brewing in the mid-1990's primarily because I hated bottling. I hated gathering and storing the empty bottles, cleaning the bottles, the time it took to fill and cap the bottles, the inconsistent carbonation levels and the fact that I couldn't do anything to fix by beer once it was bottled (e.g. no increasing or decreasing the carbonation levels, no additional dry hopping or adding hop tea).

As for how long a keg lasts, I don't buy the 6-8 week shelf life for a keg either. I have a coffee stout that I had kegged for over a year before I ever put it in the kegerator and it is fantastic. Yes, do hoppy IPA's start to fade with time? Of course they do. But with a keg, I can french press a hop tea or dry hop it again and the hoppy flavor/aroma returns. You can't do that with a bottle. In addition, bottled beer only last so long as well. That's why companies like Coors pull their beers off store shelves after a certain period of time or have "born on" dates (although I truly do not believe Bud ever expires -- it always tastes bad).

If you like bottling, more power to you. However, I doubt you can find many home brewers who have switched back to bottling after trying kegging.

 

[beersnblues]

I guess I am that guy. I kegged exclusively for over a year. Several weeks ago I gave my 5 tap keezer and 12 ball-lock kegs to my brother. After a year of kegging, I had to start bottling due to the lack of available kegs. I guess I like to brew a lot more than I like to drink. I do 10 gallon batches except for 5 gal batches of barley wine.

I rather enjoy giving a friend or family member a six pack or two of one of my beers that they really enjoyed. It also helps thin out my inventory.

Now, if my bro helps with the brew, he gets a refill. Otherwise, I bottle it all.

As for bottling, we have a system. My beautiful wife and I can bottle 10 gal in a little over an hour including clean-up. We don't mind it at all, but to each his own...

FWIW, several kegs have sat in a closet at room temp for over 12 months. They are great. A keg of Berliner Weiss is even better than its sister keg a year ago.

Lastly, I determined early on that my preference was to bottle lighter lagers (helles, pils, export) rather than keg. They seemed to be clearer and fresher when bottled, but just personal preference.

Figure out what works for you, but don't think that because you don't keg you are somehow an inferior home brewer...it's only packaging.

Cheers!

 

[BigFloyd]

"If refrigerated within a kegerator that uses CO2, a keg will generally last at least 6-8 weeks before it starts to lose its fresh taste. If you store it at the appropriate temperatures, pasteurized beer will last you at least three months, sometimes as long as six months. Unpasteurized beer will only last two months."

My goodness what utter BS.

 

[brew_ny]

My goodness what utter BS.

that it is

 

[max384]

bottling from a keg? now you are packaging the beer twice, that is more effort
and you still gotta deal with bottles

regularly cleaning the lines and valves is effort

replacing equipment that wears out or breaks is effort

troubleshooting keg equipment issues can be a real hassle
a bad or leaky regulator, foamy wasted brew, metallic taste etc. etc. a bunch of crap can go wrong

kegged beer quality drops off after 6 to 8 weeks so you are forced to drink it fast and only in your own house, there was a guy on here who had to stop kegging because he was becoming an alky

you are just trading one type of effort for another and adding a bunch of equipment and complexity for what benefit - I don't see it

why add unecessary complexity unless that complexity is perceived as cool
or you run a brew pub

Do you, or have you ever, kegged?

 

[2ellas]

I disagree and see misconceptions and flaws with every one of your arguments.
But I don't expect someone who has dumped a lot of cash
into kegging to be objective about the process, so I won't bother with another long reply.

Kegging just has a cool factor and that is the bottom line.
Cool factor and having more equipment to play
around with, maintain and upgrade to be even more cool.

Troll on my man

 

[jbb3]

Have you ever noticed, some threads can take a very strange turn and never get back to the original subject??

OP, I hope you received enough feedback in the first few pages of the thread? It been downhill since...

If you have any specific questions, please post them.

 

[EcuPirate07]

Are we being serious right now??? I have the most basic setup. 2 kegs 1 tap, 1 air line, and a CO2 tank and a converted mini fridge.................that's it. If I'm not using any of my equipment it takes up a 4x4 section in my laundry room and I use my mini fridge as a craft brew fridge for commercial beers I picked up. Most bottler have CASES of empty (or full) bottles, bottle caps laying around, a capping system wether it be a hand system or more advance, a bottling bucket, priming sugar and I'm sure I'm missing some other things. My point is you can make kegging as simple or as complex as you want just like bottling. Either way is fine, a bottler is going to tell you to bottle, a kegger is going to tell you to keg. But I don't know many people who went from kegging back to bottling solely. It just doesn't make sense. There is definitely some close mindedness in this thread.

