What To Buy First?

[winkle]

+1 keg system.
Get it in first before the gloss wears off the "It'll save money" argument.

 

[Kleiny]

keg system and with the time you save bottleing more pressure on the wife to start gathering AG gear

 

[andreic]

+1 AG system

Make better beer - then get the kegs. If you are thinking of going AG then stop thinking and just do it.

I'm still a bottler. Yes it takes a little time (1-2 hrs bottling night) - but its really not that big a drama. If you really felt that bottling was that big a pain you wouldn't be asking the question - you'd be getting the kegs.

I have 2 young kids also - so I do my bottling at night. I also do my AG brewing at night. Minimum impact on family time. I choose to view bottling as time to myself. Set up some music in your bottling area, get a few bottles of previous batches, and bottle away in peace.

I'd still like to get kegs though...

Andrei

EDIT: also - don't build your AG equipment slowly - just get a basic setup and get started! You can easily set yourself up for $200-300 with a new aluminium pot for kettle / HLT combined, HP gas burner, esky and fittings for Mashtun, old fermenter for collecting runnings and 20L jerrycan from Kmart for no-chill. I spent months thinking about how I would get all my gear together for AG. In the end, a few birthday present requests, and some purchases the following weekend and and I was ready. Should have done it months earlier!

 

[Tim F]

I say put together a basic AG setup on the cheap. No reason you can't do this in a weekend and get something fully effective. I just did the same thing for under $100.

Stock pot from op shop $4
3 ring burner from hardware/camping store $20, runs ok off the BBQ regulator
Esky $45
Parts for false bottom $25

The only thing left to do is get some fittings to add an outlet to the stock pot so I don't melt another siphon. I'm happy to give you more details on exactly what I've got and how I use it if you're interested! And I'm making some loovely beers
It's the kegs next for me.

 

[Thirsty]

I say get the kegs first as they will only get more expensive.

You used to be able to get Kegs for $50 delivered to your door about 2-3 years ago, now the cheapest is about $65.

 

[kook]

I'd go both - if you're sneaky enough with the Mrs it shouldn't be a problem.

Just buy 1 less keg - and use that money to buy a pot for boiling in. Tell her you need it for cleaning the kegs.

Make yourself a mash tun with two plastic buckets, or BIAB to get going.