Kegging versus Bottling

[pbfl81]

Hello,

Kegging or bottles?

To get into home brewing, i bought a deluxe extract home brewing kit that came with everything except bottles. The beer (chinook IPA) is almost finished primary fermentation so i need to start thinking about kegging or bottling.

If I keg will i be able to drink the beer sooner than if i bottle?

Thanks for your help.

 

[El Nino]

I do both, I brew 2.5 gallon batches, keg in a 1 gallon mini keg and bottle the rest.

Since I'm only force carbing a 1 gallon batch, it's done pretty fast, and I've managed to force carb it to proper levels overnight. I'm sure it can be done faster by the shake + more psi method.

So yes, kegging will = you can drink your beer faster. I considered going all kegging, but to be honest I like having bottles around as well. Even carrying a mini keg + mini regulator / tap is a pain in the butt compared to just throwing 6-12 bottles in a soft cooler and going to where you're going. So my current system works for me, a little of both.

And if you ever need bottles, just buy some of your favorite craft brew and reuse the bottles. As someone said, why pay for empty bottles?

Just a FYI if you plan to adopt a system like mine, fill the bottles first and then finish it with the keg. I had a problem in a previous batch doing bottles last, and I got stuck on the last 1" of trub left, which was at least 1.5 beers worth that I had to throw out (starting the auto siphon that close will suck up a bunch of trub). Finishing the transfer with the keg allows me to tilt the carboy and get more of it. Doing it the other way, I found it impossible to keep the carboy tilted, put pressure on the wand, and switch out bottles, lol.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

I did the same recently with a NEIPA, which are best when fresh. Kegging not only lets you enjoy the brew faster it is more convenient for guests-- no need to explain how to pour a bottle conditioned beer. With that said, ball locks and kegorators are an investment. I use cornys for parties, rather than a jock box I put a tower on a trash can and the kegs are on ice.

 

[blubrewbbq]

Hello,

Kegging or bottles?

To get into home brewing, i bought a deluxe extract home brewing kit that came with everything except bottles. The beer (chinook IPA) is almost finished primary fermentation so i need to start thinking about kegging or bottling.

If I keg will i be able to drink the beer sooner than if i bottle?

Thanks for your help.

The other guys are correct that kegging is faster and easier after it's all said and done. Consider your budget. You can find used bottles very easy and dirt cheap, even free if you tell your buddies to save their bottles from commercial brews and at worst case you buy new bottles online.

Kegging will have a high upfront cost. The DIY method can save some coin but that takes time that you may or may not want to invest. You still need kegs, CO2, lines, and a host of other trinkets.

Personally I think you should bottle your first few batches, make sure you want to keep brewing, and then get into kegging.

You will appreciate your kegging setup even more after you have bottled and capped a few hundred bottles. Lol.

 

[Dland]

Most people start out bottling, but at some point, if you are brewing in any volume, kegs will be more logical, more consistent product, a lot less time working as dish washer.

 

[pbfl81]

I do both, I brew 2.5 gallon batches, keg in a 1 gallon mini keg and bottle the rest.

Since I'm only force carbing a 1 gallon batch, it's done pretty fast, and I've managed to force carb it to proper levels overnight. I'm sure it can be done faster by the shake + more psi method.

So yes, kegging will = you can drink your beer faster. I considered going all kegging, but to be honest I like having bottles around as well. Even carrying a mini keg + mini regulator / tap is a pain in the butt compared to just throwing 6-12 bottles in a soft cooler and going to where you're going. So my current system works for me, a little of both.

And if you ever need bottles, just buy some of your favorite craft brew and reuse the bottles. As someone said, why pay for empty bottles?

Just a FYI if you plan to adopt a system like mine, fill the bottles first and then finish it with the keg. I had a problem in a previous batch doing bottles last, and I got stuck on the last 1" of trub left, which was at least 1.5 beers worth that I had to throw out (starting the auto siphon that close will suck up a bunch of trub). Finishing the transfer with the keg allows me to tilt the carboy and get more of it. Doing it the other way, I found it impossible to keep the carboy tilted, put pressure on the wand, and switch out bottles, lol.

