What To Buy First?

[mitysa]

Hi all,
I'm after some advise, i've got approval from the missus, to either start getting equipment for AG or to buy a keg system.

The keg system i can use straight away, or AG equipment will take time to aquire.


mitysa

 

[braufrau]

AG!

Make better beer before worrying about what container to put it in.

 

[brettprevans]

kegs first. that way bottling is gone and frees up room and mess which makes the missus happy and collecting AG gear slowly spreadds the cost out over a period of time to minmise the missus disaaproval of the expense.

I got the approval for kegs off my missus for the above reasons. now i just need to get the $ together to buy the setup.

EDIT: Although Braufrau does make a good point. unkess of course the beer you make now is really good. Im really quite happy with my full extract beer so I can put off going AG for a little while.

 

[clay]

AG!

Make better beer before worrying about what container to put it in.

+1

 

[MVZOOM]

Kegs... remove the bottling frustration, the whole process just gets that much better! AG you can organically grow, doesn't take much investment if you are willing to spend a bit of time to work through... my whole AG setup cost sub $200.

Cheers-Mike

 

[Wrenny]

I have gone AG first. But built it up slowly. I reckon the better beer is definately worth it.

I can't speak for everyone, but my AG was many times better than my kits. I would have been ashamed to serve my friends beer out of a fancy keg that was inferior to what you get in a pub. Now I reckon I make better beer than your standard VB or XXXX.

Fortunately, kegs is on the agenda for the next birthday.


Of course, maybe I'm one of those AG snobs. I know some people make great beer from kits. Mine were okay, but my AG's are beautiful.

Cheers,
Wrenny

 

[mitysa]

Thanks for all suggestions so far,

I'm going to G&G tomorrow to check out all there gear and to see the AG demo, so I might have a better understanding which way to go!!

But Citymorgue has a good point, with now having 2 kids under 2yrs, the more time I have by using kegs will be invaluable, but time will tell


mitysa

 

[Franko]

I'd go for the keg set up and some sort of fermentation temperature control.

Franko

 

[pokolbinguy]

I'd go for the keg set up and some sort of fermentation temperature control.

Franko

+1

 

[mitysa]

Hey Franko,

I've already got a upright freezer with fridgemate, plus a second fridge which can be converted for keg setup

mitysa

 

[chovain]

I was originally going to post "AG", but the more I think about it, the more I think "Kegs" is the way to go.

I assume you're currently a K&K brewer? I usually recommend people do some extract brews before going AG. It's handy to get the hang of hop additions before worrying about mashing, and all you need to do extract is a decent pot.

Once you have your kegs, it's easy to convince the MoF that a second hand SS (or Al) 40L stock pot is a good idea. It's overkill for extract brewing, but you can use it for extract brewing (with full size boils), and it will make a great kettle when you make the move to AG.

 

[mitysa]

Yeah, I currently do K&K, extract/partials

 

[warra48]

I'm for the AG set up.
Definitely improved the quality and variety of my beers.

What's so wrong with bottling, anyway? I can get the whole lot over and done within an hour to an hour and a half, depending on the number of stubbies v. longnecks. It's a hobby, so does that time really matter?

 

[schooey]

I bought my keg gear years ago before I even knew what AG brewing was all about. I guess I managed to brew a reasonable beer to put in them, one that I was happy to drink anyway. I guess it comes down to if YOU are happy with the kit beers you brew. Kegging them won't improve the quality of them, nor will it lessen it, it will only take some time out of the process e.g. bottling, carbonation etc. and as previously mentioned, maybe clear up some space. On the other hand, there really never is an end to bottling. If you want to swap beers, send some off for comps or feedback or you run out of fridge/keg space, you still end up bottling.

When I decided to try out AG, it really cost me bugger all to start up on the super tight arse regime to

1) see if I could do it and
2) see if I liked the beer any more than my kit beers.

I had a 45L esky already and it only cost me $25 at bunnings and I had a mash tun. I bought 2 cheapo 20L stainless pots which doubled as a HLT and Kettle. I would mash then do a split boil on a camping stove and combine both in the fermenter. All in all it cost me no more than $150 to get going and I found I was immediately impressed with the results. The beer was way better than my kit beers were. The money isn't wasted either, because I still use the esky as I haven't had time to build my other tun yet and even though I've graduated to the big arse burner and 80L kettle, I still use the smaller pots for decoctions etc.

