would it be worth it to get into kegging instead of bottling??

I don't know anyone who kegs that wants to go back to bottling or regrets their purchase. That said, it can be a pricey initial investment depending on whether you build vs. buy a kit, 1 tap vs. 2 or more, fans, dehumidifiers, other accessories. It can be done on a budget or you could easily drop a K.

 

yes.

nobody has ever said "I don't like kegging my homebrew. I am going back to bottling". not ever.
research the threads, because if you find one soul who disparages kegging after having bottled we want to know.

also, as i have stated in years past, keg beer is cool. but having your own homebrew on tap, in your home, that's cooler than the other side of the pillow.
try it. you'll like it.
Cheers.

Cheers.

 

I just started kegging, 3 batches, and it is so much better than bottling, especially IPAs. The ability to minimize oxidation and not having the beer sit two weeks at room temp to prime helped improve my ipas significantly.

For me I already had a fridge in the garage for beer so I bought a basic set with a 5 lb CO2 tank and a plain cobra/picnic handle. The full set was $190, plus tax. Bottle set up is super cheap like $30 - $40? I also like not having to store my empty bottles all over. Now I just keep a few 12 oz and 22 oz bottles. I still bottle a few off the keg once it's primed.

The only downsize is my beer seems to go a lot faster. It's very easy to say I'll just have half a glass more, then end up having 10 half glasses.

 

Personally I'd turn the chest freezer (with the addition of a temp controller) into my fermentation chamber. I've seen keggerators with tap and all plumbing in costco for under 400. I got mine with my excessive Marriott points...even came with an empty CO2 tank that I had filled. I also use Sanke kegs since that's the connection that came with my set up but they make conversion kits so you could easily change to ball/lock for cornies.

I still keep a supply of bottles for high gravity stuff that I'd like to condition for a while though I suppose I could replace my tap faucet with a double faucet since the fridge can hold two 5 gallon kegs. Either way, it's good to have options and I like kegging!

 

No need to insulate the collar. Wood is not a conductor. You may want to caulk the bottom of it though. Here is a good tutorial on doing a keezer build.

Free kegs are always nice! Make sure you know the difference between pinlock, and ball lock, so you order the correct connectors for the kegs. A lot of elbow grease maybe needed on your part to clean out the kegs. You may even need to get new O-rings. they are pretty cheap though, so no worries.

For faucets: I'm not very knowledgeable, but I have a Perlick 650ss and I love it because I do not have to fiddle with different hose lengths to have the correct resistance for the system. Instead, I just turn the smaller knob on the side. Easy peezy.

Start looking for welding shops, and fire extinguisher places that will do tank exchanges. If you will be having multiple kegs, you will need a manifold of some sort. The larger the tank you can accommodate, the better.

And lastly, I think the cheapest way to do temp control is by using an STC1000 model and building a unit for it. I'm not sure if the other manufacturers have other features this one does not have, but I'm happy with mine.

 

Yes. Full stop. End of Telegraph.

 

It's worth it to minimize the oxidization of your brew. The initial cost can be a bit of a pain, but if you wait long enough on Craigslist you can usually find some great gear for cheap!

 

I would never dream of bottling again. I have a 3 year old Lambic in the garage that is still waiting because I don't want to bottle it, nor do I want to dedicate a keg to it as I will drink it way too fast that way.

 

In my humble opinion, that Northern Brewer keezer build is inferior to this method:

http://homebrewacademy.com/how-to-build-a-keezer

I just personally prefer the look and the fact that you can easily take the collar on and off if needed.

 

I wouldn't say it is inferior. Functionality wise they are both perfectly fine.

 

I think both methods have different pro/cons but both are important to be used . I brew lot of beers to give as a present , I like to present a crystal clear bottled lager beer so I bottle it from a keg using a counter-pressure gun, avoiding this way yeast sediment at the bottom of the bottles. I love high Belgian OG beers bottled conditioned for long periods, so I think both methods are valuable.

 

I've had a kegerator for a few months now, some positives:

-Having your own beer on tap is about as cool as it gets
-It's nice to be able to pour 6oz, 9oz, 16oz, etc. whatever you are in the mood for
-Force carbing is so easy and more reliable than bottle conditioning
-Seemingly better luck with oxidation

Negatives:

-Even for a low/midrange setup, you're going to easily spend $600 or more over the first few months. Cheaper if you're handy enough to put it together yourself and scour craigslist for all the parts, but I don't think that the majority fall into this category.
-If you want to share your beer with others outside of your home, you're looking at yet another investment in a bottling gun, which seem to run around 100 bucks last I checked. Someone with more experience can probably chime in here, but my point is that the cost of all the accessories can quickly spiral out of control!
-Somewhat relating to the last point - when you have bottles, it's so easy to dole out to friends and stash some away for aging. Batches don't last too long. When you have a keg, I find there is often a point where you're just trying to wrap up that final gallon so you can tap something else. For darker or heavier beers, I find myself wishing I had some bottle conditioned so I could check on them 6 months down the road.
-Maintaining a keg + kegerator is a more intensive and time consuming task than cleaning out bottles and a bucket, and there is a lot more that can go wrong.

 

Or you can just rotate that partial keg out and put the new one in. The first keg can come back later.

 

Very true, but this is assuming that A. a new kegger is going to invest in multiple kegs right off the bat and B. it's a style that won't fall off after additional weeks/months of sitting around. If you like to clean the lines between batches, you're also introducing more work for yourself here (although I will note this is a fairly minor point).

You could also make the point to just brew smaller batches if you're struggling to get through them, and that's a valid point as well. I think it's worth bringing up how the perspective/practices might need to shift a bit when you go from bottling to kegging.

 

It is completely pointless to switch to kegging if you aren't going to buy multiple kegs, at least 2 for every tap is a bare minimum. I don't think you need to clean lines after running 3.5 gallons of beer.

Filling a growler from a regular tap is a very easy way to share beer, no need for a beer gun.

 

I like my bottles.

 

One aspect that is not often discussed is the attention kegs need. if you have many kegs it is best to have spare poppets, o-rings, PRVs, and an extra new lid or two.

Then you might consider an extra tank and regulator, just in case, or if you have kegs in the basement and garage.

Yeah it can get involved, but I seldom bottle anymore. If I bottle 5 gallons of a beer a friend brews with me, it is not that bad of a chore anymore, it goes fast with an extra set of hands.

 

HERETIC!

 

"would it be worth it to get into kegging instead of bottling??"I

I'm sure the inventor of the first internal combustion engine said the same thing in regards to horses. : )

 

Short answer - yes
Longer answer - Hell yeah!
People will tell you that bottling is not that much extra work. I would suggest scoring some of what these people are smoking and screw the beer!

Compare the task of washing and sanitizing fifty 12 oz bottles versus one - count 'em ONE - 5 gallon bottle.
On bottling day, with kegs, you rack to the (logical) bottling bucket and you're done. If you're bottling, then you rack to the (actual) bottling bucket, and you're just getting started.
Carbonation: with bottles, there's a bit of stress involved - "Did I get it right? Let's try one after a couple weeks and see. Damn! Now what do I do?"
With kegs, it's dead on, first time, every time. Carbonation issues are, literally, a thing of the past.

The list goes on. Sure, there's an up front cost. But that's the only downside, IMO.

 

It was probably vs. steam engines.

 

I'll neglect the Stanley Steamer, as it didn't make it to the playoffs for the average man : )

 

Kinda like boat ownership.

Best ever when you get it
Best ever when you get rid of it.