Kegging or All Grain?

[jonph57]

I have been extracting brewing for about half a year and I want to take the next step: Kegging or All Grain. Any suggestions? I can only do one for now.

 

[jaynik]

I'm in a similar situation, and choose kegging because I won't have any additional time to brew but would enjoy having the beer on tap at my convenience. My extract brews taste good.

 

[hamiltont]

Man, that's a tough one, I went all-grain the kegging but I can't say I would do it the same way again because it would depend on the circumstances at hand at the time. So to answer your question.. It's a toss up for me...

 

[jezter6]

I'd go kegging. You can make great extract beers, but bottling is a pain. Save yourself an hour of labor in the bottling process and keg your extract beers.

AG is good because you can do it cheap and start by piecemealing it together. You can get a mashtun fairly cheap and then move to Partial Mash for under $30-50, and work your way into any other ingredients. Kegging doesn't work when you start buying random parts.

 

[khanti]

Me three. I'm facing the same dilemma.

All-grain : cheaper and more control over the process
kegging: convenience, Impress-The-Friends-factor and speedier finished beer (for some styles).

Hmmmmmm......

 

[phatuna]

Maybe you can do both. AG doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg to do. You just need a larger pot, a cooler and enough btu's to heat up 6 gallons of water. everything else, you probably have already.

 

[Stormrider51]

Have you tried mini-mash? Doesn't add much time to the brew day and the only extra piece of equipment needed is a grain bag. You would get more control over your beer and could still go to kegging.

John

 

[mparmer]

i did my first AG last week, I'm saving kegging for later. I like seeing the bottles, it's not that big a deal to me and I like the portability better. And, I wanted to know if I could make better beer by going AG. (don't know yet, first batch is still in fermeter). The other thing that has been bugging me in the back of my mind about kegging is how much trouble is it to get the co2 bottle filled around here and how much trouble the equipment gives, i.e. do you have to deal with leaks and faulty valves a lot. I'm sure the answers are in threads on here but that is just the thought process I've went through.

 

[Stormrider51]

Kegging saves time but you are right, it isn't exactly portable. As for how much trouble the kegerator is, not much. I've never had trouble with gas leaks. I take the taps off after about every six kegs, disassemble them, wash them, and put them back on. Takes 30 minutes or so. I'm using the same kegerator and taps that I bought several years ago.

John

 

[Synovia]

I have been extracting brewing for about half a year and I want to take the next step: Kegging or All Grain. Any suggestions? I can only do one for now.

Fermentation temperature control. Will make a much bigger difference than either.

 

[Sacdan]

I vote for kegging. Best investment I've made so far. Then get into AG.

 

[kaiser423]

The question is: How happy are you with your beers?

If you have a good set of recipes, aren't bored with what you're making, have your process dialed in, and just in general, are satisfied with the beers that you're making, then definitely start kegging.

If you're still learning to brew, and are still messing with your process, or anything like that, then go with all grain. Might as well keep learning, and keep trying new things until you're totally dialed in.

In general, going to kegging does cost a lot more than going to all grain though. I went to AG from extract for ~$160 buying everything new (had the big pot, but wanted a second for heating water $20, $40 for cooler plus parts for a mash tun, $100 for a dual burner camp stove). If you have a big burner and/or a cooler laying around, it can be done for less than $50.

Going to kegging, I'm already down $200 buying everything used, and I still need to sink about another $100 into it before I'm done (although in the end I will have 8 tapped kegs). Then quite a bit more if I want some nice taps, like Perlick's.

 

[Palefire]

Also, how much do you dislike bottling? I'm definitely in the minority on these forums, I think, but I actually don't mind bottling much. And I just can't ever see myself kegging - mostly I just can't really imagine a keezer sitting anywhere in my house. Plus I like to give beers away a lot, so having them in bottles helps for that.

So for me ... AG. I'm super glad I made that change, since AG is just more fun for me.

 

[archiefl98]

i did my first AG last week, I'm saving kegging for later. I like seeing the bottles, it's not that big a deal to me and I like the portability better. And, I wanted to know if I could make better beer by going AG. (don't know yet, first batch is still in fermeter).

+1 to everything mparmer had to say. I'm right there too - just did my first AG batch last week and I actually like bottles and bottling. I decided to go all-grain due to monetery concerns. I figured I'd spend a little bit of $$ on A.G. equipment (already had a turkey fryer, just got a couple coolers and fitted them as MLTs) rather than have to purchase at least 1 CO2 tank, regulator and 2 kegs (to make it really worth it for me)

My thought is this: I like the beers I brew. I like about 5 styles regularly. I like to mix it up with something new here and there. I figure I can brew my regular styles at a lower expense all-grain, thus save money, thus purchase kegging equipment down the road.

In actuality I'll just drink more which will drive up my ingredient costs so I won't save any money at all and corny kegs will keep climbing in price.

If DME was cheaper I would have definitely gone for a couple of kegs instead. I could be perfectly happy with 10 kegs of extract recipes.

