To keg or not to keg??

[JDFlow]

That is only partially true. That makes it sound so much easier,however, there are other things that are not mentioned. If you rinse your bottles as you drink them it is not difficult. Sure you have to just clean a keg, but sometimes that requies taking apart the keg to do a thorough cleaning. That can take as long as cleaning a bunch of bottles. You also have lines and faucets to clean. Which also takes time. If you do not you can have problems. You also have to make sure that you do not run out of CO2. Nothing worse than not realizing that your tank is almost empty and running out of CO2 during the weekend. How about running out of CO2 during a party? What about leaks? You just fill a tank and do not notice a slight leak. A few days later you go to pull a pint and there is no pressure because you just lost a full tank of CO2, and have no beer to drink. Then there are the mishaps. Someone opening up ther keggerator to find 5 gallons of beer in the bottom because of a leak.

Sure kegging can be convenient ( I do keg so I understand all that is involved), but it does have some drawbacks. I equate the people that say that kegging is always the answer and is so much easier, to gamblers that always tell you about the money they won, but of course they never talk about the money they lose. So you never get the full story.

ALWAYS turn your CO2 off when the keg isn't in use for long periods (like overnight or while at work).

 

[slym2none]

To all the people saying "You'll switch to kegging one day and appreciate it then!"

I will never keg my beers. I will always bottle them. Even if I get so rich I can afford to have someone brew & keg & serve my beers to me.

 

[Brew_G]

I'd love to have a kegging setup, but it's not in my budget right now. My wife has given me the green light to build a kegerator/keezer and set up a cave in our basement, but she's not aware that it'd cost in the many hundreds of dollars just to get started.

Not only that, but kegging also seems a little daunting to me, what with the various parts, temp control, fears of leaks, maintenance, etc.!

 

[Dixon9717]

I just got 3 corny kegs ball lock for $100. Now patiently waiting to acquire everything else. Kegging intimidates me but I figure I can get enough help here to figure it out when the time comes......

 

[AndytheBeave]

This is a simple question to resolve. Do you want beer on tap at home or not?
If you do, then keg. Even if you get out of the home brew hobby, you can easily switch the system over to commercial kegs.
If you don't care about having a tap at home, then bottle.
I did things kind of ass-backwards when I got into brewing. I started with a kegerator that I built and had commercial beer on tap with a Sanke connector. I soon got interested in homebrewing. I thought it would be neat to have my own beer on tap at my own bar. So I received a corny keg for my birthday a couple of years ago and started homebrewing. I have never looked back. When I need to bottle, I just bottle from the keg. It's rare for me to bottle though. If I am going to a friend's place I'll fill up a growler and away we go. My friends and family are more than happy to come over to my place and stand around the bar and fill up their glasses as required.
The other plus to kegging is if you only want to have a small glass of beer, it is easy to do so. No half full bottles in the fridge.
I have nothing against bottling though. My other home brew buddies make fantastic beer and some great aged ones (another advantage to bottling).
One other thing, maintenance is not an issue. Just have spare o-rings as a back up. I have replaced about 2 o-rings total on 2 kegs ..... in 2 years. Also, I can clean, sanitize and fill my keg in about 30 minutes total. Cleaning lines is no big deal either. I do it at the same time as I clean my kegs. Just fill 'em up with cleaner, charge them with CO2 and connect to the tap. Repeat with a good rinse of water and then hit it with Star San solution. Done.
I brew one to two times per month time permitting. I have to refill my CO2 maybe 2 times a year. Maybe.
I think I am going to try Krausening (sp) on an upcoming batch soon as well, so I will have proper keg-conditioned ale on tap.
No matter which way you go, make sure you take time to enjoy what you are doing and always say, "Boom!" when you add your hops to the boil. If you enjoy homebrewing, it won't matter what method you choose, you'll have home-made beer at hand and that is something to be proud of.

 

[moreb33rplz]

After 20 batches I still have trouble with carbonation consistency. Bottle infections, not mixing priming sugar, carbing temps... I rarely get 100% carb consistency throughout a batch.

Is it worth spending $500 to correct? That is the question...

 

[xwillx]

I suggest you start with bottling for 2 reasons.

1. Less investment upfront: you can ensure this is a hobby you will enjoy without breaking the bank.
2. You will want to bottle condition anyway: You will want to bottle condition a brew eventually. I would not dream of kegging a big Belgian and I really prefer a bottle conditioned hefe.

