If you can, keg instead of bottle!

[DyerNeedOfBeer]

Yesterday was the first time I put my beer into my new kegging system. WOW, what an improvement over bottling. This has really increased my 'enjoyment factor' of brewing. I would highly recommend this to all. I will be carbonating cold at 11psi instead of force carbonating so I am now counting down the seven days I have decided to let it go before tapping it! Now what to do with the 150 plus 22oz bottles?

 

[magno]

If you are willing to part with them, and shipping to Dallas is not ridiculous, I will be more than obliged to take them off your hands. I will be buyng a ton of 22s shortly for my mead anyway.

- magno

 

[Biermann]

I just got a 10 gallon setup, and after bottling a five gallon batch last night, there is no way I'm going to bottle 10 gallon's worth. What a freaking pain in the A$$!!

Takes me a good 3 hours to bottle from sanitization to clean up. I informed my wife that I MUST have a kegging system.

 

[Desert_Sky]

I informed my wife that I MUST have a kegging system.

I tried that approach. She laughed.........

 

[Ivan Lendl]

im almost there...ive got one more big purchase to make (2 ten gallon cooler mash/lauter). Ive been bottling FOREVER, i dont mind it, but i really want to keg. Ive been getting lazier and lazier each batch. I dont even wash my bottles anymore, let alone sanitize them. Havent had any problems yet, and i can get a batch bottled in about 1 hours.

edit: just to clarify, as i drink my beers i rinse them right away (or at least within 24 hours), soak em in hot soapy water overnight, then rinse again, air dry for 24 hrs, then cap with tin foil. at bottling time i just uncap em and fill em)

 

[todd_k]

im almost there...ive got one more big purchase to make (2 ten gallon cooler mash/lauter). Ive been bottling FOREVER, i dont mind it, but i really want to keg. Ive been getting lazier and lazier each batch. I dont even wash my bottles anymore, let alone sanitize them. Havent had any problems yet, and i can get a batch bottled in about 1 hours.

edit: just to clarify, as i drink my beers i rinse them right away (or at least within 24 hours), soak em in hot soapy water overnight, then rinse again, air dry for 24 hrs, then cap with tin foil. at bottling time i just uncap em and fill em)

you don't use any sanitizer?

 

[Desert_Sky]

yea I don't wash mine before bottling anymore either. I clean well after I pour the beer, then put in box and keep dry and clean until bottling time. Then a soak in the sanitizer and im good to go

 

[Ivan Lendl]

you don't use any sanitizer?

nope. washing and rinsing is sanitizing. Ive even experimented with bottles that were in my garage for months, covered with dust. The 3 main things im concerned with is cleaning, rinsing and drying. Cleaning and rinsing will wash most microbes away, and drying will prevent new ones from hanging around. I think the source of most beer infections happen early on (pre-yeast pitching) and come from ones own body.
we did an experiment in microbiology class where we took petri dishes with a malt based food on them, and swabbed various parts of the room, then tried innoculating the dishes. There was about 30 people who did this and swabbed everything from the floor of the bathroom to the insides of window shades, the back of hands, and i even pressed my tongue in the dish for 2 minutes. The results after 3 days both in incubaters and at room temps: hardly any growth at all. The most growth came from the one from my tongue, and even that one was not very impressive. It was funny that the experiment was to show how omnipresent microbes are, it just proved the opposite. They are not as ubiquituos as you might think. Sure they are everywhere, but in really small numbers.

 

[gruntingfrog]

How do you guys that use kegs transport beer to a picnic or party? Just curious.

 

[DrewsBrews]

It's been said before but bears repeating: kegging ROCKS!! :rockin:

I thought making my own beer was pretty cool until I started kegging. There is little cooler than drawing off 16 oz of brew from the taps poking out of the fridge in the garage. And the look of envy on your buddies' faces is priceless!

 

[KA6GZJ]

How do you guys that use kegs transport beer to a picnic or party? Just curious.

I can't post pictures (yet) so i'll do my best to discribe:

I took a 10gal rubbermaid cooler,installed a shank close to the top. I set a 3gal keg inside connected with a short hose. set in a small co2 tank (something i made) with a regulator, 20 lbs of ice and i'm good to go for a couple of days. It was the best use for a 10gal cooler I've found. lol.

Jim

 

[Bernie Brewer]

Now what to do with the 150 plus 22oz bottles?

hang on to at least some of them. You'll probably be buying a beer gun or something pretty soon to make your bee more portable, so you'll need some of them.

