To Keg Or Not To Keg - that is the question

[The Captain!!]

Bugger...... Kinda does mean forget this, that, don’t worry, Kinda. In the right space. 

Also means.............. well, not boardroom language. 

I’ve found over the years it’s learning what not to say in boardroom meetings that means the most. 

One of the funniest things that I’ve found that people from other countries don’t get is the “ Yeah, Nah”

Norris, you’ve made my day.

So funny

Captain

[Norris!]

Yeah I am very selective when/If I speak up now. I don't want to waste people's time with nonsense just to look/act like a big note. Listen, digest and Then work out a game plan that is based on data/facts before even attempting to disagree or speak up. Basically add value or shut up. So I shut up...unless I have desperate value to add. Tall poppy thing down here is also strong.

Always good chatting with you Captain!

[porschemad911]

2 hours ago, Hairy said:

Not lost, I’ve been avoiding you.

I will find you

Edit: Coopers says that emoticon is a 'persevering face' BTW

Edited July 4, 2018 by porschemad911

[porschemad911]

4 hours ago, Norris! said:

Wow! I just did a Google search for Hairy Mum....oh my god, don't search for it....EVER. If I die in the next few minutes someone PLEASE erase my history.

Man that's even worse than my Google search! I bought a bottle of JP Wiser 18YO Canadian whisky for $50 and wanted to find out the usual price. Not remembering the name correctly, I Googled 'Wilder 18YO' right in front of my wife. That brought back some interesting (and probably better than your search) results.

Edited July 4, 2018 by porschemad911

[Beerlust]

What I find funny to this point is that John hasn't denied having similar body hair issues to Hairy. 

The Moscow Circus billboards are up all over the place here in Adelaide atm, should I speak with the circus owner for a try-out as a double act?  

Lusty.

[porschemad911]

43 minutes ago, Beerlust said:

What I find funny to this point is that John hasn't denied having similar body hair issues to Hairy. 

The Moscow Circus billboards are up all over the place here in Adelaide atm, should I speak with the circus owner for a try-out as a double act?  

Lusty.

Hahaha ... I forgot to address this, given that my wife (being Asian, and frequent and vocal in complaining about Caucasian males' hairiness) has never said a word, it can't be much of an issue (especially compared to one who names himself 'Hairy'). I have never attempted to place myself on a scale of hairiness but would be bemused to find out the score. I will say this much ... I am a man and have known I was a man from a fairly young age.

Edited July 4, 2018 by porschemad911

[Otto Von Blotto]

If Hairy's head is anything to go by, I don't think the nickname suits or it's one of those ironic ones like calling a big tall bloke "shorty".

[Hairy]

1 hour ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

If Hairy's head is anything to go by, I don't think the nickname suits or it's one of those ironic ones like calling a big tall bloke "shorty".

I have hair on my head. It's coming out of my ears and nose now but technically that is still on my head.

Edited July 4, 2018 by Hairy

[Malter White]

1 hour ago, Hairy said:

I have hair on my head. It's coming out of my ears and nose now but technically that is still on my head.

Interesting you should mention that, Hairy. I have a patent pending on a baldness cure. It's made from snot and ear wax.  I figure if you rub that stuff on your head it will start sprouting hair for sure.

[willie_m]

12 hours ago, The Captain1525230099 said:

Bugger...... Kinda does mean forget this, that, don’t worry, Kinda. In the right space. 

Also means.............. well, not boardroom language. 

I’ve found over the years it’s learning what not to say in boardroom meetings that means the most. 

One of the funniest things that I’ve found that people from other countries don’t get is the “ Yeah, Nah”

Norris, you’ve made my day.

So funny

Captain

Yeah, Nah was one of the most confusing things I'd ever heard when I first moved over from Scotland. It can mean yes and no and basically anything in between in my experience.

Want to go grab a beer? Yeah, nah....

Well?

[Otto Von Blotto]

Yeah, nah you just have to grow up with it I reckon...

[Worthog]

Yeah, nah meaning? It means "yes I hear you, but I don't agree". Simples!, Now what are you people doing to my topic?  

While I'm here, Kelsey, did you see the Co2 leak over on "Keg King 6kg CO2" This, of course, must be one of those benefits of kegging?

