Kegging

OP, when I first started kegging, I used the chest freezer that was my fermentation chamber to keep it cold. Poured from a cobra tap. Of course, the problem with that is you can only have one beer fermenting or serving at a time.
So I got another chest freezer and served out of it for about a year before I got around to building a collar with four faucets for a proper system. Best thing I’ve ever done.

 

U-Line is a very expensive brand, and well built.

A good conversion kit is not terribly expensive not is it very hard to install. But once you make the switch it is impossible to bring the fridge back because there is some hole cutting into the door.

Any reputable home brew supplier will have a variety of conversion kits.
Seriously consider getting 100% stainless steel.
Check out the Home Bar forum for a ton of advice.
Cheers

 

Corky, obviously you are utilizing some hyperbole here.

A couple of days go I bottled a batch of Altbier (5 gallons) and I was done in a total time of less than 1.5 hours. Bottling may be an less than pleasant activity for some homebrewers but it does not take all day (or half a day).

Cheers!

 

I haven't bottled on a regular basis since 1993, but what I do remember is that it took several hours. I could have streamlined the process eventually but I started kegging instead. And there was always a pretty significant amount of waste-I don't ever remember getting more than 48 bottles out of a 5 gallon batch. I'll stick to kegging

 

My most recent bottling I referenced above is my 445th batch I bottled. Needless to say but things go smoother with practice.

I have never experienced "significant amount of waste" in my bottling operation. FWIW, for the past bottling I ended up with 54 bottles from this batch.

I am a BIG fan of the mouthfeel I obtain in my bottle conditioned beer.

Cheers!

 

If you're careful with your setup and pouring, there doesn't have to be any waste, other than a couple of ounces left at the bottom of the keg (above the dip tube) at the end. But that's less beer than is left behind in a typical bottling bucket.

An exception would be if you keg a beer with a lot of yeast that subsequently falls out. In that case, you may be pouring a yeasty pint or so at the beginning.

 

Maybe two-in-a-million is a better call.

I only have six gas whips so sometimes I leave a gas post uncovered while carb'ing another keg. I'm very aware to look at both posts when disconnecting QDs . . . traces of beer or hisses like a snake require attention. But I've had a gas poppet fail to seal with post in a way the leak was tiny. One of the universal Gas Laws is leaks never fix themselves. So when I came back in a few days the beer was flatter than Raggedy Ann's tits. Now I never leave a post of a pressurized keg uncovered without hitting it with a squirt of Starsan.

For the OP: Homebrewing and keezer-creating are some of the ultimate DIY projects. Yes, much easier to buy either product off the shelf, but you miss the satisfaction of job well done. As mentioned, direct your focus to Home Bar Forum . . . we need the business over there.

 

Out of how many batches? Please add to the data
-> https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/keg-failure-batch-losses-weigh-in-please.630741/ <-
if you don't mind.

Also, did you lose that batch?

 

Naw, headspace remained pure CO2 at one atmosphere . . . just re-carb'ed.

 

I stopped bottling and went to keg about 7 batches in. I can from the keg now with a beer gun. Remarkable shelf life. Wife's company bottles beer with a gun ( brewery bought kegs) and gifts it.
Keep bottling and hanging out on Craigslist and offer up. Just like hot chicks, there's some guy thats tired of it all and just wants it gone. You'll find a kegerator for the come get it today price. Like a pool table when someone gets evicted or transferred.
Kegging is much nicer. 10:15 but don't want a whole beer? Just a glug

 

Many (most?) bottlers do a secondary fermentation (incorrectly named, but that's another thread) to let the beer clear up a bit before bottling. Many (most?) keggers skip that step, as it's largely unnecessary when kegging. Arguably, sanitizing and racking to the secondary is exactly the same as sanitizing and racking to the keg, effort-wise. The difference is that, at that point, the kegger is done! The bottler still needs to sanitize and rack to the bottling bucket a few days later, then sanitize and fill 50 bottles.

 

FWIW I have never conducted a secondary for a 'regular' ale. Even 25 years ago I never saw the need for this 'extra' step.

I have conducted secondaries for:

• Lagers (typically 5 weeks of lagering for my moderate gravity lager beers)
• The time I used oak cubes for my Bourbon Barrel Porter

I have yet to brew with fruit additions but if I ever decided to do so I may secondary that beer.

Cheers!

 

I switched to kegs about 4 years ago and haven't looked back at bottling. Its just more convenient and, for me, quicker than sanitizing 100+ bottles for a 10 gallon batch. That easily took me 2+ hours. That being said, I did find the bottle carbonation was better tasting than forced CO2, but the work and resulting clean up associated with bottling was not worth it.

I brewed a batch for a friend a few weeks ago, who does not have a kegerator so he requested bottles. In lieu of my standard bottling bucket, I primed the batch in the keg and just used my picnic tap with a racking cane to bottle his share. It was much easier than sitting on the floor with the bottle filler. If I ever go back to bottles, I'll use this method again.

 

I've a keg or two with worn-enough poppet valves that they do not reliably seal, so I always keep quick disconnects in place. Fortunately, I've not had a picnic tap crap out on me, which some have reported happening.

As for time, I don't find that I have a great time saving with kegs, but I break each one down before refilling to check the o-rings, etc.

However, for me the greatest advantage in kegging is the ability to minimizing oxidation when transferring and storing the beer. To my taste buds (and other parts of my olfactory system), my kegged beers stay fresher much longer than any of my bottled beers ever did. Part of staying fresh can also be attributed -- I believe -- to storing the beer at fridge temperatures, which did not happen when I bottled.

Cheers!

 

As soon as I read the prior sentence to this sentence I was going to posit this as a potential reason.

Cold storage very much increases beer stability (shelf life) as per the Arrhenius equation.

Cheers!

 

One important thing is to make sure you have two co2 suppliers. Used a welding shop for a while then they tell me they can't fill the tanks anymore. Turned out to be a godsend. Found a place that fills fire extinguishers for much cheaper.