 

[MrSaLTy]

And the look of envy on your buddies' faces is priceless!

I had to have the phone guy in the house a few weeks ago and he saw my kegerator and tap in the kitchen and proceeded to ask about 50 questions about it. He wanted one right now.

 

[RichBrewer]

Yesterday was the first time I put my beer into my new kegging system. WOW, what an improvement over bottling. This has really increased my 'enjoyment factor' of brewing. I would highly recommend this to all. I will be carbonating cold at 11psi instead of force carbonating so I am now counting down the seven days I have decided to let it go before tapping it! Now what to do with the 150 plus 22oz bottles?

I agree. My enjoyment factor has increased significantly with kegging. I think my beer is better too.

 

[bikebryan]

nope. washing and rinsing is sanitizing. Ive even experimented with bottles that were in my garage for months, covered with dust. The 3 main things im concerned with is cleaning, rinsing and drying. Cleaning and rinsing will wash most microbes away, and drying will prevent new ones from hanging around. I think the source of most beer infections happen early on (pre-yeast pitching) and come from ones own body.
we did an experiment in microbiology class where we took petri dishes with a malt based food on them, and swabbed various parts of the room, then tried innoculating the dishes. There was about 30 people who did this and swabbed everything from the floor of the bathroom to the insides of window shades, the back of hands, and i even pressed my tongue in the dish for 2 minutes. The results after 3 days both in incubaters and at room temps: hardly any growth at all. The most growth came from the one from my tongue, and even that one was not very impressive. It was funny that the experiment was to show how omnipresent microbes are, it just proved the opposite. They are not as ubiquituos as you might think. Sure they are everywhere, but in really small numbers.

Hmm. Actually, different microorganisms prefer different types of food. Using one "food" in your dishes for all your samples provides a very misleading result, and a very inaccurate result.

Oh, and if you innoculated your samples in the dishes, then I understand why you didn't get much growth - innoculations are usually done to try and prevent growth of microbes. I think you meant to say you incubated the cultures, right? Remember that true cultures need to be grown in incubators that operate at a specific temperature with a specific air/CO2 mix....well, it's not as easy as swab, plate and toss in a warm place.

 

[Lou]

Oh, and if you innoculated your samples in the dishes, then I understand why you didn't get much growth - innoculations are usually done to try and prevent growth of microbes.

innoculated is the correct word.
his experiment is not a perfect one, but it's not awful either. a malt based medium partially simulates the environment in wort... the idea (as i understand it) was not to grow these wild bacteria/yeast strains under their optimal conditions, but under conditions likely to occur in your wort...

 

[user 574]

How do you guys that use kegs transport beer to a picnic or party? Just curious.

Growlers here

 

[Biermann]

I've solved the problem with the wife and the "I MUST have a kegging system" problem. . .I have friend who used to brew (he must be sick for giving it up), who just gave me his CO2 tank and regulator. . . .

Now all I have to tell the wife is "I MUST have a keg." (sounds better, anyway).

I'm not going to tell her I really should have a half dozen kegs.

As far as sanitizing goes. . .I'm a bit anal retentive. I fear an infection worse than death,....

I rinse after drinking, dry on a rack, then on bottle day, submerse in sanitizing solution, wash with very hot water, and then rinse with high proof vodka, and sterilize every thing that comes in contact with beer with vodka (neutral flavor, more than 40% Ethanol).

I guess I'm a bit type A. . . .

 

[kornkob]

How do you guys that use kegs transport beer to a picnic or party? Just curious.

get a party tapper (basically a QR with a couple feet of hose ending in one of those black faucets) and put one of your kegs in a 5 gallon bucket. Take your CO2 canister with you. Get 20lbs of ice. Fill the bucket with ice and leave the remainder in the bag and set the bag on top of the keg.

 

[Ivan Lendl]

Hmm. Actually, different microorganisms prefer different types of food. Using one "food" in your dishes for all your samples provides a very misleading result, and a very inaccurate result.

Oh, and if you innoculated your samples in the dishes, then I understand why you didn't get much growth - innoculations are usually done to try and prevent growth of microbes. I think you meant to say you incubated the cultures, right?

