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To Keg Or Not To Keg - that is the question


Worthog

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I'm getting very envious of keg people. My neighbour has no less than nine 19 litre kegs and Co2 and crap everywhere.

On monday I mash for the first time. In around six weeks time I was going to make a decision on Robobrew for AG.

I'm beginning to think about kegs and ancillaries, rather than robobrew.

I think I can get away with Dirty-Great-Big-Pot and BIAB...........??

Thoughts?

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So much faster and easier on bottling day with a keg. Cheeky Peaks has used ones for $59. The initial cost is a little steep, you will need co2 and a tap or something to get the beer out, but well worth it in time saved and quickness the beer is ready. It does end up tasting better, the flavours and aroma meld together more, after 2 weeks but you could be drinking it in a few days. As Hairy said what is the question, do it!

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I wish I had started kegging much sooner than I did. I could afford to but I held out.

Definitely worth it if you can. You can do it on the cheap too. You don’t need a kegerator with fancy taps etc. I know people that keep their kegs in a fridge or freezer but use a picnic/bronco tap.

And BIAB is fine. A Robobrew is essentially just BIAB with a steel bag.

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With the threads about people's set up I didn't want to say anything but that is my current setup, fridge with 2 kegs and a picnic tap. I use a soda stream bottle for co2, my setup is ghetto but it works. Overtime my cost to refill the sodastream would of paid for a nice 2.7kg size bottle. I am saving up for either a kegerator or I will paint and set up the fridge with proper taps. I haven't work out the all the costs yet, still a pipe dream.  But it works and I love it!homer simpson bottles GIF

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Keg all the way. Soooo much easier. No bottle washing. Consistent carbonation. Its always cold and ready to go. Still bottle for a few styles like saisons, stouts and belgians but keg all the rest and never regretted the 800 or so it cost me.

As for the robobrew. For about the first 3 or 4 times i had myself wishing i bought a crown urn. After i got the hang of it it does have a few advantages with the temp control for step mashes and the malt pipe and ability to fast chill.

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I purchased a chest freezer, a couple of kegs with picnic taps on them to begin with to save on initial costs. I had planned to upgrade the setup to proper taps & transform the freezer into a keezer but the setup has worked so well, I haven't bothered to change it. Pours great from the first pour & everytime. ☺️

Cheers,

Lusty.

Edited by Beerlust
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I bottle.

However I do plan to have a bar set up in my next house so I have been holding off to keg until then. But and it’s a big butt, with the property market not making a great move on up at any stage lately it looks like I may not be in my next house as soon as I thought. It’s probably added another 2 years to my original date.

So now I’m thinking I might just put a kegarator in my music studio. Which is really close to my kitchen. Not ideal but ok.

Just turn it off when I’m recording. 

BB,

you crack me up!

Captain

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Ha ha ha ha 

i guess if I kegged I wouldn’t give away so much to friends/family etc so then I wouldn’t brew as much which isn’t a great thing, I’ll stick to bottling for a while

Captain

Edited by The Captain1525230099
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Captain you could get a bottle.filling device and fill bottles on demand for friends. My mate does this for me when we beer swap. I do have to store them in the fridge and drink relatively quickly though.

 

I bottle All of my beers and do enjoy giving away beers to friends, family, colleagues, fellow brewers etc. Allows me to continue to brew and try new styles and ingredients without the excess consumption!

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53 minutes ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

I just have mates come around if they want to try my beers, good way to catch up actually.

Kelsey,

Im trying to make excuses/rational why I still bottle. Try not to shatter my excuses with simple logic. 

Captain

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10 reasons to bottle; 

  1. Crisper sharper flavour than keg equivalent; sometimes this is no-so-good.
  2. Can consume them in the shed, in the house, at the neighbours, in the park.......
  3. Can store them in every nook and cranny in the house and shed. Sometimes you find a forgotten gold nugget left 6 months.
  4. Can save a few for later and see how it improves
  5. Can drink 5 different beers in one sitting
  6. 0.5 higher ABV
  7. Can show off your "Headmaster" schooner wherever you may be
  8. Cheaper outlay; no keg/s, lines, valves, T pieces, CO2, fonts (is that a word?), no kegerator.
  9. No gushing beer, flat beer, blockages, leaks, no waste
  10. No reason for an argument decider sitting on top left of the kegerator  

That said, I would love to keg also. The epitome of ones own brewery......?   Cheers

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I'd disagree with point one. I found the opposite, kegged beers carbonated with the gas cylinder taste crisper. You don't have to worry about keeping them warm enough. They also don't take anywhere near as long to reach their best.

Smaller kegs can be transported in an Esky and dispensed anywhere. Also applies to point 7. Does require more equipment of course.

Can do point 4 by bottling a few from the surplus in the fermenter.

5 and 6 can be achieved with kegs as well. Keezer with 5 or 6 taps. Increasing ABV can be done through additional malt in the beer, depending on the style this makes it taste better, or you can just chuck in some sugar. On the other hand you can have a longer session with lower ABV beer.

Gushers and flat beer occur with bottles as well, maybe more so. I had some issues at first with overcarbed kegs but worked it out pretty fast. Never had a flat one.

Point 10 is just my laziness ?

It's more outlay no doubt although it can be done cheaply by looking out for bargains, or built slowly as money allows. I definitely don't regret it.

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1 hour ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

This holds a 10L keg, which is equivalent to a carton (or a 23L short fat keg). I've wanted to do something like this for a while but I don't have any real reasons to because we don't go to parties much anyway. Cool idea though.

 

 

Keg Esky.jpg

where would you go about getting a set up like that. I reckon that would be a decent first step in the keg direction for me and bottle the rest

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