Lay some experience on me: whats the better choice?

[jmp138]

So I have a bit of a predicament, well I guess its actually just good fortune. Been saving for a while and I've got about $300 I'm wanting to drop on some brewing equipment. So I have two ideas of how to spend it. Now I just need help deciding what will serve me best in what looks to be years of brewing to come.

Option A. Buy a couple of corny kegs, all hoses and fittings, a dual co2 regulator a tower and perlicks and use my existing mini-fridge to create a kegerator to do away with that terrible bottling.

Option B. Go all grain, I figure for $300 I could creat a nice MLT, buy a 15 gallon brewpot with spigot and build a wort chiller.

So I have a premonition as to what the answers going to be, I guess Im just asking for some guidance. Thanks for the help, a pro/con pie chart would be helpful as well, just kidding.

Cheers

 

[JoeMama]

I would say go the kegging route. Chances are this will be your biggest expense and you can continue to make quality beer (just bulk age it now)

Going all grain doesnt have to be that expensive. I think the kegging route has taken more of a toll financially than going AG for me. (More to buy when kegging)
My 2 centavos
-Me

 

[TopDog]

Don't know what you have now in the way of equipment. Assuming you have enough space in your kettle for a full wort boil, go with the keg set-up. Not ever having to bottle again will free your mind like you wouldn't believe.

 

[Coastarine]

Tough choice. I say get rid of the hassle of bottling first.

 

[FxdGrMind]

I got a two corney/twin regulator/CO2 (5#) system for 230, came with Picknic taps. Another Corney for 42 (all 3 reconditioned) so that I'd have one to have a beer on standby.

That should fit your 300 budget. I got a tower too but it wasn't the cheapest so it would put you well over budget.

But at least it should get you kegging and out of that bottling nightmare.

Cheers

 

[KingBrianI]

I'm going to have to disagree with Joemama. Going all grain will dramatically increase the control you'll have on your beer. Once you make that step, you'll basically have no limits on what you can create. It also creates what many would say is a superior beer. Not to mention, the process of making beer from grain is much more satisfying than using extract. Kegging won't have any impact on the quality of beer you produce. Going all grain will. Humongously, dramatically so.

EDIT: It appears that I'm diagreeing with several people in addition to joemama!

<---- EDIT 2: Check out my post #!

 

[jmp138]

<---- EDIT 2: Check out my post #!

Glad satan rang in with his opinion and only happens to live about 20 minutes away!

I was looking at Midwest supply and appears I can get 2 corneys, and connections, a dual gauge regulator and picnic taps for $200. Then I could just forgo the tower for now and still probably have enough to creat an MLT and get into all grain.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=7739

 

[Malticulous]

I went all grain and have no regrets. I may get a couple of taps soon.

 

[Christian]

I say go for the kegging equipment.

 

[Bob]

Keg. No brainer.

Fact: You can brew world-class beer with extracts.

Fact: Bottling is a pain in the buttocks.

Fact: Bottling doesn't care how you get sweet wort.

That's my tuppence.

Cheers!

Bob

 

[enderwig]

You should get this!

You'll have some loot left for a couple of ingredient kits to boot.

 

[KingBrianI]

Keg. No brainer.

Fact: You can brew world-class beer with extracts.

Fact: Bottling is a pain in the buttocks.

Fact: Bottling doesn't care how you get sweet wort.

That's my tuppence.

Cheers!

Bob

Bob, you disappoint me. You know as well as I that kegging won't advance a homebrewers ability near so much as going all grain. Being able to start a brewday with intact grains, and ending up with sweet, sweet wort is an experience to be cherished. No amount of steeping can make up for that feeling of accomplishment. It also allows the homebrewer to completely open his or her mind and brew whatever the hell they feel like. Anyway, I expected more of you.

 

[frolickingmonkey]

I cast a solid vote for kegging. Bottling is my least favorite part of homebrewing! I started kegging and brewing AG right about the same time, and both make me a happier homebrewer. Doing it all over again from the beginning, I'd skip bottling all together and go straight to kegs!

 

[Coastarine]

Hold on now. Time spent bottling is time that you will never get back. On the other hand, extract beers can still be great! Lets say that you can have one now and get the other one down the road, with 6 batches in between. If you did AG first, then you have 6 batches of great beer that must be bottled. Keg first and you'll have 6 batches of great beer and, saving time at a rate of 3 hours per batch, have saved 18 hours of work.

I switched to AG before switching to kegging, but that was more based on going from brewing with someone else to having to get all new equipment (why buy all new extract gear if I know I'm going AG) and then moving from an apt to a house where I had room for a keezer. If I could have done it the other way around I would have.

 

[KingBrianI]

What the hell do you guys do during bottling?? I can bottle a 5.5 gallon batch in less than 45 minutes start to finish. It honestly takes me almost as long to scrub and sanitize a keg as it does to bottle a batch of beer.

 

[jmp138]

enderwig, thats the kit I linked to in my original post.