Many thanks for the words of advice i will make a note to do the bottles first.

 

[El Nino]

I don't know why people are so averse to bottling, the thing that sucks the most of course is the additional wait. But honestly the bottling process I didn't find difficult at all. Then again, I do 2.5g batches, I can see how maybe bottling 50 beers would suck lol.

 

[pbfl81]

The other guys are correct that kegging is faster and easier after it's all said and done. Consider your budget. You can find used bottles very easy and dirt cheap, even free if you tell your buddies to save their bottles from commercial brews and at worst case you buy new bottles online.

Kegging will have a high upfront cost. The DIY method can save some coin but that takes time that you may or may not want to invest. You still need kegs, CO2, lines, and a host of other trinkets.

Personally I think you should bottle your first few batches, make sure you want to keep brewing, and then get into kegging.

You will appreciate your kegging setup even more after you have bottled and capped a few hundred bottles. Lol.

I totally get where your coming from. Im gong to bottle a few and keg the rest. The kegging system i plan on buying has everything included. I would share a link but not sure on the rules of the forum?

 

[pbfl81]

I don't know why people are so averse to bottling, the thing that sucks the most of course is the additional wait. But honestly the bottling process I didn't find difficult at all. Then again, I do 2.5g batches, I can see how maybe bottling 50 beers would suck lol.

To be honest i'm not put off by bottling beer, there's far more laborious tasks going on in my life lol. I just wanted to keg because i can drink it sooner and i don't have to remember to save the bottles etc.

 

[pbfl81]

View attachment 572715
I did the same recently with a NEIPA, which are best when fresh. Kegging not only lets you enjoy the brew faster it is more convenient for guests-- no need to explain how to pour a bottle conditioned beer. With that said, ball locks and kegorators are an investment. I use cornys for parties, rather than a jock box I put a tower on a trash can and the kegs are on ice.

Nice man, thanks for sharing the picture too...

 

[Dland]

If you make and drink as much as I do, you'll probably switch to kegs at some point. But I did bottle a lot of beers in the old days, and had a cool collection of old bar bottles from different places I used.

 

[El Nino]

To be honest i'm not put off by bottling beer, there's far more laborious tasks going on in my life lol. I just wanted to keg because i can drink it sooner and i don't have to remember to save the bottles etc.

Ah that wasn't directed at you It was my response to usually when this question pops up, it just seems like bottling is really not popular compared to kegging. Though I could definitely see if you're a 5+ gallon brewer, at some point kegging setups are a godsend.

 

[MaxStout]

I still bottle, no plans to change. I fully understand the advantages to kegging, but that's a rabbit hole I don't want to go down. I enjoy bottling, it's kind of zen-like to me when no one else is around. I get done and have 2 cases of beer that I'll enjoy in a few weeks. I'm patient and don't mind the extra wait.

If you start out bottling and go that route for a while, you might get the desire to switch to kegging at some point. Or maybe not. Neither way is wrong, and by then you'll know what's right for you. You are asking all the right questions and you will be able to make an informed decision. Many people here will help if you decide to make the switch.

 

[jfolks]

Starting off, you might as well bottle. If you’re still brewing in a year, then look at keg options. I started bottling, switched to kegging after a couple years, and now package according to style (sours and Belgians in bottles, rest in kegs)

 

[brew703]

I started this hobby bottling. It lasted three years. Last November I had enough of bottling so bought a chest freezer and went with two taps. Never looked back. Wish I had switched sooner.

I just HATED bottling with a passion. It took the fun out of the brewing process for me. I think part of it was the process with sanitizing bottles and all the equipment not to mention the space to lay everything out.

With kegging, I can transfer to keg in 15-20 min, turn on the gas and I can be drinking in 30-48 hrs. The process of kegging for me is much easier.

