Keg vs. Bottle

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Kronin

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Hiya,
I hate bottling.
well, I guess it is not that bad, but it is messy and time consuming.

I have never tried using a keg as an alternative, but heard others say things like "i will never go back to bottles after using a keg".

can someone post links to a good setup or tutorial on kegging? I have no idea but would like to try it out. :mug:
 
I will never go back to bottling, either! I love kegging. I was a little intimidated at first, because it seemed like there were so many parts, and messing around with co2 tanks and stuff that it didn't seem like I would be able to do it. (I'm not very mechanically inclined at all). Well, I still haven't drilled my fridge, so I'm using cobra taps inside the fridge. But...............it's easy! The beer is awesome, and it's so much easier for me than bottling! It's much easier to store 4 full kegs then it is 8 cases of full bottles, too. I like every thing about it. Except that they seem to empty too fast.
 
I've done both and continue to do both. For the majority of my beer that I consume I keg. For high gravity beers and gifts I bottle. The former I bottle because I don't want to tie up a keg for the 6 months to years I want to condition/age my beer.

GT
 
Is there any noticeable taste difference between bottled beer and kegged beer, or is it purely a convenience thing?
 
thanks for the links.... I have been reading a tonne since yesterday... I have another question though, that i could not find a good answer too.


In the reading I am seeing some comments on age and spoilage. that once tapped in a kegerator, it must be consumed in about 30 days... is that true? I was thinking of getting a two tap system going but I am the only one that drinks beer in my house, so in order to consume and not throw away beer, I'd have to be dead drunk every day to empty 10 gallons before spoilage. lol
 
thanks for the links.... I have been reading a tonne since yesterday... I have another question though, that i could not find a good answer too.


In the reading I am seeing some comments on age and spoilage. that once tapped in a kegerator, it must be consumed in about 30 days... is that true? I was thinking of getting a two tap system going but I am the only one that drinks beer in my house, so in order to consume and not throw away beer, I'd have to be dead drunk every day to empty 10 gallons before spoilage. lol

Absolutely untrue. As long as the beer is properly infused with CO2 it will last for a long time.
 
I don't mind bottling. I put on some music and zen out. I've got the process down to 1.5 hours including cleanup, but it takes a lot less time total if you bottle several batches at once.

If I did hate bottling I would go for kegs, though. So if you're looking for advice, here's mine: start kegging.
 
Is there any noticeable taste difference between bottled beer and kegged beer, or is it purely a convenience thing?

I've never done a side-by-side of the same beer, but I think there is a difference. When you bottle, you're fostering a 2nd fermentation and you get all the residual esters, etc. that add flavors (good or bad). If you keg and force carb, there is no 2nd fermentation and thus no other flavors introduced. I'm pretty sure that I've had beers turn south on me while in the bottle. Not because of the cleanliness of the bottle, but maybe a minor infection that is exacerbated by being fed priming sugar...or poor temp control for conditioning that leads to undesirable esters. By kegging, you simplify and shorten the process, and IMO it yields fresher beer.
 
One additional benefit of kegging worth mentioning is the ability to hone in on the perfect carbonation. When you bottle, what's done is done. Over-carbed or under-carbed? Too bad. Kegging allows you to increase or decrease the carbonation should you miss the mark initially.
 
I started right away with kegging. The ability to force carbonate and hit the right carbonation level was appealing.

That said, I find that I usually end up bottling 75% of the kegged beer! I like to share a lot and that necessitates some bottles, especially for out of town relatives and friends.

Bottling a few also enables me to stash some for later to see how they condition over time.
 
So, you brew the batch. Then when it is ready, you rack to the keg, and then force carbonate to the right level. Once happy, you pour from the keg directly to some bottles, and then cap?

How do you transfer from the keg to the bottles without pouring a big head of foam? (Sorry if this sounds stupid but my only experience with kegs is drinking them.)
 
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