 

[MannyEdwards]

For me, washing bottles is a chore, so kegging made the hobby more enjoyable. But I still bottle some because it makes it easy to share. Plus, I got hundreds of bottles for free, and I enjoy that every time I get one from the basement.

 

[Brew_G]

I find it interesting that people think washing bottles is difficult.

I simply rinse out each bottle after every pour and put it aside. On bottling day, I pour 1/4" of Star San into each bottle through a small funnel, then swirl and pour out the Star San as I prepare to fill the bottle (I do this about 10 bottles at a time).

I've developed my bottling system, and it's gotten easier Nd quicker each time. It's really no skin off my back...but I'd like to have beer on tap!

 

[WI_Wino]

I find it interesting that people think washing bottles is difficult.

I simply rinse out each bottle after every pour and put it aside. On bottling day, I pour 1/4" of Star San into each bottle through a small funnel, then swirl and pour out the Star San as I prepare to fill the bottle (I do this about 10 bottles at a time).

I've developed my bottling system, and it's gotten easier Nd quicker each time. It's really no skin off my back...but I'd like to have beer on tap!

I have had some yeasts that flocculate in the bottle and stick like glue to the bottom. Simple rinsing doesn't remove it. A soak in oxiclean and high pressure rinse cleans 99% of them. A couple will need the bottle brush to get sparkling clean. Usually it is English yeasts that I have this issue with but wyeast 2002 lager yeast from last winters private collection has been a son of a gun.

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

Been brewing for about 18 months and bottled for the first 7 or 8 months before kegging. Personally, i'd work on beer brewing techniques, fermenation temperture, etc, before moving to kegging. I've made great beer both ways and have dumpped some sub-par beer both ways, the common factor was the brewing process, not the bottling/kegging.

Bottling: Cheaper way to get brewing technique down. Can have many types bottled and ready for fridge.
Kegging: MUCH faster, safer (no bottle bombs), expensive, and limits to how many beers one has on hand.

 

[MannyEdwards]

I just got 3 corny kegs ball lock for $100. Now patiently waiting to acquire everything else. Kegging intimidates me but I figure I can get enough help here to figure it out when the time comes......

I would love to know how you did that. I would like nothing more than to be more like you.

 

[hifidelity]

I started kegging immediately and after 19 batches I've yet to bottle my first beer. I had read about how tedious bottling was and decided to make the hobby more fun from the get-go.

 

[Scriv]

I say keg, even if you stop homebrewing or your beer sucks you can still switch to a Sanke "d" and get commercial kegs.

 

[douglasbarbin]

I just got 3 corny kegs ball lock for $100. Now patiently waiting to acquire everything else. Kegging intimidates me but I figure I can get enough help here to figure it out when the time comes......

Don't be intimidated. It's unbelievably easy. I keep 6 different beers on tap and can bottle a few whenever I need to. No way would I ever go back to bottling.

 

[iijakii]

After 20 batches I still have trouble with carbonation consistency. Bottle infections, not mixing priming sugar, carbing temps... I rarely get 100% carb consistency throughout a batch.

Is it worth spending $500 to correct? That is the question...

There's something off with your racking technique if you're having issues with regards to priming sugar not mixing. That said, I've been there too. Kegging is one way to fix it and there's nothing wrong with going that route. But if you don't want to spend the money then don't feel it's your only choice.

 

[gbx]

Kegging is NOT more convenient because you have to build a keggerator and will mess around a ton with the co2 and draft lines but it worth it because it will improve your beer quality - You can use great tasting yeasts that are bad flocculators as its easy to fine with gelatin in a keg, you can perfectly dial in the carbonation level and you will have CO2 on hand to purge all your transfers.

 

[aaronmq]

For me, starting with kegging was a very easy decision. I already had a kegerator that I used for commercial beer. So when I decided to start homebrewing, I simply bought a 1/6 barrel of a nice beer, drank that as my beer was brewing, then used that sanke to keg my beer.. I reused that sanke a few times until I decided I wanted to continue with the hobby then bought some cornys and converted my kegerator to ball lock couplers.

 

[Dixon9717]

Don't be intimidated. It's unbelievably easy. I keep 6 different beers on tap and can bottle a few whenever I need to. No way would I ever go back to bottling.

Thanks for the encouragement. From researching once I get setup it seems like no big deal. Can't wait to get going.

