Ag Or Keg Setup

[mynameisrodney]

Hi guys,
I'm really keen to get into both all grain brewing and to get myself a keg setup, but my funds are quite limited so the two will most likely be a year or so apart. Deciding which one i do first seems torturous as I want them both now! :lol: So I'm just after some opinions and experiences, which way did you do it, and are you happy with your choice.

Cheers
Chris

 

[Pumpy]

Hi guys,
I'm really keen to get into both all grain brewing and to get myself a keg setup, but my funds are quite limited so the two will most likely be a year or so apart. Deciding which one i do first seems torturous as I want them both now! :lol: So I'm just after some opinions and experiences, which way did you do it, and are you happy with your choice.

Cheers
Chris

get a Keg Set up first you can always ferment fresh wort kits .

It takes a bit of time to set up for AG


Pumpy

 

[Cocko]

Went AG first [BIAB]...

I would rather drink bottled AG than kegged kit beer!

BUT GOD, kegs is all I can think about now!!

 

[reviled]

Went AG first [BIAB]...

I would rather drink bottled AG than kegged kit beer!

BUT GOD, kegs is all I can think about now!!

It just seems to be the natural way huh? :lol:

 

[wakkatoo]

Kegs first for me. I'd had a bad experience with bottles first up. Like many I was really disappointed and gave it up. Got motivated again, bought a keg system and haven't looked back. AG didn't even enter my thoughts back then. Not to mention (flame suit on), it is actually POSSIBLE to make a decent beer that is not AG.

AG brings with it a lot of extra cleaning. Kegs greatly reduce the amount of cleaning. Plus it's cool to pur your own beer for your mates - its great watching them turn green ^_^

 

[matt white]

I did both at once, but if I had to choose I would much rather drink good, no, great beer out of bottles than kit beer out of kegs. By the time you get fridge, temp controller, CO2 bottle, font, kegs etc you soon spend up big. The key is to be drinking great beer no matter how it is stored and served.

I highly recommend BIAB too for cost savings. Beerbelly BIAB bag is way better than the ones my missus and monster-in- law tried several times to make. Biggest cost is stainless pot. My advice - even if you are only doing single brews, get the 70 litre as opposed to the 50. I did one BIAB and it was so easy I immediately went double batches and could do with the extra 20 litres capacity.

My two cents worth!

 

[Adamt]

Depends if you're brewing to drink or brewing to enjoy.

 

[reviled]

I did both at once, but if I had to choose I would much rather drink good, no, great beer out of bottles than kit beer out of kegs. By the time you get fridge, temp controller, CO2 bottle, font, kegs etc you soon spend up big. The key is to be drinking great beer no matter how it is stored and served.

I highly recommend BIAB too for cost savings. Beerbelly BIAB bag is way better than the ones my missus and monster-in- law tried several times to make. Biggest cost is stainless pot. My advice - even if you are only doing single brews, get the 70 litre as opposed to the 50. I did one BIAB and it was so easy I immediately went double batches and could do with the extra 20 litres capacity.

My two cents worth!

+1

What he said Specially bout the BIAB!

 

[Steve]

I'd go AG first and then kegs.
Cheers
Steve

 

[cdbrown]

I've gone the kegs first and will then experiment and upgrade the brewing side as I need. I don't mind kit beer so trying out a few styles will be fun but eventually I'll know it can always be better and then move up the brewing tree.

 

[Dave86]

I did both within two months of each other (AG first, then kegs) while I can't imagine life without either, if it came down to it, I'd give up kegs before I gave up AG. It is awesome being able to pour your own at home (and kit beers can taste pretty good, I still do them occasionally when I'm running short on time) but the quality and pride of craftmanship associated with producing your own beer from scratch is second to none. Not to mention it tastes awesome :icon_cheers:

 

[afromaiko]

No option for went to both at the same time? :unsure:

 

[enoch]

AG first for me. Better beer whether in keg or bottle.
h34r: You can also sneak an AG setup in piece by piece and more cheaply than a kegging system.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

I went AG first

Then after 3 batches went to kegs

I regret not having got a keg setup earlier but probably not at the expense of AG'ing

I'd get into AG first and build your system up over time - simple mash tun, some sort of pot to boil in, a heat source and a cube - or even BIAB and expand on this

There shouldn't be too large an outlay if you research your options and talk to some AG'ers / see their setups

Then grab a keg system - even a picnic tap and a couple of kegs and again expand on this over time

If you start small and expand I reckon you should be able to do both

Cheers

 

[Fents]

i'd go kegs first - simple reason for me is that washing loads of bottles each brew nearly put me off brewing its a real PITA. but if your doing it now (washing bottles) why stop...

so yea for me keg setup (you can do this cheap dosnt have to be $$$$$$$$) and in the meantime i'd brew AG fresh wort kits like someone else mentioned earler, best of both worlds innit.

 

[Fantoman]

Keg Setup first for me (hopefully will arrive next week)... Really got sick of bottling process very quickly...

Am looking at moving to AG some time next year, probably start BIAB and work from there, but I have found that I have made some great beers with Kits as well as unhopped extract and boiling my own hops, and steeping specialty grain etc... should keep me happy until I make the move to AG next year...

Also, there is no point in getting either, until you have good temp control... so if you don't already have a fermenting fridge, then I would recommend it as one of the first things you look at getting as it will make the biggest difference to the quality of your beer!

Need to try and find a way to justify to SWMBO that I need to spend $$$ for a 50 litre saucepan, and then that I need to drill a hole in the side of it!

 

[peas_and_corn]

Depends if you're brewing to drink or brewing to enjoy.

This is certainly a point to consider. When I was increasing the quality of my brews I was soing it for the enjoyment of brewing and the joy of creating an ever-better product. The drinking was a very delicious side effect of the brewing at times (though I swing between viewpoints when supply varies). For that reason I recommend going AG first then kegging. Improving the beer is far more important (in my view) than improving the container you serve it from. While my friends are quite goggle-eyed at the sight of my taps, if I poured a shithouse beer from them they will still tell me to get my act together (and I expect them to do so).

 

[monkeybusiness]

Depends if you're brewing to drink or brewing to enjoy.

+1

My AG beer DOES taste better on average than my K & K brews. I Ag and still bottle (not that I don't want kegs, just no room or cash). I almost like the process of brewing as much as the drinking so AG over kegs was a no-brainer for me. But yeah bottling does suck.

Also, there is no point in getting either, until you have good temp control... so if you don't already have a fermenting fridge, then I would recommend it as one of the first things you look at getting as it will make the biggest difference to the quality of your beer!

I would agree but you can cheaply or with stuff around the house manage temp control (as I do) without fermenting fridge for most ales and in winter lagers with tubs of water, foam boxes old dead fridges and a couple of ice blocks. And yes a ferment fridge is on my list too.

 

[clean brewer]

As reported, I did my Cherry Popper AG first just last week, I was expecting to have kegs first but since I still have enough bottled beer to get me through for the next 3 months, I didnt think it was really all that important to get kegs..

Once I saw a Demo of AG, I had to do one and already had Mash Tun, so just had a couple bits to get to do it..

Its a bit cheaper to put together a simple AG setup than a keg system(kegs, regulator, taps, gas bottle, lines, disconnects etc etc), im ordering my kegs etc this coming week, so should be ON TAP in 2 weeks..

Ive got a nice Nelson Sauvin Kit & Bits Ale ready for 1 keg and my first 1st AG for another keg, will have to wait for Grain to fill the other 2 kegs..

Plus ive still got to aqquire a fridge for my kegs....

 

[glennheinzel]

If you're happy with your current beers, then I don't think that you can go wrong with either option.