As someone mentioned, the upfront cost is a bit high but IMO it's worth it.

 

[brewgar]

MaxStout, thank you for your well stated response. I too enjoy bottling.

 

[ancientmariner52]

I'm in the bottling camp. I like the idea that I am generating my own CO2 in the bottle, and the labor doesn't trouble me in the least. Hell, I'm retired, I'm looking for things to do!

I constantly see threads here about kegging problems, leaks, foaming, sanitation issues and so forth. I don't need the aggravation.

All that said, I am jealous of the great keezer and kegerator builds I see here. Maybe I'll build one with dummy taps to keep my bottles in.

 

[pbfl81]

Thanks all. I like the idea of bottling some and that I will. But call me crazy but I’ve ordered the torpedo kegging kit and will pluck a freezer out with the temperature controller before my secondary finishes.

This post was helpful. It made me realize its acceptable to bottle some and keg the rest. I like that as I can think of occasions a bottle or two would be useful.

Thanks again.

 

[GPP33]

I constantly see threads here about kegging problems, leaks, foaming, sanitation issues and so forth. I don't need the aggravation.

Nothing wrong with bottling but all of those things aren’t unique to kegging. I probably see more threads about problems with bottles (no carb, bottle bombs, etc) than with kegs. I’ve kegged about 40 batches and never had leaks, foaming or sanitation issues so they are easy to avoid if done right, just like the typical bottling problems.

Thanks all. I like the idea of bottling some and that I will. But call me crazy but I’ve ordered the torpedo kegging kit and will pluck a freezer out with the temperature controller before my secondary finishes.

This post was helpful. It made me realize its acceptable to bottle some and keg the rest. I like that as I can think of occasions a bottle or two would be useful.

Thanks again.

Bottles are great to have for mobility. I bottle straight from my kegs using a bottling wand to fill from the bottom. The process is easy, cheap and works great. The only problem is you do loose some beer in the process but on the other hand you don’t loose beer to the trub in the bottom of the bottle so it’s probably a wash.

Bottle this batch since it’s almost done and depending on style you might not want to drink it right away (a couple weeks conditioning is usually helpful with only a couple of exceptions). In the mean time look for deals on used equipment, I got a CO2 bottle and regulator for $50 from an old college kegerator off of Craigslist, some fairly inexpensive kegs from the classifieds on this site and some used ball lock connectors from a friend getting out of kegging. If you find some deals it doesn’t need to be expensive.

I’m in the group that doesn’t need one more time consuming task so kegging works well for me and the benefits of kegging outweigh the drawbacks. You’ll need to try both to see what works for you.

 

[LostHopper]

Like El Nino I brew 2 1/2 gal batches and bottle them. I don't mind bottling and I've got a system that is easy and fairly fast. I've somewhat solved the wait problem by brewing more often. I like to brew another batch soon after bottling so something new is coming up all the time. I've found it easier to store one case of bottles rather than two and still have room for the next batch coming up. If my son inlaws haven't been around to polish off the hop forward beers while they are fresh and things starts getting backed up I'll brew a stout or something that can sit in the fridge a little longer and not lose out on taste.

 

[VTX1300]

I both bottle and keg. It all depends on what I am brewing. Stouts that I plan to age go into bottles. IPA's go straight to a keg. The best advice on bottling is to invest in a good bench capper. Much easier than a wing capped when doing 50+ bottles.

 

[Morrey]

Of course all of our bottling likes and dislikes are opinion based, so what gives others pleasure may be a complete drag on my energy levels. I don't like bottling much at all (ok - bottling sucks to me), but I do it out of necessity at times. If others feel bottling is the best option (which most newer home brewers gravitate towards), at the minimum get a decent capper as mentioned above. Cheap equipment generally translates into less than stellar results.

