Would you spend on kegging equipment or AG equipment?

[ArizonaGoalie]

I had this dilemma at the start of this year. After brewing extract for over a year, it was either get a kegerator or go all grain.

I went all grain. So glad I did. My beer has gone to a whole new level, far beyond what I was doing with extract.

I still want to keg very soon, but given the choice, I'd go all grain every time.

 

[Cyclman]

If I were to start again, my brewing priorities would be:
15G kettle, BIAB, Wort chiller, good thermometer.
Stirplate, O2 injector.
Temp Control.
Kegging, 2 kegs.

 

[kh54s10]

I didn't read all the way through this thread, but for me it was all grain first then kegging. And to do it again, the same.

 

[SteveHeff]

I've been brewing for just over 3 years now. As of June 28th of this year, I finally bought kegging equipment. I spent around 350 bucks on the kegging gear. I spent about 150 bucks on all of my AG gear. I think it's a great way to invest in the hobby; AG first then kegging. It gives you time to become a better brewer before jumping into the whole keg setup thing. Good luck to you and your brewing adventures.

 

[Jon_TWR]

I started brewing in the winter in an apartment where we kept the heat at 58°, so a water bath to help maintain temps and the right yeast strains were all I needed to treat my yeasties right, at least with regard to fermentation temps. One of my first purchases was a CL wine fridge, planned to be used for cool conditioning...it very quickly became used for fermentation temp control which I still use it for!). A kegerator and BiaB AG were next, but I'm not 100% sure which came first.

I was doing 2.5 gallon AG batches, but with the kegerator and kegs, I started doing 5 gallon partial mash + dme batches, eventually going to dual BiaB (2 paint strainer bags, a 16 qt enamel pot and a 20 qt cheap ss pot).

That progression worked very well, and didn't require a lot of expenditures (though when I started kegging, kegs were a lot cheaper), and it seems like a good progression.

So, first: fermentation temp control. Sounds like you've got that handled.

Second: BiaB/Kegging. If you've got the right size brewpot, all you need is a bag to go BiaB, and even the most expensive bag is cheap as far as brewing gear is concerned. Kegging can be expensive, but is completely worth it. Bottling sucks. And if you can get a free/cheap fridge/freezer, it gets a lot cheaper.

That all said, do whatever appeals to you the most first. This is a hobby, so your enjoyment (to the degree that fits in your budget) should be your top priority.

 

[KPaul]

I very recently faced the same question. I chose the AG route. To make matters easier I ordered up some more swing top bottles with my AG equipment. I find that the 32oz EZ Caps make bottling a lot more manageable and will hold me over until kegging is a reality for me.