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.
Are Kegs Worth the Cost?
- Thread starter akillys
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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.
sleepymonkey
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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:
:rockin:
butterpants
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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.
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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
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Clonefan94
Senior Member
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.
Airplanedoc
Well-Known Member
Search "growler filler" on flea bay, they are less than $15
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.
YNOT2K
Well-Known Member
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.
At least that's what I tell SWMBO.
Kegging is no where near an issue if you have to bottle as long as you have a beer gun or counter pressure filler of some sort. For example...
My keezer only holds three ball locks (beers 1,2,3) and I have beers 4 and 5 still in primary ready to keg. I can bottle straight from the tap, so instead of having 50+ bottles for each beer 4 and 5, I'll just bottle from two of the three kegs that's closest to being empty in my keezer and put them in the fridge. Then I'll rack beers 4 and 5 to the empty kegs and let them condition while I continue to enjoy beer one from the keg and beers 2 and 3 from the bottles. With beers 2 and 3 being half full, I should only have to use 40-50 bottles instead of about 100 for beers 4 and 5. I've got two more beers on tap and I can still enjoy bottled beer that's already conditioned ready to drink.
Win win.
bredle
Well-Known Member
I've tried the homemade counter pressure bottle fillers (using a bottling wand and stopper) as well as some other methods. I like to bottle off the keg to share with friends and for competition where good consistent carbonation is key. Nothing I've tried beats the Blichman Beer Gun.
If you are going to bottle off your kegs - I would highly recommend biting the bullet at some point and getting one, it makes it so much easier. I did a review of it on my blog (below) if you want to read about it.
Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
If you are going to bottle off your kegs - I would highly recommend biting the bullet at some point and getting one, it makes it so much easier. I did a review of it on my blog (below) if you want to read about it.
Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
It sounds like you already bought your kegs, which is awesome. Although the up front cost to me is super high, so far it has been worth it. I quickly went from 2 kegs and party taps to now 5 kegs, faucets and the chest freezer. There's no place for me to really put it, but I figure I'll make room. 
I like kegging, it is easy. I don't think I'll be able to drink all the beer but I will certainly still give it away but in growlers.
I like kegging, it is easy. I don't think I'll be able to drink all the beer but I will certainly still give it away but in growlers.dadshomebrew
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kegging is the greatest. Pulling a nice glass of homemade beer right out of the keg puts a smile on my face every time.
It sounds like you've got a nice process, but I recall seeing some calculations on purging, and I'm pretty sure you're way over purging. But no judgement from me...c02 is cheap, whatever gets you good results.
I purge about 5 times. I also purge the keg itself 5 times prior to filling it. Then I (you might consider incorporating this since you sound as thorough (or more!) then me) fill through the diptube by connecting the end of my autosiphon to an out fitting. I unscrew the release valve ever so slightly so to allow gas to exit the headspace as the keg fills, and this way I don't ever have to open the lid of the keg.
The rest of your process is pretty much what I do.
You will love kegging. There really isn't a downside. I always tell people interested in kegging to expect to spend about $300 using some used equipment. By the time you get a freezer off CL, a new Regulator, hoses, disconnects, faucets, shanks, kegs, Tank... It adds up!
Yeah, I'm sure it's way overkill, but as you say CO2 is cheap and I use 20# tanks so even with wasting lots of it they still last me a loooong time, and I have another one waiting when one runs out.
I actually tried the dip tube fill method but I got tired of replacing autosiphons. Without fail they would start letting bubbles into the stream within a few months of use, and I just couldn't stand that. I need to get a cap for my better bottles to allow me to start a siphon with pressure, then I could use the dip tube method again. That or make my own autosiphon.
Kegging is no where near an issue if you have to bottle as long as you have a beer gun or counter pressure filler of some sort. For example...
My keezer only holds three ball locks (beers 1,2,3) and I have beers 4 and 5 still in primary ready to keg. I can bottle straight from the tap, so instead of having 50+ bottles for each beer 4 and 5, I'll just bottle from two of the three kegs that's closest to being empty in my keezer and put them in the fridge. Then I'll rack beers 4 and 5 to the empty kegs and let them condition while I continue to enjoy beer one from the keg and beers 2 and 3 from the bottles. With beers 2 and 3 being half full, I should only have to use 40-50 bottles instead of about 100 for beers 4 and 5. I've got two more beers on tap and I can still enjoy bottled beer that's already conditioned ready to drink.
Win win.
So simple I can't believe I didn't think of it. Must get a beer gun to implement immediately. Thanks!
Might as well through my opinion out there. After 32 batches bottled, I built a 2 keg mini fridge system. That first batch I kegged was little slow, but I'm sure I'll get faster. I'm still learning, but it was simpler than I thought. Now I have been on draft and it's pretty awesome!