Cheers

[Otto Von Blotto]

You only get CO2 leaks if you don't set your system up properly. I was guilty of it once with a dodgy manifold valve connection, but just about every one of them is like that. I now advise anyone buying one to unscrew the valves and fill the threads with silicone then screw them back in. No leaks. Clearly a bit of plumbers tape and the piddly amount of sealant they come with isn't enough to stop gas leaks.

If anyone decides not to keg based only on the small risk that their CO2 cylinder might leak, then perhaps they should be seeing a shrink or something

[Worts and all]

All this merriment flying back and forth is all very well,but where does it get us in the keg v bottle debate? Nowhere,that’s where! So pull yourselves together,sit up straight and pay attention. As a dedicated bottler I am constantly delighted by the magic which happens in the bottle in the 2-8 weeks or so after bottling. A promising,tasty drop undergoes a miraculous transformation in look,taste,aroma and mouthfeel.and develops a head you could serve for pudding. It is no longer a simple mix of ingredients,but a nectar,much greater than the sum of it’s parts. How does the humble kegger compensate for the lack of all this magic? How does he console himself? Does he simply set the bar lower? Is it like comparing genuine Champagne with cheap, artificially carbonated plonk? These and other questions occupy my idle moments I look forward to the keggers’ defence,if indeed there is one. Cheers and happy brewing.

[Ryano2]

hahah you have a valid point WORTS AND ALL.

HOWEVER, don't be afraid to keg AND bottle. I always bottle my darker beers and age for a months.

My hoppy and lighter style beers I think taste better fresher. I like the fresh hop and malt flavours that I get when I keg.

To be fair though, I find the beer is the best after being carbonated for a week and sitting in the kegerator.

 

[Norris!]

7 minutes ago, Ryano2 said:

To be fair though, I find the beer is the best after being carbonated for a week and sitting in the kegerator.

 

I find the same. The flavours and aromas have melded together at that point.

[Burnt Arm Brewing]

I have two 50L kegs... for portability... I have a bunch of glass 1.89L growlers. I fill them up and take them anywhere I want. You can fill anything with a keg. Plastic water bottles, Nalgene bottles, travel coffee mugs. Portability should never be a reason to not get a keg. Bottle when you want to travel, from the keg. 

Edited July 5, 2018 by Burnt Arm Brewing
Spelling

[Otto Von Blotto]

I find kegged beer carbonated with the gas cylinder tastes better than naturally carbed bottled beer. Probably because it doesn't go through another fermentation. It also conditions faster in the bigger volume, so I don't have to wait weeks or a couple of months for it to be at its best (lagers and dark beers aside). 

I have enough kegs that I can spare one or two to age a stout or whatever. I find 6-9 months in a keg is enough time for them to hit their peak whereas in bottles they sometimes take a couple of years.

And of course it's a lot quicker with packaging and cleaning, and generally takes up less space. 

Cheers

Kelsey

[Worts and all]

I am encouraged by the response to my kegger challenge. The Ryan and Norris fellows would have me break the shackles and try a keg or two. Fair enough. The Burnt Arm chap worries me a little.He seems willing to slop his beer into any old container that comes to hand. I have a small pile of urine sample bottles which I suspect he would fall upon with a glad cry.  Herr Von Blotto gives a thoughtful explanation,and seems to have the maturation business thoroughly in hand. He at least partially redeems himself for having described us bottlers as “ strange folk who enjoy wasting time”.  There are many and varied ways of wasting time, Mein Herr, but putting one’s freshly brewed beer into bottles and sealing them up for future enjoyment is not,I submit, one of them. Cheers!

[willie_m]

The thought of bottling my brew next weekend is exciting, but because i'm looking to ramp up production in sunny north lakes I could end up with over 100 bottles and I'm not too sure the wife would be happy with that many just lying about. I'm hoping to invest in a Kegerator at some point next year so if anyone has cheap-ish websites for them I'll happily take that link 

[Otto Von Blotto]

Yes, 4 or 5 kegs will definitely take up less room than 100-200 or more bottles will.

New kegerators are generally the same price everywhere, but some come with different extras which varies the price. I didn't buy one of those "packs" because I decided to build mine with my own choice of additions (taps, font, lines etc.) so I just bought the kegerator by itself new for $500 and then got the other stuff over 2-3 months or so. I figured I'd save money in the long run by buying quality and buying it once rather than buying cheap shit and having to replace it anyway.

You can certainly do it cheaper than I did, because I bought everything brand new; mind you, I haven't had to buy anything else for it in the three years since, except when I replaced the font with a flooded one - but that was my decision, the old one wasn't broken, I just wanted one that kept the beer lines cold better.

