To Keg or Not to Keg

[Knkbrand]

Yes I use the flip tops sometimes works fine. I also have this to fill soda bottles but haven't tried it yet.View attachment 350971

these work great, just used it last night to bottle some beer for a friend. I like the plastic bottles because you can take them places where glass is not allowed, like the beach.

 

[muels]

I'm on keg #7 with my 5# tank I had filled last year. I wouldn't leave it at 30psi for more than a day and a half though. Chill it, 30 psi for 24-36 hrs, and then set to serving pressure.

I pretty much agree. I do 40 psi for about 24-48 hours. Drop to serving pressure and it's ready in a few days.

Keep in mind if you are kegging it warm it will take longer. If you fill the keg too full, it will take longer. You can error on the side of 48 hours in those instances.

There is the shake method as well. I do it sometimes but if you go overboard it ends up taking longer to drop the carb level. Proceed with caution. It is handy to be able to drink it 2 days after kegging though!

 

[PADave]

Idk why everyone is ragging on bottling. I have my own 4 tap keezer and still bottle. I think the main difference is that I can share my homebrew with friends easier by bottling. ALSO, very important, I find that some beers are just better for aging in bottles then the keg.

Agree. Bottling day is not my favorite part of brewing, but I want nothing to do with kegging. Too much extra equipment. I can bottle a batch, enjoy some now, let some age, move on to my next brew. Got a nice selection going. Plus I enjoy tasting how a beer evolves in the bottle.

 

[Atlmustang]

I just got to try my first kegged beer last night! What an amazing process. 3 days at 20psi (per northern brewers youtube channel) and it was ready to drink. Certainly like anything else Ive learned, some aging will continue to occur but it is certainly a drinkable beer and I am very happy.

My father in law is coming into town from Germany and I wanted to get my Smash IPA and belgian trippel carbed and ready and sure enough we are ready to go. Excellent for carbing in a hurry. Very happy with the purchase.

 

[kombat]

I think the main difference is that I can share my homebrew with friends easier by bottling.

Maybe, but it's not that much more difficult to bottle some beer off of a keg. The problem I have with sharing bottle-conditioned beers with friends is the need to educate them about the yeast cake at the bottom, and how it's important that they let it chill in the fridge for a couple of days (for the yeast to settle back out), and decant it into a glass. If they screw it up and end up with a cloudy/yeasty beer, it taints their impression of home brewing.

Bottling off a keg, they get crystal-clear beer, no matter how much they jostle it or whatever. I can skip the "how to store/pour" lesson, and they can treat it just like any commercial beer, which helps lend the impression that home brew beer is "real" beer.

 

[kombat]

Plus I enjoy tasting how a beer evolves in the bottle.

But you have to "burn" an entire bottle each time you sample it. With kegging, you can just pour a little 4-6 oz sample to get a sense of how the beer is evolving, without going through the batch as quickly.

Kegging is great for IPAs because I can be drinking it while it's at peak freshness, instead of having to wait 2-3 weeks for it to carb up in the bottle, at which point the hop nose has already started to fade.

 

[kombat]

It's really personal preference. I prefer ball locks because they're taller and narrower, and I can fit 2 of them in my kegerator. It's a tight fit though, and there's no way 2 pin locks would fit in there. Also, I believe pin locks are generally a little bit cheaper (possibly because people like me prefer ball locks?).

 

[ballandkeg]

This will work great if you have room in your fridge. You'll need a CO2 tank as well. It will get you going right away. I would go with the ball lock system.

Cheers