Bottled vs Kegged..

[Bulls Beers]

Ok, as you all know i just bottled my first batch. I see that alot of you guys and gals keg. Is there a differance? I like bottled beer. I guess i like kegged beer. i drink some good Guinness here in Boston.. The people who keg, do you miss bottled beer?

 

[GIusedtoBe]

Since none of the "real keggers" have replied, I'll take a stab at it since I have a new kegging system I'm about to start using.

After your first 3-4 batches, bottling will become a huge chore. It's kind of cool when you start out but gets tedious.

If you keg, you can also bottle some of your beer when you rack to the keg or if you have the equipment, you can bottle beer from your kegs at any time you want it.

And of course the most obvious reason is that nice cold pint that you draw from your own keg w/out worrying about washing out the bottle or not disturbing the sediment.

Regards,
Al

 

[PITT]

I am also still new to brewing and kegging. I have kegged 4 of 7 batches so far. The big difference for me, kegging is easier than bottling. I am not sure if there is a taste difference...... Does anyone know???? Plus having your beer on tap is awesome.

keg = easy and awesome :rockin:

 

[Orfy]

The reason most keg is not because of taste difference it is for ease and convenience.

 

[Glibbidy]

Do I miss bottled beer? No way. I started kegging my beer shortly after I converted to 10 gallon batches, and never looked back. The amount energy and time saved in kegging as opposed to bottling is HUGE!
I occasionally fill bottles and growlers right off the tap for my peeps which keeps them happy.

 

[Bobby_M]

My bottled beer aways tasted more yeasty even if I poured carefully. In my kegged beers, I taste no yeast at all. Maybe it's partly perception but it's really only one of many benefits. It's a lot easier to amass and store 10 kegs than 500 bottles.

 

[Ryan_PA]

I tend to do both. I bottle the beers I plan to brink over time, or more specialty. The standard styles I keg. It is a simplicity thing for me. I have limited taps available, 2 CO2, 1 beer gas, so I have to pick and choose some times on what goes in the keg.

 

[Radarbrew]

I don't miss bottling, I still do it for the ease of seeing what the beer I'm kegging is doing. Kinda like a test jar. Plus, if I'm satisfied with the one bottle and like the same beer from the keg, then I have beer to send to my family, or to a HB competition. So I do both still, bottle in flip-tops, and keg.

 

[tgreene7]

my beer really improved in clarity when, I started kegging.

 

[TexLaw]

I bottled for five years before I got my kegging equipment., and I don't miss bottling one bit. Kegs are easier to deal with, easier to fill, take up less storage space, give me carbonated beer in less time, allow me to adjust carbonation when necessary, allow me to pour as much or as little beer as I want at the time, and as PITT said, are awesome. :rockin:

Bottles are good for aging beer that you will drink over time in that they are cheaper than kegs, but even a six pack of beer takes up about the same footprint as a keg. Bottles are much easier to transport, if you only want to move a few beers.

If you like bottles, though, keep on bottling!


TL

 

[malkore]

I keg AND bottle. its easier to bottle high CO2 beers like hefe's, otherwise you need extra tap line, or you gotta screw with the regulator to get a decent pour.

plus I take my beers to a buddy in Denver, and its simpler to bottle those and prime, then to fill a bottle off the keg and then recap and transport.

bottling is more annoying and I do like kegging more, but each has distinct advantages and disadvantages. its easier to long term age in bottles...well, cheaper at least because you don't tie up a keg for 9 months.

 

[BierMuncher]

My bottled beer aways tasted more yeasty even if I poured carefully. In my kegged beers, I taste no yeast at all. ...

Exactly the same here. Doing 10 gallon batches, I'd force carb one keg and prime the other. The latter always had a yeast bite, so I upped my CO2 tamks and now force carb everything.

I brew maybe slightly more than the average HB'r, so there's no way I'm dealing with bottles. I will however, make sure to bottle a 12 pack out of each of my serving kegs for later consumption. It's the best of both worlds.

 

[TheJadedDog]

I switched to kegging for 2 reasons: 1) it is easier and takes considerably less time and 2) I wanted my beer on tap (I so love being able to pour exactly the amount of beer I want to drink).

I still bottle when I plan to give the majority of my brew away and I bottle from the keg when giving away a few bottles here and there.

 

[Bulls Beers]

What equipment should i start with if i were gonna keg? I gonna bottle a few more batches and maybe Santa will bring something for me...

 

[TheJadedDog]

I have 2 corney kegs, a 5# CO2 tank, a dual gauge regulator, a distributor, beer lines, and quick connects. When I started out I just used picnic taps to dispense, now I have a draft tower. You will also need a way to keep the kegs cold (like another fridge). Check out the Northern Brewer site on kegging or the wiki to get more detailed information. You can also run a search here to see what other have and what their set-ups are like.

 

[TexLaw]

JadedDog, you hit the other big pro of bottling: you can give bottles away.

Bulls, many homebrew supply stores have package deals on startup kegging equipment. Shop around a little. A 5# CO2 tank actually goes pretty far. However, if you are a prolific brewer, you may want to get a larger tank sometime in the future.


TL

 

[GIusedtoBe]

What equipment should i start with if i were gonna keg? I gonna bottle a few more batches and maybe Santa will bring something for me...