No. The reason there wasnt alot of growth was because there wasnt alot of microbes hanging around. We used 2 different medias to culture both bacteria and fungi. Nutrient agar (5g peptone,3g beef extract,1,000ml h20,15g agar,6.8 ph)was used because it supports alot of different bacteria. Sabouraud dextrose agar was used because thats what alot of fungi like (4% dextrose and 5.6 ph)
The procedure included leaving 1 of each plate exposed to open air for 60 min, then inoculating several plates with swabs from various sources like counter tops, hands etc. Then we incubated the air, countertop, and floor plates at room temp (22c) and the skin plates in a 35C incubater for 3 days.
This was supposed to produce ALOT of different bacteria and fungi growth, enough to not only be able to identify antibiosis (zone of inhibition) but we were also supposed to identify/isolate/gram stain streptomyces and spore stain bacillus.But since thier was such little growth we couldnt do any of this.

The point is that its not that easy to infect a beer at bottling time. Thats my story and im sticking to it...

 

[bikebryan]

No. The reason there wasnt alot of growth was because there wasnt alot of microbes hanging around. We used 2 different medias to culture both bacteria and fungi. Nutrient agar (5g peptone,3g beef extract,1,000ml h20,15g agar,6.8 ph)was used because it supports alot of different bacteria. Sabouraud dextrose agar was used because thats what alot of fungi like (4% dextrose and 5.6 ph)
The procedure included leaving 1 of each plate exposed to open air for 60 min, then inoculating several plates with swabs from various sources like counter tops, hands etc. Then we incubated the air, countertop, and floor plates at room temp (22c) and the skin plates in a 35C incubater for 3 days.
This was supposed to produce ALOT of different bacteria and fungi growth, enough to not only be able to identify antibiosis (zone of inhibition) but we were also supposed to identify/isolate/gram stain streptomyces and spore stain bacillus.But since thier was such little growth we couldnt do any of this.

The point is that its not that easy to infect a beer at bottling time. Thats my story and im sticking to it...

OK, a much better description, and I agree; it sounds like you got a decent statistical sample. I also agree that it's not the easiest to infect brew while bottling - but I'll still sanitize and not take too many chances. Why waste all the time and money to dump 5 gallons down the drain?

 

[budbo]

I got a very cool shoot the sanitzer into the bottles thingy on my bottle tree and the batch in my primary will be my first kegged batch.. next payday I'm buying 4 more kegs.. and getting out of bottling

 

[homebrewer_99]

Both kegs and bottles have their place. Not one is "better" than the other.

I have a friend who kegs. I've only sampled 2 of his beers in 12 years...they're always "not ready".

In the other hand he's sampled dozens of mine because I can transport bottles in cases...
(Maybe he's embarrassed because my brew are better, I don't know...)

Just try taking 5 kegs to a BBQ...trying to bring something that'll please everyone...impossible...

 

[RichBrewer]

Both kegs and bottles have their place. Not one is "better" than the other.

I have a friend who kegs. I've only sampled 2 of his beers in 12 years...they're always "not ready".

In the other hand he's sampled dozens of mine because I can transport bottle in cases...
(Maybe he's embarrassed because my brew are better, I don't know...)

Just try taking 5 kegs to a BBQ...trying to bring something that'll please everyone...impossible...

So you ARE saying bottled home brew is better.

 

[Dude]

Originally Posted by gruntingfrog
How do you guys that use kegs transport beer to a picnic or party? Just curious.

2 liter bottles and a carbonator cap. It is a crapshoot to get the carbonation right half the time, but it works well enough, and I can throw the 2 liter bottle in the garbage when it is all gone. :rockin:

 

[homebrewer_99]

So you ARE saying bottled home brew is better.

No, I'm just saying that one is not better than the other. It's all circumstantial and preferential.

I agree that kegging is more convenient and not as labor intensive as bottling, but try taking 5 different brews anywhere and you'll need a truck.

I have about 19 mini-kegs and about 30 cases of bottles, but I only keg about 1 or 2 per batch and bottle the rest because I only drink 1 beer at a time. I only pop a keg when I know it's going to be emptied in a short period, say a BBQ. Try that with 5 kegs.

As far as bottling goes, I don't look at it like a chore. They are holding the golden elixer I have brewed to the best of my ability for the enjoyment of others.

True, keggers can say the same, but only 1 keg at a time. If they bring an IPA to a party I am certain the audience (IPA likers) will be a small group. With 5 different brews there will be more happier (drunk) people.

Even though I may bottle 35-55 bottles of beer (depending on bottle size) to another persons keg, variety is the spice of life...that's all I'm saying...

 

[DrewsBrews]

I'm still hanging onto my bottles. I bottle some of the brew for friends and family. Can't exactly hand a keg to my folks and say, "Here ya go." If I ever get around to doing an English Pale Ale or Bitter, I'll surely bottle it. The volumes of CO2 are so low it would be a major PITA to deal with in a keg system. And then there's mead. I've only got five kegs. Not gonna lock one up for a year to age it. That's going in bottles.