If an interest in brewing grows, many opt to move into kegging for diversity and convenience. A very big point to me (it may not be to others which I understand) is keeping oxygen out of my beer post-fermentation. By far my best method is to push beer from fermenter into a CO2 purged keg, and if done correctly, most all undesired O2 exposure can be eliminated. O2 free transfers from a bottling bucket, or even straight from the primary or secondary, can be challenging at best.

And I'm not implying that bottled beer is inferior in any way to kegged beer based on O2 exposure. This is just one of those things that has become important to me, but others may not feel the need for that at all. Just making another point to consider.

 

[El Nino]

BTW for the bottling process, getting a bottle tree does help a lot to keep the assembly line organized (and less mess)

Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CVLGWQP/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I quit brewing back in the 90's because I hated bottling. I never even thought about kegging, but the info wasn't there back then like it is now. A few years later I got a kegerator and bought a metric crap ton of craft beer over the years. Then I read something about kegging homebrew and I thought: "Duh, I should try again and see if I like brewing without bottling". The answer is I love it.

I still bottle from the keg sometimes, but I don't care for that either. The bottom line is that bottling is really a two person job and I hate having to work around other's schedules. I've done it by myself, but it's kind of a PITA.

If it weren't for kegging, I wouldn't be brewing.

One other thing for bottling:
To sanitize, take your clean and dry bottles and cover the top with a small piece of foil. Put them on a tray in the cool over and turn it on to 360. After 60 minutes at 360, turn it off and leave it until it cools (I always do this in the evening and let them cool overnight).

Pull 'em out and you've got sanitized bottles for whenever you need them. Just peel the foil off and fill.

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

It has been a long time since I have been here. Just recently started brewing again. I keg everything but kimda miss the look of all the capped bottles lined up when I was finished. BUT kegging is so much easier. Plus with the first couple of batches I have cold crashed em then force carbed em to drink immediately. NOW I have no idea of it is still here but many moons ago REVVY had a bottling thread sticky. His method was FANTASTIC and made the entire process easy as pie.

 

[Oldskewl]

I keg and bottle both. I do like to bottle some for sharing with friends and family or for mobility. I agree that kegging is easier as long as you don’t develop any co2 leaks. Nothing worse than finding out your outta co2. I do bottle beers that I prefer to age, like stouts, bareywines, Belgians, etc. I like to keg IPAs, pale ales, saison, etc. Depending on the batch volume, sometimes I can’t fit it all in the keg and will bottle the remaining half dozen or so directly out of the fermentor using Dominoes sugar cubes.

I recently developed an infection in my bottling bucket. So my last 2 bottled batches have fermented further in the bottles and created gushers and 2 bottle bombs. I think the infection is due to having a crazy amount of moths in my garage last year and a few got into my bottling bucket. I have PBW’d and star san’d a couple times, but no luck. Probably going to pitch the bucket, valve, and wand and start over.

 

[Jtk78]

I bottled for a year (18 batches) before I started kegging. I brew 10 gallons at a time, so cleaning / sanitizing 100+ bottles (of beer on the wall) and the equipment twice was a pain to me. If I go some where, I will either fill a growler, crowler, or some bottles to bring or give away.

Kegging can allow you to enjoy the fruits of your labor quicker.

 

[MrBitter]

My last 2 batches have been a bit light on the carbonation in bottles- one of them - a Blue Moon clone - has almost no carbonation at all. It’s certainly drinkable and my wife loves it but not sure what’s going on. I’m thinking of moving to kegs for consistency, but have nowhere to get a keg cold at the moment.

 

[Cevan65]

I started kegging a year ago and never looked back. My beers are much better in quality now, something I chalk up to doing closed transfers from fermenter to purged keg. No way to avoid O2 if you're bottling.

Speed have never been a priority for me. I've found my beers need at least 7-10 days conditioning before they are fully developed.

 

[LostHopper]

Bottler here. There are days I wish I kegged but not many. I like to keep multiple styles of beers available for friends or family and I don't have room for multiple kegs. My bottling system is pretty fast and definitely not a big chore. My wife isn't wild about all the empty bottles I keep stored.