Kegging, Is It The Way To Go?

[State of the Mind]

Hi, I have been thinking about making the leap and kegging my beer for a while.
The main reasons for wanting to change is that I am finding bottling beer to be very tedious and kegging seems like the way to go.
Kegging seems to be a very new world to me, and I would just like to get your opinions on things...

I would very much appreciate some advice on:

What home-brewed beers tend to be a delight on tap? IPA's? Pilsener's? Ambers? (I have the ingredients for a Fly Blown Belgian, a leffe blonde clone, would this go well on tap? I have had leffe on tap quite a few times and it has always been great.)

Is it as simple as; what is good on tap in your local pub will be great home-brewed on tap?

Also where are the best places to get food grade CO2 or CO2/Nitrogen mix for stouts?

 

[DUANNE]

go for it. youll never look back once you start kegging.pretty much all beer is good on tap but the only brews i bottle now are really big beers that need time to age and brett/sour beers.for your gas most lhbs should be able to help or supa gas and boc do rentals on bottles and refills.

 

[raven19]

You wont regret going to kegs, apart from the amount you will drink as a result!

In terms of beer types on tap, all are generally winners. Big beers are probably better kept just in bottles.

 

[State of the Mind]

thanks guys, seems like i'm thinking about it too much...

Thats a great job for this week. :icon_chickcheers:

 

[Bribie G]

The thing you will notice about kegging is that your beers clear out and mature heaps faster than in bottles. If you use the appropriate clearing agents and keg the beer almost clear to begin with, you can be drinking fine beer after just a few days. The two hurdles of course are the expense and the minefield of setting up a good system.
A good place to start is to visit someone who already kegs and look at their setup for starters. Where are you located? I see you are from Bristol and assume that you are now in Australia? If you put location in your side bar I'm sure there are AHB keggers nearby. If still in the UK you'll find Jims Beer Kit Forum to be a knowledgeable source of info.

 

[Pollux]

Kegs are awesome, although as Raven said your intake will increase sharply.....I think not having the physical reminder empty bottles makes it hard to keep track, I actually had a bit of a shock when I decided one night to use a fresh glass for EVERY beer I had that night, when I added up the total of all the glasses the next day I had consumed 3L of beer, and I didn't think I'd had a big night....


Just be warned, kegs can lead to you resembling a keg. I personally have stacked on quite heavily since then.

 

[jyo]

For me, the saving of time was a huge motivation. While I used to find bottling while having a few beers quite relaxing, It was becoming a chore if my beer was ready during the week when you really can't be arsed.

Bottling 46 litres= 3.5 hours approx
Kegging 46 litres= 40 minutes approx.

But, it's true, your drinking tends to increase :icon_cheers:

 

[zoidbergmerc]

Kegs are awesome, although as Raven said your intake will increase sharply.....I think not having the physical reminder empty bottles makes it hard to keep track, I actually had a bit of a shock when I decided one night to use a fresh glass for EVERY beer I had that night, when I added up the total of all the glasses the next day I had consumed 3L of beer, and I didn't think I'd had a big night....


Just be warned, kegs can lead to you resembling a keg. I personally have stacked on quite heavily since then.

Me too, My house mate and I can quite easily empty a 19L keg in a weekend. Oh well, just brew more beer!

My kegging setup didn't cost much either. I found a fridge under the house asked my landlord who's it was, he didn't know so it's mine now. Taps were $120 each and lines and fittings wern't that much either. All up it was about $600 with 4 kegs.

Just not having to clean bottles any more makes it worth it and when I go to a party I just take a couple of swingtop grolch bottles and pour straight from the tap into them and they stay fizzy for the whole party.

 

[banora brewer]

I would love to start keeging but im finding it hard to convince my wife, she reckons it would cost to much to run a second fridge, grrrrr!!!!!!

 

[Steve]

I would love to start keeging but im finding it hard to convince my wife, she reckons it would cost to much to run a second fridge, grrrrr!!!!!!

you buy a fridge/freezer and sell the point of all the extra freezer space that you'll have, plus let her go along and choose the fridge......but you make sure you have a tape measure in your pocket to see if it'll fit 4 kegs!

Oh and kegging is the way to go. You wont regret it. No finger wagging from the missus when she sees a heap of empty longies in the laundry sink on sunday morning. With kegs they never know how much you consume :icon_cheers:
Cheers
Steve

 

[komodo]

I would love to start keeging but im finding it hard to convince my wife, she reckons it would cost to much to run a second fridge, grrrrr!!!!!!

You dont have a beer fridge anyway?

