That horrible feeling...

[Elric]

When you just kegged a beer you are really looking forward to, but adding it drained the last of your co2 tank and you have to wait two days for the homebrewshop to open to get a refill. Went ahead and bought a second tank so this will be the ONLY time I ever face this dire circumstance.

 

[BrewZer]

That's why if something's really important (sight, breathing, gametes, etc) nature provides two primary sources!

 

[dwhite60]

I love bottling. Never failed to dispense a beer from a bottle.

 

[Elric]

I love bottling. Never failed to dispense a beer from a bottle.

i keg and I bottle, depends on what the pipeline is like and what the beer is.
Even waiting two days to get more CO2 i will still be drinking this long before any bottle of it would be ready to drink. My main issue was in having the co2 to carb, not to serve.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Over time, some/many/most of us of who bottle have

... bought a second ...

bottle capper, bottle opener, bag of bottle caps ...

Your advice to have a backup is solid.

 

[Elric]

I mean I don't need many excuses to buy more stuff! More fermenters, more brew kettles, all this homebrew and still buying from my local breweries

 

[Dgallo]

I love bottling. Never failed to dispense a beer from a bottle.

I’d much rather clean and sterilize one vessel, rack once and set to pressure verses clean, sterilize, fill, and cap 54 - 12 oz bottles. Once I’ve made the switch, the only beers I bottle now are wilds/Brett’s. But hey, to each their own!

When you just kegged a beer you are really looking forward to, but adding it drained the last of your co2 tank and you have to wait two days for the homebrewshop to open to get a refill. Went ahead and bought a second tank so this will be the ONLY time I ever face this dire circumstance.

Good call on getting two. My lhbs shop was really cool to me and just let me take an extra one with their swap program and only pay for the fill. Really great guys.

 

[Elric]

I’d much rather clean and sterilize one vessel, rack once and set to pressure verses clean, sterilize, fill, and cap 54 - 12 oz bottles. Once I’ve made the switch, the only beers I bottle now are wilds/Brett’s. But hey, to each their own!



Good call on getting two. My lhbs shop was really cool to me and just let me take an extra one with their swap program and only pay for the fill. Really great guys.

I basically ran out cause I was waiting for the rental tanks to free up from my lhbs. They loan a 2.5lber while your tank is out for fill (it’s a 1-2 week turn around depending in what day of the week you drop it off), but they only have three and they are either all constantly out or they have suspended the loaners due to covid (we are in lockdown here). I wanted a second one anyway for ease of use for secondary co2 needs (pressure transfers, recarbing pops etc) that aren’t anywhere near my keezer.

 

[NewJersey]

i keg and I bottle, depends on what the pipeline is like and what the beer is.
Even waiting two days to get more CO2 i will still be drinking this long before any bottle of it would be ready to drink. My main issue was in having the co2 to carb, not to serve.

THIS

Bottling is the worst. I understand if you're new to the hobby, but after a while and oxidizing all your beer most would cave in and start kegging.

 

[FromZwolle]

I love bottling. Never failed to dispense a beer from a bottle.

double prime a bottle some time.

 

[Dland]

When you just kegged a beer you are really looking forward to, but adding it drained the last of your co2 tank and you have to wait two days for the homebrewshop to open to get a refill. Went ahead and bought a second tank so this will be the ONLY time I ever face this dire circumstance.

Most anything regarded as essential infrastructure, being it water, power, or CO2 to dispense the brew, it's good to have some kind of back up. Always good to have two, tanks that is.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I’d much rather clean and sterilize one vessel, rack once and set to pressure verses clean, sterilize, fill, and cap 54 - 12 oz bottles.

It's likely, in 2021, that most homebrewers understand the trade-offs involved in packaging.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

it's good to have some kind of back up

YES!

 

[Dgallo]

It's likely, in 2021, that most homebrewers understand the trade-offs involved in packaging.

You know what they say about assuming lol

That said, if they do, you’ll only appreciate it once you keg your first beer and save easily 2 hours of work lol

 

[jddevinn]

(it’s a 1-2 week turn around depending in what day of the week you drop it off)

Do you have a welding supply store that you can trade the tank in at? I would not want to have to go to the store twice, and be out of a tank for 2 weeks, just for a fill.

 

[Novacor]

I love bottling. Never failed to dispense a beer from a bottle.

I love kegging. Never had a keg explode in my closet at 2 in the morning.

Lots of elbow grease and a professional carpet cleaning, I can still smell beer in that closet.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

You know what they say about assuming lol

I do. My grandfather uses that phrase a lot. He also makes a pretty good beer now and then, so it's all good.

