Kegging homebrew

[new2brew1221]

I am new to the whole home brew scene, and would like know if people put their home brew in kegs much, or if bottles are the universal way to go. I was thinking that if it was put in a keg, then it would be ready to be enjoyed sooner, and then it could be put into bottles or even growlers to save. What suggestions do you guys have?

 

[scoundrel]

I am new to the whole home brew scene, and would like know if people put their home brew in kegs much, or if bottles are the universal way to go. I was thinking that if it was put in a keg, then it would be ready to be enjoyed sooner, and then it could be put into bottles or even growlers to save. What suggestions do you guys have?

I keg. For me it's easier to clean a couple kegs, you do get to drink it faster and you can always bottle from the tap. There's nothing wrong with bottle conditioning and I still do it occasionally, but for me, bottling is a bit of a hassle.

 

[crisputer]

When I first started brewing 7 months ago, I bottled. The wife and I did not enjoy the bottling process at all so we got some kegs and won't look back. Clean and fill one big bottle vs. around 50 individual bottles.

 

[new2brew1221]

Do the kegs you guys use have one or two connections for the CO2 line and the beer out line? I've seen both online, and want to make sure that the lines for the kegerator connect to the keg properly

 

[scoundrel]

Do the kegs you guys use have one or two connections for the CO2 line and the beer out line? I've seen both online, and want to make sure that the lines for the kegerator connect to the keg properly

Two. Most homebrewers use 5 gallon corny kegs since the typical batch is 5 gallons. They are either ball lock or pin lock. I prefer ball lock mostly because it's what's available nearby.

 

[paulster2626]

Do both. Why limit yourself?

Kegs are awesome because like cooking meat over fire, it's in every man's blood to want cold beer from a tap. Bottles are awesome because you can throw a batch in there, and easily forget about half of it and try it in 6+ months - it's amazing! Also it's easy to just run down to the cellar and throw together a 6-er of bottles if you're headed to a party. But then again, showing up with a couple growlers is also pretty badass...

Certain beers I like to have on tap, like lagers and IPA's. But some beers I just prefer to pour from a nice large bottle, like a IIPA or a stout.

So yeah - do both!

 

[crisputer]

I got my ball lock kegs on ebay and the kegerator system from kegconnection.com. I bought a used fridge off craigslist and can get 4 kegs in it. I'm just using picnic taps to serve for now.

 

[new2brew1221]

Thank you for the information. I was looking on beverage factory.com and it looks like I can get a pretty good setup without the keg for less than $200