 

[banora brewer]

You dont have a beer fridge anyway?

Im trying to find a cheap one, then i will start with the one keg and go from there

 

[Pollux]

I want a spit roast baby seal now......

 

[zoidbergmerc]

Im trying to find a cheap one, then i will start with the one keg and go from there

Start with at least 4.

And if your Mrs keeps saying no just punch her really hard in her hepatitis.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

I will disagree with the consensus (only a little though) - I don't think that kegging is really all that much less time and effort than bottling. It just took me 4 hours plus to break down, clean, sanitise and purge 5 kegs - now fair enough, I dont go through this thorough a cleaning regime every time. But its not like kegs magically clean themselves. Nor do keggerator lines clean themselves, and taps dont break themselves down for cleaning and maintenance, and gas bottles dont magically re-fill themselves etc etc etc

For me, I think - if you are organised about keeping your bottles well rinsed etc etc - that bottling is actually a little bit less effort than kegging when you take everything into account.

But that doesn't mean I would go back. Beer on tap is a wonderful wonderful thing. Filtering becomes an option when you keg - and crystal clear beer is a wonderful wonderful thing. The beer is actually better - over or undercarbonation becomes a thing of the past, and that is a wonderful wonderful thing.

But less effort??? I'm pretty sure I don't agree with that, or at least - not much less effort at the best.

TB

 

[jyo]

I will disagree with the consensus (only a little though) - I don't think that kegging is really all that much less time and effort than bottling. It just took me 4 hours plus to break down, clean, sanitise and purge 5 kegs - now fair enough, I dont go through this thorough a cleaning regime every time. But its not like kegs magically clean themselves. Nor do keggerator lines clean themselves, and taps dont break themselves down for cleaning and maintenance, and gas bottles dont magically re-fill themselves etc etc etc

For me, I think - if you are organised about keeping your bottles well rinsed etc etc - that bottling is actually a little bit less effort than kegging when you take everything into account.

But that doesn't mean I would go back. Beer on tap is a wonderful wonderful thing. Filtering becomes an option when you keg - and crystal clear beer is a wonderful wonderful thing. The beer is actually better - over or undercarbonation becomes a thing of the past, and that is a wonderful wonderful thing.

But less effort??? I'm pretty sure I don't agree with that, or at least - not much less effort at the best.

TB

TB, you must be kidding?
Do you seriously take apart your kegs every time you fill up?
I have had my keg system for near on 6 years and have done a full dismantle and clean/sanitise once- when I first bought each keg.
Good sanitation is the key :icon_cheers: Flame suit is on, but I have both 1. stored kegs at ambient temps for weeks and 2. gone straight from ferment to chill and carb, and no in keg infections (as I can detect).
Cheers, John.

 

[thesunsettree]

TB, you must be kidding?
Do you seriously take apart your kegs every time you fill up?
I have had my keg system for near on 6 years and have done a full dismantle and clean/sanitise once- when I first bought each keg.
Good sanitation is the key :icon_cheers: Flame suit is on, but I have both 1. stored kegs at ambient temps for weeks and 2. gone straight from ferment to chill and carb, and no in keg infections (as I can detect).
Cheers, John.

+1
absolutely, positively, categorically in no possible conceivable way could i, in anyway under the sun remotely consider bottling as comparable time cosumption to kegging. my 2c, maybe i'm doing something horribly wrong with my keg cleaning........

cheers
matt

 

[Fantoman]

I am also of the mind that Kegs are less overall effort than bottling (although I was bottling into stubbies).

It would take anywhere up to 2 hours to bottle a 23 litre batch, but the same batch takes around 1/2 hour to keg - that includes cleaning and starsaning the keg and running a couple of litres of starsan through the tap... Every few kegs, I pull the taps apart (SS Celli's) and give them a soak and relube, overall effort is around 10 minutes for that...

Cleaning the kegs is a breeze - I find as long as I don't let them sit empty with yeast dregs in the bottom, that they are easy to rinse out and sanitize... If they are left with dregs for a couple of weeks though, then the yeast can be a bit stubborn, but nothing a soak won't get rid of...

And yes, Thirsty Boy is correct - pouring your own been from your own tap is a wonderful wonderful thing! You will be the awe of all your mates!

 

[thesunsettree]

And yes, Thirsty Boy is correct - pouring your own been from your own tap is a wonderful wonderful thing! You will be the awe of all your mates!
[/quote]


hell yes, absolutely

matt

 

[State of the Mind]

Can't Wait now, started bidding on a 19l Cornelius Keg.

Thanks guys, I see that there is a lot of love for kegs and your own beer on tap.