I think I have found a way to do everything I'd like for $300 bucks. I can go with the dual regulator kegging system from midwest for $200 and that will have me 10 gallons of beer in kegs ready to go. I can sacrifice the tower and just go with picnic taps for now. Then with the rest of the money I think I can probably build a pretty nice MLT with a copper manifold and hopefully also eke out a wort chiller.

The only problem then is a brew kettle to do 10 gallon batches which I think could be achieved pretty economically with a keggle conversion, I have a sanke keg, best friends a welder, then I just need a thermometer and ball valve set up.

I believe this is the answer, next question, do picnic taps kind of suck?

Thanks for all the help.

 

[polecreek]

Get a couple cornies, bottle and guage. Live with the picnic taps and spend the rest on all grain.

 

[bashe]

I say start kegging. That is what I did first and I love it. Going all grain is great but all you really need for AG is a pot big enough to do a full boil.

 

[Malticulous]

The best beer in the world comes from a bottle.

edit
Oh yeah, and it was all grain.

 

[Blue_Water]

Dude, just forego the fancy tap system, and use a picnic tap in your mini fridge. Should be able to find a 10-15G pot w/ valve for a hundy if you shop around. MLT is a cheapo cooler with stainless braid ($20?).

Then you can have it all: Keggin, all grain, Cindy Crawford, firetrucks and guns.... for roughly $300.

 

[Coastarine]

I used picnic taps for a few weeks in my keezer before I made a collar. I was pretty pleased for a while but after some time of opening the door every time I got a beer a serious puddle started to develop at the bottom. It was even worse than I had thought when I pulled out all the kegs to clean it during the collar install. Mold had started to grow, it was pretty gross. For me it was a a good way to get my foot into the door.

By the way, best deal on a big kettle is right here http://restaurant-supply.katom.com/...Aluminum-Stock-Pots-%26-Covers-60%2D80-quarts

 

[MaynardX]

IMHO, I would say go for the AG equipment before the kegging. Now, I know bottling is a PITA, but I think its an experience that every home brewer should go through. Gives ya more satisfaction that way. But, I'm one of those guys who thinks that bottle conditioning gives a better flavor then carbing. I don't know what your future financial situation might look like, but if you HAD to choose between the two, I definitely would go the AG route first. Just my 2 cents .

 

[Coastarine]

...I know bottling is a PITA, but I think its an experience that every home brewer should go through.

I could be wrong but I think the OP may have already experienced the joy of bottling.

 

[jmp138]

Oh I have bottled, and its really not that bad, I just want draft beer in my apartment really bad!

Coastarine, that looks like a heck of a deal on the stockpots, a 60 qt for $70! Do you think the quality on those if pretty decent and could your drill it for a ball valve, just wondering.

This post has inspired some spirited banter, enjoying the opinions!

 

[chri5]

I would definitely vote for going all-grain. I actually kind of enjoy bottling, and almost wish I hadn't spent the money on my keezer setup!

 

[BearsWickedBrew]

...I don't have a ton of experience...I'm an extract brewer (got about 8 batches under my belt)...but if i were in your shoes Mr. OP...without a doubt...i would go AG. I hate bottling just as much as the other guy does....but given the choice....I would want to perfect my method with the freshest, purest ingredients before I started kegging beer.

You go Keg...whoopdie doo..there is no value add, you only avoid the hassle of bottling. You go AG....you will take brewing to the next level.

 

[Coastarine]

Coastarine, that looks like a heck of a deal on the stockpots, a 60 qt for $70! Do you think the quality on those if pretty decent and could your drill it for a ball valve, just wondering.

I got the thermalloy 60qt for 62.47 (plus a lid) and I have yet to find fault with it. I did not put a weldless fitting on it since I pump through a CFC, but I did put one on my 30qt HLT and I see no reason why I couldn't put one on the kettle.

For those of you who say that kegging does not improve your beer quality, I disagree. Have you ever noticed that you enjoy your beer more if the bottle has sat in the fridge for a week or more? With kegging, the whole batch is aged in the cold. Also, I like to see clear beer and I get that from the keg without leaving beer in the bottle.

 

[jmp138]

Glad you posted that link, I was about to drop 250 on a polarware with a ball valve, I am starting to see how to maximize my dollar, this is great!

 

[Runyanka]

I dont know what everyone has against bottling (other than it being a pain in the ass). I happen to find it rewarding sitting down in my lazy chair, cracking open that top, and hearing that CO2 being released. Plus, I usually go to my friends houses, they dont come to mine. Therefore, bottles are more convenient. I say go AG, just because of the satisfactory feeling you will get when you are done. If people are complaining about bottling, then technically shouldnt they be complaining about brewing AG as well? I mean both are more work, however, ones more satisfying than the other.

 

[TeufelBrew]

Now your getting the idea.

Don't jump to the either or so fast. If you can start doing both, go for it. I went AG first becuase I got a free cooler to play with. However, having cold clear beer on tap any time is awesome.

Take some time, view the options and stretch those dollars!