Homebrewing to a keg

Kegged homebrew can be carbonated by either priming with sugar, or by force carbonating from a CO2 tank. Most people force carb as its faster, more precise, and more consistent. Kegged homebrew has the same shelf life as any other beer as long as everything is kept sanitary as it should be.

 

How to Brew

Read that book and just go for it. You will learn as you go, but that book is a great guide to starting out and even to reference as you advance as a brewer. Good luck.

 

Kegging is not cheap. You may want to consider brewing a batch or two before making the investment

 

Agreed. Bottle a batch or two--with or without a friend--and see if this is something you really want to get into. Most of us have upgraded over the years to get into kegging. I don't think you can get into brewing for under $100 and you can't get into brewing and kegging for under $300. I hope you already have a really big boil kettle.

 

With Crigslist, all things are possible...

But I agree, I would have loved to get into kegging before I did, but bottling tests your cleaning and sanitation abilities. If you fail to clean and sanitize 1/3 of the packaging in bottling you lose a couple 6 packs. If you fail with a keg you lose the whole batch. And with all the other investments you have to make to get in, you have to have a lot of spare cash lying around to get into it all at once.

 

I just can't condone kegging before bottling to anyone who isn't already immersed in homebrewing. @HoboGoblin It's your money, but this is one of those you need to learn how to walk before you run situations. There's so little overhead in bottling. Just a little space, a couple cases of beer that you like from the store with labels that peel off nicely, and a couple extra hours of TLC.

 

I agree, don't get into kegging first. I got in 2 years later, wished it would have been sooner, but not right away.

 

I agree with the above sentiments about bottling at least a few batches before moving on to kegging, but for me I think some of that is "I had to suffer through bottling, so everyone else should too!"

 

I wouldn't necessarily recommend that everyone start off kegging right off the bat. But I do know a BA who did just that and I think he'd say it worked out just fine.

 

I've been kegging since Day One . I just couldn't fathom the hassle of bottling. I was planning to build a keezer for my bar anyway, so the only additional cost was for the kegs, themselves which, at that time, were going for around $20 each, shipped.

 

I would say that it depends. I see why you said it, and sanitation post boil is always a top priority. At the same time, if the keg goes directly in the kegerator, then there is less chance that a infection will take hold. The serving temp mitigates that somewhat which probably isnt a good thing for when you are just starting out. Now I don't skimp on sanitation for kegs, but I often wonder if I dont detect some infections due to low temps the beer is kept at. I clean kegs more thoroughly for beers that will have long term aging outside.

 

I dunno, people make sanitation out to be this difficult thing that needs to be learned. I really don't think it's that hard - wash thoroughly, rinse with a properly-mixed sanitizer solution, let dry, and presto - whatever vessel you have is now sanitized. Obviously, it's an extremely important step, but let's not make it out to be something you need years of practice with before you can do it properly. I could maybe get behind the argument that experience bottling a few full batches might come in handy if you want to brew something with extended bottle conditioning in mind, but you don't have to start out bottling to get practice at it.

Also, for kegging, I'm pretty sure you can get a corny, a small C02 tank, and a picnic faucet assembly with a connector for under $100. Already having a fridge to put it in is key to keeping the cost down, but a beginner kegging setup is not all that expensive if you want to start with a single corny.

 

Kegs are getting more expensive, but still you might be able to do this for under $100. But what good is a single keg for a homebrewer? Seems to me like it would create a significant pipeline problem. But I haven't tried it that way.

 

Most of the keggers I know had no clue how many kegs were 'enough' until they finally bought at least 3x as many as they thought they would ever need. For me, 12 turned out to be just about right (in seven years, there has always been at least one available). YMMV

 

Admittedly, not much, but you could hook up a rig with 3 cornies, a tank, and 3 picnic taps for under $200 if you wanted to. The point being that $300+ is not needed to get started kegging, unless you also need a fridge - though I'm sure an adequate one could be had on Craigslist for pretty cheap.

 

I've kegged since batch #1 and would do the same over again. The process will be new whether you start kegging now or in a year. You will still have to reference online & books for your questions and probably will mess a few things up, but IMO its better to take action sooner rather than later. I've also always been one to just jump into things & say fuck it, if you mess up so what? You learn and don't make the same mistake twice. Worst thing that happens is you have a bad batch of beer.

 

As far as the up front cost, if you've got the cash flow, there's very little risk. There's a healthy market for used kegging equipment. Used kegs are approaching the price of new, so, while there's still some room for prices to rise, I don't see that as a profit item like it has been for the past few years. But I think it's a safe bet you'll come damn close to breaking even if you decide it's not for you. There's also the simplicity factor. It's frequently suggested that a new brewer start with a few extract batches to keep the process as simple as possible. Kegging is consistent with that suggestion. Anybody who tells you that bottling is no more effort than kegging has never kegged, is lying, or both (or he simply believed the last guy's lie ).

If you're open to it (you are, or you wouldn't have started this thread), then you'll eventually do it. I would encourage you to do it now. I can guarantee you'l be glad you did.

 

I don't keg, but if you have the cash and resolve, go for it. Bottling sucks.