 

[max384]

I wasn't going to spend the time answering your post, but I reread it several times, and it's so ridiculous that I feel I would be remiss not to respond.

bottling from a keg? now you are packaging the beer twice, that is more effort
and you still gotta deal with bottles

The beauty of kegging is that you can still bottle with priming sugar if you would like. You can also avoid yeast sediment in the bottles and bottle from the keg. You can keg the entire batch and then only bottle a few bottles if you want to. There are simply far more options when you keg.

regularly cleaning the lines and valves is effort

Very little effort. Seriously.

replacing equipment that wears out or breaks is effort

Fortunately, things don't wear out or break very often, and replacing them is generally not very difficult.

troubleshooting keg equipment issues can be a real hassle
a bad or leaky regulator, foamy wasted brew, metallic taste etc. etc. a bunch of crap can go wrong

This is about the only part of your post that has any merit. Troubleshooting equipment issues can be a real PITA. Fortunately, this isn't a regular occurrence to most people who keg. They happen occasionally, but not a big deal, really.

kegged beer quality drops off after 6 to 8 weeks so you are forced to drink it fast and only in your own house, there was a guy on here who had to stop kegging because he was becoming an alky

6-8 weeks? Really? I keep kegs for much longer than that and I haven't noticed any degradation of quality.

Are you really going to blame kegging equipment for someone becoming an alcoholic? Do you blame a fat person's spoon for eating too much? Give me a break.

you are just trading one type of effort for another and adding a bunch of equipment and complexity for what benefit - I don't see it

The effort of kegging is FAR less than bottling. THAT is the benefit.

why add unecessary complexity unless that complexity is perceived as cool
or you run a brew pub

I'm not sure why you're so stuck on cool being the only reason people keg. Sure, I think my kegerator is cool, but that's not why I keg. In fact, I don't know anyone who kegs because they think it's cool. Many of us hate bottling, and kegging is a far faster, easier, and more enjoyable endeavor than bottling.



There is nothing wrong with bottling. Someone who bottles is no less of a brewer than someone who kegs. If you prefer bottling over kegging, so be it. More power to you. However, your proselytizing over this subject is both bizarre and grossly inaccurate.

Also, keep in mind that nearly everyone here has both bottled and kegged, and then made up their mind that kegging is superior. Based on your posts here, it does not appear that you have kegged; only bottled. This gives you a decidedly partisan opinion on this matter.

 

[huckbof]

Just going on record, I think bottling is a superior package to any other method and new brewers should not be shamed or scared into using other inferior industrial forms of packaging. There is an elegant simplicity to bottling.

 

[JonM]

There is an elegant simplicity to bottling.

I'll agree with that.

 

[max384]

Just going on record, I think bottling is a superior package to any other method and new brewers should not be shamed or scared into using other inferior industrial forms of packaging. There is an elegant simplicity to bottling.

So do you, or have you ever, kegged?

 

[huckbof]

So do you, or have you ever, kegged?

I have kegged with friends many times and at the LHBS. I have experienced first hand the frustrating equipment struggles many times. I have also tapped a bunch of kegs. I have drank a lot of stale bad beer from kegs over the years.

That said, I do like some tapped beer from the microbrewery, usually under nitro. But it is usually a disappointment when the growler they fill right in front of me loses a lot and is never the same at home. Maybe that is from the air in the growler.

Have you ever sat at a bar or brewpub waiting for them to tap a new keg. First off, it takes forever, and then they pour beer after beer of foam down the drain. Then they start getting some beer but are still pouring more beer down the drain. I have been in many respeced microbreweries and watched more beer go down the drain than into the glass.

I do prefer Fuller's London Pride on tap vs the can, but don't get me started on canned beer. Tapped beer from the UK is definitely way better.

I have read that some commercial brewers naturally carbonate because they claim forced carbonation negatively changes the beer.

Just tipping the scale a little back into balance.

 

[buddman]

In an attempt to obtain the best of both worlds (kegging and bottling), I still use priming sugar in my kegs. Use half the amount that I would if bottling. I then charge the tanks with about 30# of CO2, disconnect and let it condition for a couple weeks. Seems to work for me.

 

[max384]

I have kegged with friends many times and at the LHBS. I have experienced first hand the frustrating equipment struggles many times. I have also tapped a bunch of kegs. I have drank a lot of stale bad beer from kegs over the years.

That said, I do like some tapped beer from the microbrewery, usually under nitro. But it is usually a disappointment when the growler they fill right in front of me loses a lot and is never the same at home. Maybe that is from the air in the growler.

Have you ever sat at a bar or brewpub waiting for them to tap a new keg. First off, it takes forever, and then they pour beer after beer of foam down the drain. Then they start getting some beer but are still pouring more beer down the drain. I have been in many respeced microbreweries and watched more beer go down the drain than into the glass.

I do prefer Fuller's London Pride on tap vs the can, but don't get me started on canned beer. Tapped beer from the UK is definitely way better.

I have read that some commercial brewers naturally carbonate because they claim forced carbonation negatively changes the beer.

Just tipping the scale a little back into balance.

Actually kegging yourself is far different than tapping a commercial keg or kegging with friends.