Cheers

Kelsey

Edited July 6, 2018 by Otto Von Blotto

[Marty_G]

For reasons explained in another thread this is a topic close to me at the moment and I have made the decision to keg ... no matter what hobby i have had I have always had the attitude to buy used products from Gumtree/ebay  so i will be on the lookout for busted keg fridges and other kegging set ups then pick the eyes out of it for what I need  from them and on sell the remainder ... It generally ends up close to cost neutral ... So while I consume the 32 doz stubbs I have in stock i will slowly troll the web pick up kegs, gas bottles, fans, taps InkBird/thermostat  and a 300L chest freezer were I can store at least 6 kgs...  4 on tap and 2 aging ... i will then sell off the vast majority of the bottles I have, nearly 400 stubbs and 100 tallies,  to off set the costs.... I reckon I can get it all done for around $200ish just need to be patient as there is no hurry ...  however the first item will be a keg, gas Bottle and a Pluto gun.  

[BlackSands]

1 hour ago, MartyG1525230263 said:

For reasons explained in another thread this is a topic close to me at the moment and I have made the decision to keg ... no matter what hobby i have had I have always had the attitude to buy used products from Gumtree/ebay  so i will be on the lookout for busted keg fridges and other kegging set ups then pick the eyes out of it for what I need  from them and on sell the remainder ... It generally ends up close to cost neutral ... So while I consume the 32 doz stubbs I have in stock i will slowly troll the web pick up kegs, gas bottles, fans, taps InkBird/thermostat  and a 300L chest freezer were I can store at least 6 kgs...  4 on tap and 2 aging ... i will then sell off the vast majority of the bottles I have, nearly 400 stubbs and 100 tallies,  to off set the costs.... I reckon I can get it all done for around $200ish just need to be patient as there is no hurry ...  however the first item will be a keg, gas Bottle and a Pluto gun.  

If you're buying a 2nd hand CO² bottle make sure it's within it's inspection cycle, and give it a good visual inspection yourself.  Any sign of corrosion or physical damage - probably best to walk away.  Try find out as much as you can about it's use.  Ideally it would  be good to have it checked properly as you won't really know it's full history.   There are risks associated with all gas cylinders.  I've seen a few that we left rolling around in the back of utes that ended up with dodgy looking valves.  As a refiller I wouldn't touch them until they were reinspected/tested and repaired if necessary.   

[Marty_G]

5 minutes ago, BlackSands said:

If you're buying a 2nd hand CO² bottle make sure it's within it's inspection cycle, and give it a good visual inspection yourself.  Any sign of corrosion or physical damage - probably best to walk away.  Try find out as much as you can about it's use.  Ideally it would  be good to have it checked properly as you won't really know it's full history.   There are risks associated with all gas cylinders.  I've seen a few that we left rolling around in the back of utes that ended up with dodgy looking valves.  As a refiller I wouldn't touch them until they were reinspected/tested and repaired if necessary.   

100% correct ... I am aware of all that but well worth having my memory refreshed ... 

 

[Cerveja]

11 hours ago, MartyG1525230263 said:

For reasons explained in another thread this is a topic close to me at the moment and I have made the decision to keg ... no matter what hobby i have had I have always had the attitude to buy used products from Gumtree/ebay  so i will be on the lookout for busted keg fridges and other kegging set ups then pick the eyes out of it for what I need  from them and on sell the remainder ... It generally ends up close to cost neutral ... So while I consume the 32 doz stubbs I have in stock i will slowly troll the web pick up kegs, gas bottles, fans, taps InkBird/thermostat  and a 300L chest freezer were I can store at least 6 kgs...  4 on tap and 2 aging ... i will then sell off the vast majority of the bottles I have, nearly 400 stubbs and 100 tallies,  to off set the costs.... I reckon I can get it all done for around $200ish just need to be patient as there is no hurry ...  however the first item will be a keg, gas Bottle and a Pluto gun.  

I am also a fan of Gummy and second hand purchases in general. BUT, as much as I don't want to promote them as I've had some issues with them, you cannot beat buying from Kegland new. Last time I looked kegs and  full 6kg gas bottles were less than a hundgy each. Why buy an unknown, second or third or fourth hand keg for 60 or 70 bucks when you can get new for about 90? And good luck with disposing of the bottles. I couldn't give mine away.