Those that keg...do you still bottle?

[h22lude]

Just curious. Ever since I started kegging, the only thing I have bottled is my friends beer. I have a Fat Tire clone ready to be kegged and was thinking of bottling just to have some bottles on hand.

Do you still bottle? If so, how often do you bottle?

 

[duckmanco]

Nah, not really to tell the truth. I told myself when I got into kegging I'd still bottle because the process IMO wasn't all that bad. There is also something cool about pouring bottle conditioned beers.... Anyway way, I keg most beers and bottle beers over 8% abv.

 

[Ricand]

Bottles still have their place. Up until the Bowie Bottler came out I did it rarely, since it was such a pain. Now I can bang out a few bottles from each of my 8 taps in just a few minutes. I find I'm bottling more to take a few to friends or give them away. If you mean bottling like in priming and conditioning, then never.

 

[ciphin78]

I still bottle. If I have a beer that needs to age a while, like a nice stout, then i'll bottle it because I don't want to tie up a keg that long for aging. Then again, i only have 4 kegs so if I had the extra kegs to age in, then I might not bottle at all. If I want to take my beer somewhere I just fill up a few growlers and I'm good to go.

 

[Gduck]

When I first went to kegs I swore I would never bottle again. And I didn't for about 3 years but have recently bottled a couple of higher gravity beers that I wanted to have sitting around for awhile and try at various points through their aging. Also with beers that I enjoy, but don't necessarily need to have always ready on tap. I like a pumpkin ale, but there is only so much I can drink and since I only have a few kegs I like to turn them over more quickly.

All that said I still probably only bottle one batch in 10. I plan on getting a couple more kegs at some point and I'd imagine that will make the bottling a little more infrequent than that. But I feel there's always some beers I just like to have every so often and have no issue with bottling them (like my last quad).

 

[gstrawn]

Sure do. I only have two taps so I usually put a more sessionable beer in kegs. My barleywines go to bottle. If it isn't going to be consumed quickly I don't want it taking up space!

 

[Smashing]

I bottle some stouts and other beers I plan on having around for a long period. I also bottle or fill growlers for friends, parties or gifts as necessary.

 

[h22lude]

Bottles still have their place. Up until the Bowie Bottler came out I did it rarely, since it was such a pain. Now I can bang out a few bottles from each of my 8 taps in just a few minutes. I find I'm bottling more to take a few to friends or give them away. If you mean bottling like in priming and conditioning, then never.

Yeah I meant more priming and conditioning. I also have a Bowie Bottler that I have been using to fill 2 liter bottles that I cap with a carbonator cap. I have yet to use bottles with it.

 

[starrfish]

High gravity & meads get bottled, I kegged my cider this year. went way to quick. only problem I have with kegging. My last porter went a bit over 5 gallons so I bottled a few with carb drops (candy looking things) worked great!

 

[Golddiggie]

I keg my beers and then pull a few bottles to provide friends and family with some (or for when I go over there and want something to drink). I have the Bowie Bottler setup too, and it's ok. I also now have a BeerGun setup and like that more (for the bottling process).

I bottle my meads and most other fermentations. Not to say that I won't keg it first to cold crash in the brew fridge, then push through the bottling wand via CO2 into the bottles. I did that for the last of the mead I made in 2010. Worked out really well. I was able to have the source keg right next to me (on the ground) and bottle on a step-stool (putting the bottles onto a counter as I filled them)...

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

Only high gravity beers get bottled at my house. Regular stouts get kegged. I see no reason to age a regular stout.

M_C

 

[birvine]

Just curious. Ever since I started kegging, the only thing I have bottled is my friends beer. I have a Fat Tire clone ready to be kegged and was thinking of bottling just to have some bottles on hand.

Do you still bottle? If so, how often do you bottle?

I would say that I bottle half the time. I actually don't mind going through the steps to clean them.

B

 

[corkybstewart]

Everything here goes into kegs, at least temporarily. I keg cider, mead and braggots so I can basically lager them for a year, then I carbonate and bottle them. I like them crystal clear with no sediment, but I also don't want to tie up a keg and tap for a couple of years.
My wife gave me a Beergun and it's great for bottling from the kegs.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

I don't prime anything anymore. I force carb and bottle from the tap if needed. I don't brew anything over 7% though. And for some of the kegs that need more time to age I just let them cellar condition and hook them up last in line.

 

[Sacdan]

Everything here goes into kegs, at least temporarily. I keg cider, mead and braggots so I can basically lager them for a year, then I carbonate and bottle them. I like them crystal clear with no sediment, but I also don't want to tie up a keg and tap for a couple of years.
My wife gave me a Beergun and it's great for bottling from the kegs.

+1 This is exactly what I do. The Blichman Beergun is one of the best investments I have made!

 

[jeffmeh]

Everything goes into a keg here. I use the Bowie Bottler if I want to fill some bottles to give away, when I do not know how long they will sit around. If I am just filling bottles to travel and will be drinking them soon, I will just turn the pressure way down and fill directly from the tap.