I just got the 3 keg system with a 10# CO2 tank from kegconnection and I think it was around $330 shipped. They are all expensive but I think that was reasonable and I figured while i was laying out for a keg sys why not get three and a 10# tank to avoid paying more shipping etc when I upgraded later. You can get off a lot cheaper if you can find a used tank or used stuff from another homebrewer.

Good Luck
Al

 

[Soulive]

I started kegging about 3 months ago and haven't looked back. I won't say I'll never bottle again, but I will keg whenever I can. Its so much better in the various ways already mentioned. In hindsight, I would've started kegging immediately if the thought of brewing wasn't overwhelming enough. I still have nightmares about scraping labels from time to time...

 

[malkore]

to get started, you just need the kegs. spend time figuring out what CO2 regulator you want.
look for CO2 tanks locally, and try to find an aluminum one, simple cuz they are lighter.

you can keg right away, and work on your cooling system and dispensing system as your budget allows (and possible as your wife allows

 

[John Creaghan]

We're wanting to start kegging with our Home-brewing.
The only issue is that as there's two of us we're looking at forced carbonation and bottling from the keg to be able share the beer between us but also be able to dispense from the keg directly for BBQs, hog roasts etc.

I can find plenty of information about setting up regulators but not two line regulators with a beer gun.

New to this so just after some set up pointers.

Cheers

 

[Jag75]

We're wanting to start kegging with our Home-brewing.
The only issue is that as there's two of us we're looking at forced carbonation and bottling from the keg to be able share the beer between us but also be able to dispense from the keg directly for BBQs, hog roasts etc.

I can find plenty of information about setting up regulators but not two line regulators with a beer gun.

New to this so just after some set up pointers.

‐------------‐-----------------------------------‐-----------------------
This is a very old thread , however I can help you with the info.
If you go with the homemade style beer gun found in this forum you dont need a "Y" adapter on your regulator . Search we dont need no stinking beer gun or something like that . I made one and I've had good fills from my keg with it and I've had not so good fills like having to clean all the walls and ceiling from the stout that shot everywhere because the pressure built up and popped off the line (my fault) . You dont need a co2 line for this set up. The thread will guide you and it's really easy.

I ended up buying the Blichman v2 beer gun. You have a beer line from keg to gun and you have the gas line, regulator via Y adapter or if you have a secondary regulator that you can adjust the psi individually. When Botteling just make sure your beer line is long enough, beer is cold , bottles are cold . With the Blichman you purge with gas for about 6 seconds then fill immediately until it hits the top . Pull the gun out and your left with perfect headspace to give a couple burst of co2 then cap.

Theres a guy on here that built a to go kegerator if you will out of (2) 10 gallon jugs and imo is genius. Search for that one as well . Welcome to the forum !

Dont know why it did that

 

[John Creaghan]

I saw that thread but thanks for explaining it.
Me and a mate have started back into brewing but we've not worked with CO2 before. Think this will be the first of many basic questions hahaha.
Cheers again

 

[Jag75]

No worries man. It's pretty basic . You'll need a co2 tank , regulator and keg . Do you guys have a keezer or kegerator?

 

[John Creaghan]

Not yet .
It's something we looked at for later
We've stuff to buy or build ourselves but not yet

 

[dwhite60]

Yes, bottling can be a pain but, I still bottle. I find the whole process kind of like meditating, there's a rythym
to the process.

I'm only doing two to three gallon batches so it isn't the same chore as five gallons. Smaller batches mean
I have a wider variety available for drinking too.

Lastly, I'm in a small hose, no garage. I don't have room for a second refrigerator and if I did I'd probably
still bottle but keep it all in the spare fridge.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[histo320]

I've always bottled but I will be kegging my first batch a little later today.

There are some initial startup costs (keezer, keg, CO2 tank, regulator) but it will be much easier than cleaning and sanitizing bottles.

Building a keezer is super easy and pretty cheap.

However I will have extra for about 6 bottles.

 

[kh54s10]

My kegging is in storage at the moment. As to preference, to me kegging is easier, bottling is not that bad. I don't have the refined taste buds to tell the difference between bottled or kegged.

Bottles - you can see how many empties are sitting on the counter and make a decision about not having another. With kegged you don't have that visual. That has bitten me in the ass once or twice..... So easy to go to the tap and fill your glass.

I use one of these for bottling from the keg: https://www.northernbrewer.com/products/perlick-growler-filler
You have to chill the bottles so they don't foam up, lower the serving pressure, fill the bottles.

 

[John Creaghan]

I'm in the UK.
The Northern Brewer distributor here seems to be a bit iffy with their stock or at least they stuff I wanted to buy anyway.

Think we'll be bottling on Tuesday. Exciting times

 

[Mer-man]

If you can use a hydrometer in a sanitary manner, you’re equipped to spund in your serving keg.
Pull a sample 24 hours into ferment, hold it warmer to make it ferment faster, and that will give your FG.
Then transfer your beer to the keg when it has about 4 gravity points left. It will carbonate itself in a few days and be able to dispense at least half the keg, sometimes the whole thing, under its own pressure. (Flow control tap would be a big help).

 

[kh54s10]

I'm in the UK.
The Northern Brewer distributor here seems to be a bit iffy with their stock or at least they stuff I wanted to buy anyway.

Think we'll be bottling on Tuesday. Exciting times

They make those for other brands etc. Someone in the UK should have them - they have to fit your particular faucet.