Bottled vs Kegged..

[kh54s10]

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).

How do you judge when you are 4 points from final gravity? I get that much swing on FG as a normal ending point.

 

[Mer-man]

How do you judge when you are 4 points from final gravity? I get that much swing on FG as a normal ending point.

The sample you pull will ferment faster due to elevated temperature, giving you the FG for the batch. Just don't put it on your stirplate, as that will give too low a FG in many cases (will overattenuate).

Then it's a matter of checking samples from the main batch -- if you keep notes and brew similar beers, you'll get an idea of when to test the main batch. E.g. Ales at day 3 and lagers at day 6.

Nice thing about the method is that you can use it with any beer (RIS or light lager).

 

[kh54s10]

The sample you pull will ferment faster due to elevated temperature, giving you the FG for the batch. Just don't put it on your stirplate, as that will give too low a FG in many cases (will overattenuate).

Then it's a matter of checking samples from the main batch -- if you keep notes and brew similar beers, you'll get an idea of when to test the main batch. E.g. Ales at day 3 and lagers at day 6.

Nice thing about the method is that you can use it with any beer (RIS or light lager).

That really doesn't answer my question. Maybe if you brew the same recipe, mash at the same temperature, use the same yeast and ferment at the same temperature.

I am not that precise so if BS says my final gravity should be 1.010 I might get anywhere between 1.014 and 1.006 for a final gravity. Usually closer but not always.

So in my case where would I decide that I was 4 points from final gravity?

 

[Mer-man]

Pretty sure I answered the question: determine batch FG (with a forced ferment test aka FFT) and then check periodically until you reach FG+4 on the main batch.

Repeating the same recipe with the same process reduces the number of samples you have to check. In your case, doing many different recipes doesn't render the method ineffective, just a little more wasteful.

As a side note, your experience is going to be much more reliable than BS estimates. And an FFT will increase the accuracy of your experience in application.

 

[kh54s10]

Ok, I get it now, you are not using any predicted final gravity. I couldn't be bothered to watch my fermentation closely enough to do that.

 

[Mer-man]

Fair enough, to each his own.

 

[Soulshine2]

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?

I've never kegged. I did rescue a 5 gallon Cocal Cola keg from a city dump, still had pressure on it ...But, I prefer to bottle . I don't mind cleaning the bottles or capping. I like the ability to take a varied 6 pack somewhere if I want . I also dont really have the budget for all the kegs ,hoses , valves ,CO2 ,keezer,and taps I'd need to dispense my nearly 8 different beers I keep on hand.

 

[kh54s10]

I've never kegged. I did rescue a 5 gallon Cocal Cola keg from a city dump, still had pressure on it ...But, I prefer to bottle . I don't mind cleaning the bottles or capping. I like the ability to take a varied 6 pack somewhere if I want . I also dont really have the budget for all the kegs ,hoses , valves ,CO2 ,keezer,and taps I'd need to dispense my nearly 8 different beers I keep on hand.

My converted fridge would only hold 3 kegs (in storage at the moment) so I would have 3 on tap, another keg (I have 4) in the wings. I then would also have a couple that I bottled. If I wanted bottles from the beers that were kegged, I would just fill a few from the faucets.

I bought a two keg kit with picnic taps, later added 2 more kegs, even later I added 2 faucets to the door of the fridge, even later than that I added a third faucet. It took a couple of years, so no huge outlay of $$ at one time.

 

[Soulshine2]

My converted fridge would only hold 3 kegs (in storage at the moment) so I would have 3 on tap, another keg (I have 4) in the wings. I then would also have a couple that I bottled. If I wanted bottles from the beers that were kegged, I would just fill a few from the faucets.

I bought a two keg kit with picnic taps, later added 2 more kegs, even later I added 2 faucets to the door of the fridge, even later than that I added a third faucet. It took a couple of years, so no huge outlay of $$ at one time.

thats fine , whatever works for you or others. I'm not close to a supply of CO2 bottles nor do I have the space for the set up(s). Bottles are more portable, cheap , recyclable and caps dont cost much.

 

[kh54s10]

thats fine , whatever works for you or others. I'm not close to a supply of CO2 bottles nor do I have the space for the set up(s). Bottles are more portable, cheap , recyclable and caps dont cost much.

I was just saying that you don't have to plop all the money down at once to get into kegging.
I don't really mind bottling either. But it is nice to be able to go to the fridge with a glass and just pull a handle to get a beer.

 

[balrog]

I like variety. I can only put two kegs in my small chest freezer. Winter time is awesome as I can put 8 kegs in the basement hatchway which rarely goes < 25°F even in the coldest New England weather, giving me a great walk in keezer. Unfortunately, in summertime, no such luck. I prefer the kegs, but do have to chill the bejeezus out of them to be able to bottle easily. I tried the Last Straw filler and it and I did not get along. Easier to simply chill, attach silicone hose to end of tap (Perlick or picnic), put in bottle and fill with low pressure on keg, cap. Or use swing tops. I also push from keg to another to eliminate any sediment when transporting kegs to tennis cuz there's always some sediment after a few weeks.

 

[Soulshine2]

I was just saying that you don't have to plop all the money down at once to get into kegging.
I don't really mind bottling either. But it is nice to be able to go to the fridge with a glass and just pull a handle to get a beer.

Bottling is like my "control" of how often I brew or I'd surely be out of control and brew everything under the sun I could get my hands on. Once I'm close to having 2 cases of bottles empty and ready, I brew again.

 

[kh54s10]

Bottling is like my "control" of how often I brew or I'd surely be out of control and brew everything under the sun I could get my hands on. Once I'm close to having 2 cases of bottles empty and ready, I brew again.

When I was bottling only, that didn't work for me. I would just gather more bottles. At one point I had over 700 bottles

 

[Soulshine2]

When I was bottling only, that didn't work for me. I would just gather more bottles. At one point I had over 700 bottles

My brewing station is half in my basement -storage and brewed beer,half in my polebarn -where my rig is powered .
I keep a couple cases freed up ,but I still gather/hoard newly empty longnecks for replacing broken/chipped bottles. But If I had to put a number on bottles, itd be 400-450.
I read so many posts on -
leaking keg systems,
out of CO2( I actually live in a half dry county so I dont have access) ,
cant get pressure right,
cleaning tubing,
regulators, etc.

Besides not having a keezer. I already have a high enough electric bill .

I'm comfortably in the bottling mode . Yes it's tedious ,but it gives me something to do for an hour and a half.
I know by now what to do and what to expect.
I've gone from using priming sugar to kraeusening and its already better IMO.
I own one keg -5 gallon Coca-Cola , pin lock style,I'm guessing its a cornelius??. I'd actually like to get rid of it if anyone in the Marshall/Jackson county area of NE Alabama is interested. cash or trade.