So I guess its a trade off as to what you think you want to achieve first. If you are really happy drinking your current beers, go the keg system and maybe speed/tidy up your process a little. If you really want to give AG a go in the hope for better beer, do it super tight arse fashion or maybe see if you can make a new buddy that already does Ag and do a brew day on their gear for the small fee of a few beers to see if you like the difference enough to go the whole hog.

 

[benno1973]

+1 for keg system. You can still make good beer with extract/partials. Probably also with kits. But the time saved not having to pfaff around with bottling makes the hobby much more enjoyable. The fun part for me is in making the beer and drinking the beer, not in the bottling. Maybe that's just me...

And looking for the right AG equipment can take quite a while with lots of little individual purchases, so you can generally get these things under the financial radar, whereas you generally buy the kegging system in one big hit.

 

[Thommo]

I'd go the keg system, simply because it's more expensive. Then you can argue how much money you will save once you move into AG. (You won't really save anything, but don't let her know that.)

Also, do a search for a bucket in bucket mash tun. Two $10 buckets from bunnings, one drill and a small drill bit, 1/2 hour drilling. Voila. El Cheapo Mash Tun. Would be good to move into AG quickly and cheaply and then you can upgrade when you get the go ahead.

 

[damoncouper]

I am not sure that you can compare the two dollar wise. A keg system with three kegs is going to cost a fair bit(3xkeg,3xtaps,fridge,gas bottle hire,fittings). An AG setup is nowhere near that unless you are going for the gold plated solution. I have yet to make the jump to kegs as I do not consume enough beer, about 750mL a week at present, but I don't like drinking rubbish and enjoy making nice stuff. I would love to keg but three kegs + a fridge + running the fridge 24x7 + CO2 bottle hire + lines and fittings and three nice taps all add up really quickly. When I added up the keg beer setup my friends had it was a heap more than they had quoted, most were well over a grand. The sneaker was the taps/fonts and refrigerator. Not to mention the running of a full sized fridge 24x7.

 

[yoey]

Go the kegs!!!

You have asked the question so YOU are obviously ok with the beer you are brewing, otherwise there would be no doubt in your mind that attempting to improve your beer by moving to AG is the priority.

Kegging will save you a heap of time. Cleaning/sanitisation is easier and quicker. Transferring the brew from the fermentor or cube into the keg only takes minutes. You can force carb your beer so there is no need to wait two weeks or so before you can drink it.

Kegging requires a fairly substantial outlay before you get to the point where it is up and running. If you have the funds to purchase all your kegging gear now, do so - you won't regret it.

As other people have said you can gradually move into AG by picking up cheap components along the way. Its a bit harder to gradually move into kegging.


Cheers,
yoey

 

[durgarth]

I went with the kegs first several years ago and only moved into AG brews in the past 6 months or so. If I had to do it again I would still buy the kegs first. I agree with the others it will save you a heap of time and allow you to expand your interest in AG brewing, which I have to say it the way to go. The kegs are the expensive part. The AG equipment can be gathered along the way. Its not expensive (unless you want to go all out) and for goodness sake don't throw out the bottles when you get your kegs, you may just need them for storage :lol:

 

[warrenlw63]

+1 for the kegs first and foremost. They'll be your best buds over the years. One off investment too.

In regards to AG gear you see waaayyyy too many who build their rigs with huge ambitions (nothing wrong with that) but seems to take them years to actually fire the thing in anger.

IMHO you're better off just buying ghetto stuff and getting the process off the ground with what you can get your hands on. Build your experience with AG brewing and recipe formulation while you improve your brewery piece by piece because the basic process does not change one iota from a piece of junk to a blue-chip setup.

Mine has been a work in progress for the last 10 years. Managed to get a setup together for less than a hundred bucks initially and now it's probably at a point where it's worth ten times that.

So I guess I've aimed for the 10% per year rule if that's the case and done my mid-life crisis thing all in one hit. :lol:

Warren -