You can't expect nitro beer to have the same carbonation as it did straight from the tap, after being a in a growler. In fact, if you're talking nitro, that's a damn good reason on its own to keg. You'll never get a bottled nitro beer that has anywhere near the same mouthfeel as fresh from a nitro tap.

What happens in a brewpub is inconsequential to a homebrewer. They need to get a keg tapped and flowing from their taps quickly, because time equals money. That is why you see them pouring so much foam at first. As a homebrewer, we tap the keg, RDWHAHB or two, and then get to the next keg when we want to. And regardless it's still far faster than bottling.

 

[Gunnerer]

agree

 

[max384]

how is force carbonating by yourself "FAR different" from force carbonating with someone else? TMI, I don't want to know what you do with your kegs when you're all alone.

Owning your own kegging setup is different than watching/participating in someone else doing it with their equipment. The process is obviously the same.

Growlers filled with CO2 blanketed beer are also lousy. The point being that filling other packages from a keg, or any scenario where you are packaging a beer more than once is generally bad practice.

There is a HUGE difference between a growler filled with nitro beer and regular beer. HUGE. A growler isn't the best method of packaging beer, but if drank soon after filling, it's pretty darn good.

As far as filling bottles with a keg being bad practice, ask the hundreds of people who win homebrew awards with their kegged beer packaged into a bottle.

nice cherry pick though, I noticed how you dodged how forced carbonation can negatively change a beer

This wasn't a cherry pick. I disagree with the notion that forced carbonation negatively changes a beer. I actually prefer forced carbonation over natural, depending on the style, as I think the yeast taste can be too strong if naturally carbonated. However, I didn't respond to this, because I know it is very debatable.

 

[max384]

@Gunnerer ???

 

[huckbof]

Owning your own kegging setup is different than watching/participating in someone else doing it with their equipment.

Yeah, obviously it is much worse, the owner has wasted a ton of cash and the participator has learned from their mistakes.

 

[JonM]

Yeah, obviously it is much worse, the owner has wasted a ton of cash and the participator has learned from their mistakes.

Is it possible that your friends had a hunk o' junk setup? If so, that'd be like saying "I'm never buying a car because I knew a guy with a '72 Gremlin, and it was a disaster." No one else seems to be having the problems you're describing.

 

[huckbof]

yes, that is very possible, it was an old corny keg

if you google "kegging vs. bottling" you will be able to read all kinds of horror stories

 

[motobrewer]

my perspective:

the "stale beer" argument is hilarious. i had beer in kegs for a year or more. no issues. many people have as well. if you're drinking two month old beer that's stale, it's not the keg's fault, it's the brewer. stability comes from good brewing practices, not magic freshness glass.

CO2 is CO2. There are benefits to natural carbonation that aren't tied to CO2 source.

if you buy sh*tty equipment you're going to have issues. If you try to be cute and force carb in 90 seconds you're going to have issues. if you buy good equipment, install it correctly, balance correctly, carb correctly, you will end up with very few issues.

however, if keggers were honest with themselves it's not all fun and games. i have a few kegs that are troublesome. one won't seal unless i hit it with 30psi. then it'll break if i bring it under 10psi. one has a loose rubber "foot" that likes to collect condensate water and puke it all over me when I clean it.

Line balancing is sometimes a headache (especially if you like 3.9 v/v belgian tripels or hefeweizens). especially if you want multiple beers on tap that have their own carb requirements ($$$).

lack of mobility does suck. growlers suck. counter pressure fillers suck. no matter what i've tried, it's never as good as when it comes straight out of the keg.



i still prefer kegging.

 

[2ellas]

yes, that is very possible, it was an old corny keg

if you google "kegging vs. bottling" you will be able to read all kinds of horror stories

You'll have to sift through many, many happy stories about people that will never bottle again because of the time savings, ease of use and "coolness". Why are you so bent out of shape about kegging and the people that like it?

 

[Pyg]

For the record I dont have a keg and have never kegged. I have looked into it but the cost has deterred me as of yet.
However I have a sneaking suspicion that SWMBO is buying me a set up for an anniversary gift. ( she said she got me something "costly that I will freak about" and since I only homebrew or golf, and I know she wont buy anything golf related, I can only assume).

my only complaint about bottles is the time & effort it takes to de-label, wash, clean, store, sterilize and bottle.

If and when I make the transition I think will only miss being able to drag a few bottles around with me. There is nothing better than throwing a few bottles into my golf bag and saving myself $4 a beer on the course. Of course the only craft beer my home course stocks is Sam Adams!

Otherwise how bad can it be? Aside from all the information I dont know, atleast I wont have to store empty bottles on the kitchen counters, by the dozens!

 

[huckbof]

Why are you so bent out of shape about kegging and the people that like it?

Why not?


No really, you do a disservice to home brewing when you make it more complex
and expensive than it needs to be.

 

[max384]

Why not?


No really, you do a disservice to home brewing when you make it more complex
and expensive than it needs to be.