Should I set up a HERMS system or keg

[MedicineMan]

I have a dilemma, should I set up an electric HERMS system in my 10gallon coolers or buy a single keg set up with a picnic tap. I already have a march pump so I have the most expensive part out of the way for the HERMS. When it comes to kegging I don't have anything. Unfortunately I won't be able to drill the extra fridge I have in the garage because I borrowing if from a family member so I'm stuck with a picnic tap. I can't decide which system to set up and any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

 

[BadNewsBrewery]

Depending on your setup, the pump is nowhere near the most expensive part of an e-HERMS setup. It all depends on how big you want to get and how complex, but elements and controllers and HERMS coils all start to get pretty costly.

Are you planning to put a heating element into this 10 gallon cooler, which I assume is plastic? That may not be a great idea.

Personally, I'd go with the kegging route. Going from bottles to kegs was a much bigger plus for me than going from direct fire / gravity setups to e-HERMS.

 

[kombat]

Ask yourself: Which one will either a) produce better beer, or b) make brewing easier/more fun. A HERMS might make a slight improvement in your beer, but it doesn't really speed anything up or make your life that much easier. Kegging, on the other hand, will allow you finer control over carbonation level and save you considerable time cleaning and filling bottles.

I'd vote for the kegging. The picnic tap constraint is not a big deal at all; I have 9 kegs and only 2 fit in my kegerator at any given time. The rest all have picnic taps affixed.

 

[Malric]

Kegging. It cuts time on the cleaning and packaging sides. Downside is when you kick a keg that you didn't realize was low.

 

[MedicineMan]

Thanks for the help, I'm going to go with the keg.