How many use bottles?

[trustyrusty]

Hi Guys

Just wondering how many use bottles v kegs.

Or do you use both 50/50?

thanks

 

[philrob]

Bottling for 14 years, and keep doing it. Everything gets bottled into Coopers longnecks only.

 

[Coalface]

I usually ferment about 25L, generally lose a couple of litres to the yeast cake. I ferment and transfer under pressure: 19L in to the keg and the rest into PET bottles. For the bottles I purge them with CO2 using a carb cap as a lid which not only allows for counterpressure filling but also force carbing in the bottle. easy.

 

[Hangover68]

Mainly keg, but overflow goes into bottles and anything that i don't keg likes stouts.

 

[Nullnvoid]

I just bottle beers that I age.

Rest goes into kegs. Although with the amount I am drinking, I guess I am just large bottling everything as it's all getting aged.

 

[YAPN]

PET bottles only. Might go glass for aged beers. Kegging only makes sense when large amounts are required.

 

[akx]

50/50.
I enjoy bottling and bringing bottles. Kegs are convenient and have a "cool" factor. I don't think one is easier or better.

 

[mje1980]

I generally don’t keg Belgians like saison, even 4%ers go into champagne bottles. I have about 40. And about 40 normal longnecks for beers I want to age but don’t need the High carbonation I like for saison

 

[Paleman]

50/50.
I don't think one is easier or better.

I bottled for years, recently started kegging. Kegging is way easier.

 

[An Ankoù]

I bottle everything. Mostly 75 cl Belgian beer bottles which require a swing top or a cork, otherwise 33 cl Duvel "stubbies". Brought a few crates with English pints over with me and have got a dozen of the really old swing-top 1½ litre Grolsch bottles. It means I can pull anything off the shelf as and when I fancy it.

 

[professional_drunk]

Had a keezer. Sold it and now bottle 100%. I love the simplicity.

 

[clarkejw]

Bottling was one of the reasons I stopped brewing 12 years ago. Pressure fermenting and kegging are the reasons I've returned.

 

[Klosey]

I brew 46 litres at a time and find kegging into a 50 litre commercial keg far easier. However I bottle 3 bottles per brew and put them aside to age and can then take them to a barbecue if needed.

 

[akx]

I bottled for years, recently started kegging. Kegging is way easier.

Kegging is easier taking beer from your fermenter into the keg. Kegging is harder when, your gas bottle is empty, or there's a gas leak, or your pour is foamy, or you want to serve different beers at different carb levels. My bottles are stored clean, so it takes me an hour or two to bottle a 20l batch and then requires no extra effort aside from popping them in the fridge. Some people find bottling tedious but I enjoy it.

 

[Paddy Melon]

I've been bottling for 3 years now and enjoy the process on bottling day I do about 25 litres and have it all done in 3 hours. That includes set up, sanitising, bottling, and cleanup of all equipment and fermenter. my bottles are always stored clean and covered so a quick sanitise and away I go. I find bottling has a reduced consumption effect on me. Having it kegged would be too tempting for me to poor a quick one each time I pass the beer tap.

 

[Grmblz]

Style dependant, about 80% kegged, 20% bottled, bottles are champagne bottles.

 

[BrewLizard]

100% kegged for beers for me. Occasionally pull a bottle off the keg to give away.

I don't miss the forever-state-of-mess that bottling brings, but I did enjoy the process of learning how to pseudo bulk prime and TIG welding my own aluminium bottling tree.

NB: I only ever bottled back when I did 5 L batches (I do 9.5 L now). Can't imagine how you guys do it with 19-23 L batches.

 

[Feldon]

In descending order of preference (usage depends on the empties available):

2L growlers
1.5L Grolsch swing top bottles
.750ml swing tops
.750ml Coopers long necks
.750 Coopers PET bottles

(always use at least one PET bottle so I can squeeze it to see how bottle fermentation and carbonation is coming along)

 

[Bentnose]

I started out bottling, moved on to kegging, drank a lot more, gave up for a while and sold all my keg related equipment and have been bottling 20L-25L batches for the last 10 years or so. I enjoyed kegging more but with bottling, you just have to get it done and then its over and you have plenty of beer to drink again.

 

[tubbsy]

I bottle only because I just started out and am doing it on the cheap. But even with spare cash, I would still bottle at least half as my kegerator would need to be in my shed, which is away from the house. No way I'm walking out to the shed each time I want a beer. With bottles I can grab a couple and bring in the house.