 

[mordantly]

you can never have enough cornies (15) or regs (3 pri and 1 sec) or co2 (45#).

 

[thedidey]

I agree with Kaiser...I went to AG for about 150-175. Kegging rigs seem to be more.

And I agree with Archie...I'm drinking one of the last 2 bottles of a tripel that I brewed a year ago. I've bottled 6-7 batches since. I have one priming and 5 drinkable beers right now.

Lastly, I'm 2 AG batches deep. I love it. I know people who make better extract beer than I'll probably ever make AG, but for me, the process is what makes this hobby so interesting, not just the finished beer.

 

[eljefe]

I went kegging a year ago then all grain 6 mos ago. I was having inconsistent results with bottling so the move to kegging IMHO provided more consistent and better resutls. It also had two other advantages - first, I got rid of a ton of empty bottles saved up just in case. Second, I can drink 100 beers in one night and it is only one glass in the sink as opposed to 100 bottles in the recycling bin. :rockin:

For me the cost of moving to all grain included a larger boiling pot, two coolers - one for a mashing bucket, the other to hold sparge water. These costs exceeded what I spent to start kegging. This may not be an issue for you though.

 

[dracus]

You can do both.

$2 paint strainer bag from lowes.

Read the stovetop all grain sticky thread.

Its going to be at least $200 for a basic keg setup.

A mash tun is about $40, new pot $20, burner $30ISH from amazon on sale.
You should already have a wort chiller if not shame on you.

You'll see an improvement going full boil. So either way I'd add a burner, big kettle, and chiller even if your kegging.

 

[skyzo]

A mash tun is about $40, new pot $20, burner $30ISH from amazon on sale.
You should already have a wort chiller if not shame on you.

I'd love to find a pot for $20. Thats the biggest thing holding me back from going AG.

 

[Pivot]

I would definitely say kegging first, because you have to spend alot on that at once. All grain u can kind of start out shoddily and slowly build proper equipment for it over time.

 

[Steelers77]

I'd go with kegging also, saves you a ton of time. There is one downside to kegging (at least in my opinion) and that is I still find myself bottling when I make something that's higher in gravity.
I made my way into AG with a used 48qt cooler and about 30 buck in parts for a manifold and a S.S. Ball valve. Plus, I really enjoy all grain a lot more than extract. It makes me feel like I'm more involved.

 

[jaginger]

kegging for sure

 

[JMG680]

kegging for sure

+1 kegging for sure

 

[Wade E]

Id go kegging and slowly work on making everything else. You can make an awesome set up for AG yourself whether it be electric or gas. Trust me, if I can do it anyone can.

 

[triangulum33]

And I just can't ever see myself kegging - mostly I just can't really imagine a keezer sitting anywhere in my house. Plus I like to give beers away a lot, so having them in bottles helps for that.

Same for me.
Without building a full nice bar w/keezer built in (which would definitely kickass), there is no way SWMBO would let kegerator/keezer in the house. And I cant see walking out to the garage everytime I want beer.

 

[Pivot]

Same for me.
Without building a full nice bar w/keezer built in (which would definitely kickass), there is no way SWMBO would let kegerator/keezer in the house. And I cant see walking out to the garage everytime I want beer.

I dont think I could ever let SWMBO tell me whats going in the house and whats not. that would suck

 

[triangulum33]

I dont think I could ever let SWMBO tell me whats going in the house and whats not. that would suck

I pick my battles, and this is a war not worth fighting.

 

[Palefire]

I dont think I could ever let SWMBO tell me whats going in the house and whats not. that would suck

Heh heh ... give it a few more years, my friend ...

 

[nebben]

This past spring, I was asking the same question.

I went with an all-grain setup instead of kegging for a few reasons (my reasons).

1. I have a fridge that I can store beer in, but not hack it into a kegerator. (AG +1)
2. New toys are fun, kegs are neat, but AG toys can be more technical.(AG +2)
3. AG can potentially reduce the cost per batch- LHBS charges $4-$5 per pound of extract, and ~$.85 per pound of bulk 2-row grain.(AG +3)
4. After doing one partial mash and two grain steeps, I figured I wasn't going to turn away from grains. Instead I could only see myself getting more varied in my grain usage.(AG +4)
5. Beer from grain is sexy.(AG +5)
6. Kegs are shiny, but I have ~300 bottles and SWMBO who will help.(AG +6)
7. Bottles can come to a buddy's house after work, to Thanksgiving dinner, and camping or fishing. Kegs are substantially less able to travel.(AG +7)
8. Kegs are easier to clean, sanitize, and to get beer into.(Kegs +1)
9. I don't mind the task of bottling including cleaning and sanitizing.(AG +8 FTW)

I did just recently get kegging equipment though, since it is easier for me to store 5G kegs than 5G of bottles in boxes. I'll continue to bottle condition/age some, and keg others.

 

[triangulum33]

Nebben,
I like how you broke it down to look at each factor.
But, you have each item is equally weighted. To me, #8 is more important than any one of the other itms.