But having said that, I then bottled my next batch. It was an oatmeal stout where I transferred off 2 gallons and made 1 gallon a chocolate oatmeal stout and the other gallon a coffee oatmeal stout. I left the 3 gallons as is. It was a royal pain to bottle those 3 batches. Took me about 2 hours, but I had separate additions for each of the 1 gallon batches. But I couldn't have done that with kegging. I guess I could have used the 2.5 gal kegs. So anyway, I still plan on bottling some. I plan to have a pale ale or IPA on tap at all times and then bottle the other beers I make, but don't drink as fast. I like that I can have the flexibility to do both.
But having said that, I then bottled my next batch. It was an oatmeal stout where I transferred off 2 gallons and made 1 gallon a chocolate oatmeal stout and the other gallon a coffee oatmeal stout. I left the 3 gallons as is. It was a royal pain to bottle those 3 batches. Took me about 2 hours, but I had separate additions for each of the 1 gallon batches. But I couldn't have done that with kegging. I guess I could have used the 2.5 gal kegs. So anyway, I still plan on bottling some. I plan to have a pale ale or IPA on tap at all times and then bottle the other beers I make, but don't drink as fast. I like that I can have the flexibility to do both.
Your expectation that kegged beer is better is all it takes to make it a fact my friend! Welcome to the wonderful world of kegging.
wilserbrewer
BIAB Expert Tailor
No, not a perception at all...kegged beer is typically perfectly carbonated, and benefits from long term cold storage...haha...and you think the first pint is good, just wait till you enjoy the last pint, as that is the best beer in the keg quite often...although a fresh pint has its merits, the last pint typically would be my choice more often than not...
And then there is that heartache when you pull the actual last pint that fills with yeast and such and your heart sinks cause the last one was just so darned good....
I totally agree. The last clean pint is almost always the best. It's the clearest, the most aged, and just awesomely good!
wilserbrewer
BIAB Expert Tailor
With a sanke keg, you get a clear gurgling warning noise and the last pint is truly the last pint yeast free! Love the sanke kegs! The smaller dip tube on a corny keg likely sucks up the yeast...
I now find myself in a paradox. I look forward to the last pint because of how good it is going to be but do not want it to come because it will be the last pint. Looks like I better brew another batch or 2...maybe 3.
Yeah, I can watch the tubing when I know the keg's about to kick and sometimes I can catch it by the color change and stop the pour in time.
Puddlethumper
Well-Known Member
After 50+ batches of bottling I finally took the plunge and got set up for kegging. I pulled my first pint about a month ago and I can only say that kegging has been a liberating experience. This has been a positive move on many different levels.
1. Better beer - The beer that comes out of the keg is (IMO) vastly superior to the beer that comes out of the bottle. Carbonation is always spot-on. The beer has been kept cold for days (perhaps weeks) and is clear as it can get. And the flavor seems better to me.
2. Storage space - No need to store cases of bottles, either empty or full. Everything fits in the fermenter or kegerator.
3. Time/hassle - It takes about half an hour to sanitize a keg, rack the beer from the carboy to the keg, charge the keg with co2 and then clean up the carboy. Compare that to 3-4 hours cleaning, sanitizing, filling, capping and labeling bottles. Huge time savings!
4. Planning - I have a better idea of how long a keg of beer will last so I can schedule brew sessions to anticipate demand.
5. Minor long-term cost savings - No more need to buy or store caps, priming sugar or bottles.
The downside to kegging is initial cost and a certain amount of maintenance for the system. However, once you bite the bullet and get it done, the whole process of brewing, packaging and serving becomes seamless and, aside from co2 refills and beer line cleaner, almost cost free.
1. Better beer - The beer that comes out of the keg is (IMO) vastly superior to the beer that comes out of the bottle. Carbonation is always spot-on. The beer has been kept cold for days (perhaps weeks) and is clear as it can get. And the flavor seems better to me.
2. Storage space - No need to store cases of bottles, either empty or full. Everything fits in the fermenter or kegerator.
3. Time/hassle - It takes about half an hour to sanitize a keg, rack the beer from the carboy to the keg, charge the keg with co2 and then clean up the carboy. Compare that to 3-4 hours cleaning, sanitizing, filling, capping and labeling bottles. Huge time savings!
4. Planning - I have a better idea of how long a keg of beer will last so I can schedule brew sessions to anticipate demand.
5. Minor long-term cost savings - No more need to buy or store caps, priming sugar or bottles.
The downside to kegging is initial cost and a certain amount of maintenance for the system. However, once you bite the bullet and get it done, the whole process of brewing, packaging and serving becomes seamless and, aside from co2 refills and beer line cleaner, almost cost free.
Pulled the trigger on a 2 tap tower system today from Ontario Beer Kegs...painful initial cost to swallow but cannot wait for it all to arrive and build my kegerator! Slowly eliminating all the parts I hate about homebrewing (mostly cleaning) from my process and can't wait to not have to deal with bomber bottles all over the place and cleaning them all the time!!
Puddlethumper
Well-Known Member
My guess is that in a month or so you'll be feeling like an emancipated inmate!
Cheers!