But, other than that, if you can save up enough pennies, build a kegerator or buy one ready made. Without a doubt, that's neatest toy in my brewing hobby.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I'm still hanging onto my bottles. I bottle some of the brew for friends and family. Can't exactly hand a keg to my folks and say, "Here ya go." If I ever get around to doing an English Pale Ale or Bitter, I'll surely bottle it. The volumes of CO2 are so low it would be a major PITA to deal with in a keg system. And then there's mead. I've only got five kegs. Not gonna lock one up for a year to age it. That's going in bottles.

But, other than that, if you can save up enough pennies, build a kegerator or buy one ready made. Without a doubt, that's neatest toy in my brewing hobby.

I also bottle my meads. Itr's easier to let go of one bottle at a time.

 

[gnef]

don't forget you can always use counter pressure bottle fillers...

 

[david_42]

I would have never made it past the third batch bottling, too lazy. I just bottle from the keg for hand-outs. A pinch of yeast and a carb-drop is all it takes.

 

[Spyk'd]

I keg, but I've also got some 32 oz swingtop bottles(also come 16oz) and I usually do a mini bottling run with brews I know a certain friend likes, or that are more 'complex'. It's not uncommon for me to hand over a bottle when I'm visiting and say, "There's more where that came from...but not for long!"

I like to entertain, so people are over at my house most of the time anyway. Bottling and cellaring does help you to 'save' the more excellent brews as there is no warning when the keg goes out sometimes!

 

[kornkob]

I also find it easier to age finished beer in bottles as I can put them in the basement storage where they are easily 'forgotten'.

 

[gnef]

how many kegs do you guys have? and how many do you use at any given time? right now i have about 6 kegs that are good, and am only using two... i really want to brew more. haha.

 

[DrewsBrews]

I only have five. Four to fill the fridge and one spare for rotation. I don't drink/share enough to warrant having more. Two cases of 16oz flippies hold anything I plan on saving for any length of time.

 

[gnef]

haha. i was also thinking of putting cleaner in one of the kegs to use for cleaning the beer lines or even other kegs with. or also maybe using it for dispensing other beveridges other than beer. i'm also contemplating modifying my chest freezer to hold 2 more kegs... heh.

 

[homebrewer_99]

how many kegs do you guys have? and how many do you use at any given time? right now i have about 6 kegs that are good, and am only using two... i really want to brew more. haha.

I have over 15 - 5 liter minikegs and 30 cases of 1/2 liter bottles from Germany!

 

[DrewsBrews]

I have over 15 - 5 liter minikegs and 30 cases of 1/2 liter bottles from Germany!

Show off.

 

[SpecialEd]

I considered getting a kegging system, $265 at my local brew shop, includes CO2 tank 5 gal, cornelius keg, 5 gal, and regulators hoses etc. Whats the advantage to kegging(besides lazines, I have that in spades)? Can you skip fermentation steps or something. I have also heard of fermenting in the keg(at least lagering). Do you have tolug the co2 tank around to take it with you?

 

[kornkob]

Yes, the co2 tank has to come with you to properly dispense although there are gadgets that use the tiny 12g co2 capsules. Either that or, as stated in this thread, bottle on the fly for events.

Making beer is still the same, although there are adapters out there for using a keg to ferment, I don't think it gains you much.

The biggest thign is to strip you of the requirement of bottling. Kegging beer takes as much time as it takes to siphon your beer out of a carboy-- as opposed to the grueling labor involved in bottling (especially using capped bottles) Also, 5 gallons of beer in a keg takes up less space and is easier to store than 5 gallons in glass bottles. That and it would be damn hard to break a keg or have someone chuck it in the recycle bin 'by mistake'. : )(

 

[bikebryan]

I considered getting a kegging system, $265 at my local brew shop, includes CO2 tank 5 gal, cornelius keg, 5 gal, and regulators hoses etc. Whats the advantage to kegging(besides lazines, I have that in spades)? Can you skip fermentation steps or something. I have also heard of fermenting in the keg(at least lagering). Do you have tolug the co2 tank around to take it with you?

$265 for that? Hmm. I think you are getting ripped.

I got a brand new, fully charged CO2 tank w/single guage regulator, TWO cornies, and all the hoses/connectors/etc, all for about $180 at my LHBS. Shop around and you can probably find a better price. That just seems awfully pricey to me.