 

[bracconiere]

this is why i keep my tank on a scale, and if the HP gauge drops time to swap....but the scale gives me a heads up before i even run out of liquid....

 

[Elric]

this is why i keep my tank on a scale, and if the HP gauge drops time to swap....but the scale gives me a heads up before i even run out of liquid....

I had notice, I saw it dropping down and was pretty positive that the carbing process would finish it off, but I didn't have a lot of options. Will be in a much better place once I have a backup

 

[Elric]

Do you have a welding supply store that you can trade the tank in at? I would not want to have to go to the store twice, and be out of a tank for 2 weeks, just for a fill.

Call me fickle, but this is a brand new shiny tank. I don't want to trade it in for some beat up old unit that is going to need recertifying by the time I empty it. Also as I mentioned we are currently in lockdown and only essential services are open so not really a time to start hunting around for a new shop. The homebrew shop is pretty close by, I can prepay online and just do curbside dropoff/pickup easy peasy.

 

[bracconiere]

I had notice, I saw it dropping down and was pretty positive that the carbing process would finish it off, but I didn't have a lot of options. Will be in a much better place once I have a backup

i just purged and carbed two kegs, burned through ~150 grams co2 doing it. but i know with an aluminum tank the TW is around 25lb's it still ways 40lb's with reg. and the scale was only $25 and a second tank would be $200.....

 

[Jayjay1976]

I love kegging. But I also love bottling. I use both methods, depending on the beer and the circumstances.

 

[jddevinn]

Call me fickle, but this is a brand new shiny tank. I don't want to trade it in for some beat up old unit that is going to need recertifying by the time I empty it. Also as I mentioned we are currently in lockdown and only essential services are open so not really a time to start hunting around for a new shop. The homebrew shop is pretty close by, I can prepay online and just do curbside dropoff/pickup easy peasy.

I've never had Airgas look at, question or mention tank certifications. And I've bought some VERY old 20#ers and traded them in.

They also should be essential.

 

[Bramling Cross]

I love bottling. Never failed to dispense a beer from a bottle.

Nor have I had to remove the base of a keg from my ceiling.

 

[belowi]

My local homebrew shop closed last year where I used to swap out my CO2 tanks, I hadn’t thought about planning for that when I ran out recently. Luckily I found a hydroponic supplier nearby who does 20# tank swaps, so now I’m good to go.

 

[belowi]

I've never had Airgas look at, question or mention tank certifications. And I've bought some VERY old 20#ers and traded them in.

They also should be essential.

I tried our local Airgas and they wanted almost $100 to swap out my new 20# tank (less than a year old) for one of their crappy ones, no fills for me locally unfortunately.

 

[Camelot Legends]

I’m still checking Craigslist for used tanks so I can have a backup. I bought my first one from there because my only option is a swap. I couldn’t bring myself to buy a new tank just to swap it out. It also bothers me I can’t personalize the tank either. I put stickers on everything except my co2 tank.

 

[Dgallo]

I’m still checking Craigslist for used tanks so I can have a backup. I bought my first one from there because my only option is a swap. I couldn’t bring myself to buy a new tank just to swap it out. It also bothers me I can’t personalize the tank either. I put stickers on everything except my co2 tank.

Technically they need to be free of stickers or the company can’t legally fill them (some still will though). They need to be able to examine for any flaws and check the last time the tank was tested. Co2 tanks hold well over 3000 psi. It’s a safety thing

 

[BarryBrews]

Bottling is the worst. I understand if you're new to the hobby, but after a while and oxidizing all your beer most would cave in and start kegging.

The above quoted statement is one of the axioms of homebrewing!!

I used a 5 pound CO2 tank for years and would have it refilled on the spot at my LHBS. But that became a hassle with the twice+ a year run, the worst part was the immediate demand to take care of it no matter what else I had going on. I purchase sacks of malt about once a year at my LHBS, but fine it cheaper to purchase other supplies online. My LHBS is 45 minutes each way!
So I found my local gas company supplier, Arc3 Gases, and purchased a 20 pound tank. I now use the 20# tank and the 5# tank is used as a back up until I get the 20# tank exchanged at Arc3 at my convenience. I may just be lucky, but the Arc3 Gases is much much closer than the LHBS and the $34 price for the 20# tank exchange is fantastic.

 

[Ragman]

I am always wondering, what do I need to buy next for my homebrew setup. OP just gave me another item to buy - a 2nd CO2 tank. Thanks.!