 

[unionrdr]

What always bugged me is that kegging is a double-edged sword. It's quicker & easier than bottling, but you still have to wait & give it time to condition. Then cleaning all those lines, taps, kegg parts, etc. Remembering to get Co2 filled, or have an extra to swap in when one cylinder empties, all that...why must I chase the cat? It ain't nothin' but the dog in me!

 

[Brewernaut51]

I voted bottling. Not for the experience or anything. Even if you buy keg equipment you can still bottle too for the variety. It's money that's the big thing. You're buying pot(s), a burner or two, a mash tun, maybe a way to control fermentation temps, a cooling system etc. not to mention a fridge or freezer for kegs, lines, faucets, cleaner, lube, CO2 tank(s) and the kegs themselves. Most people aren't set up to drop a grand on a hobby just starting out.

Do your first few brews with the basic gear. Make sure you like it. Then upgrade your process as you go along. I actually have extra cappers, hydrometers, books, bottles and other odds and ends that people gave me because they had tried brewing at one time and dropped the hobby. Find out if that's you before dumping a lot of cash into it.

 

[unionrdr]

Gotta agree wholeheartedly here.

 

[Dixon9717]

I been bottling for over a year so I agree but now I am ready to expand. Since I just got 3 kegs now I'm looking at dual co2 regulator. Any suggestions on which one is greatly appreciated. Probably start out with picnic taps. I will have to use a ice bath in a garbage can for temp control until I can afford a keezer. How difficult is that to dial in the carbonation for a decent poor from the tap?

 

[douglasbarbin]

I been bottling for over a year so I agree but now I am ready to expand. Since I just got 3 kegs now I'm looking at dual co2 regulator. Any suggestions on which one is greatly appreciated. Probably start out with picnic taps. I will have to use a ice bath in a garbage can for temp control until I can afford a keezer. How difficult is that to dial in the carbonation for a decent poor from the tap?

I would suggest that you do everything you can to get a cheap refrigerator or freezer and make a proper kegerator rather than doing the garbage can full of ice thing. I know people use those to keep a keg cold for a party or whatever, but I can't imagine it working too well as your main system.

 

[Dixon9717]

I'm not planning on keeping kegs cold constantly in this situation. Just for the weekends. But I agree a keezer would be much more preferable but that's not really an option right now. So I figure bottled beer during the week and a keg with picnic tap on the weekend until I can sweet talk SWMBO into a better setup....

 

[FoCobrewguy]

Didn't see it mentioned so just my 2 cents. Not like buying a keg set up is a total loss you may have to spend $500 to get one going but if you decide to get out of the hobby you aren't going to need to give it all away there is value to what you have. Just looking at the kegs I have bought I have found deals online or craigslist to snag them for $40-$60. You can easily recoup that cost if you want to sell them and they sell fast so no real loss of money there. The biggest hit you will see is on the fridge but if you get it off craigslist not that much of a loss to see.

I only bottled a few batches in college when I brewed with my roommates. When we did it took 3 shelves in the closet to fit all the bottles (keg takes less space/more organized). Out of the 5 gallon batches we maybe had 5 bottles that carbed right and were drinkable. I realize now it was probably more our process then anything that gave us those bottle bombs but when I started brewing on my own I vowed to never have to deal with bottling and so glad I did. Less space, less time, less mess and you know when you pull the tap, great, carbed, clear beer will flow not pop the top and hope its not a geyser or a dud.

Just an opinion from one of the "lazy" keggers.

 

[ericbw]

For me, starting with kegging was a very easy decision. I already had a kegerator that I used for commercial beer. So when I decided to start homebrewing, I simply bought a 1/6 barrel of a nice beer, drank that as my beer was brewing, then used that sanke to keg my beer.. I reused that sanke a few times until I decided I wanted to continue with the hobby then bought some cornys and converted my kegerator to ball lock couplers.

How did you fill the sanke?

 

[Natdavis777]

How did you fill the sanke?

Pull out the retainer ring with a small flathead, pull the spear, and clean/fill. Super easy. Get a few couplers and a conversion kit for each (allows gas/liquid disconnects to attach) and it's just like a corney

 

[Dixon9717]

Took your advice looking at a Craigslist fridge in the morning for $100.

 

[fuzzy2133]

How did you fill the sanke?

Pull out the retainer ring with a small flathead, pull the spear, and clean/fill. Super easy. Get a few couplers and a conversion kit for each (allows gas/liquid disconnects to attach) and it's just like a corney

Just be nice and not use your favorite breweries sanke keg for a sour beer (unless that is what was inside initially).