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Date: 08 Jun 2006 15:05:13
From: Dukester
Subject: Kegging convenience?
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I've been brewing for 8 years now and bottling the stuff this entire time
(well except for that short spell with Tap-A-Drafts). Reading this group
and my homebrewing catalogs/literature I think often about moving to kegging
but have yet to see how it could be more convenient. Sure the bottling
process itself (2 hours tops) would be avoided, but mostly I'm thinking of
things like where to store it, and keep cold. I have a basement where I
store the bottles now, and then just bring up a six pack and pop in the
fridge. For me I can't see how running down the stairs, filling up a glass,
back up the stairs, repeated x times would be convenient, much less when you
start adding wife, friends, etc. I don't have room upstairs for another
fridge. Is it really more convenient?
Ideas?
Cheers!
Dukester
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Date: 08 Jun 2006 21:50:51
From: Scott Sellers
Subject: Re: Kegging convenience?
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Dukester <dontbothermedukes909@withspam.yahoo.com >:
>I've been brewing for 8 years now and bottling the stuff this
>entire time (well except for that short spell with
>Tap-A-Drafts). Reading this group and my homebrewing
>catalogs/literature I think often about moving to kegging but
>have yet to see how it could be more convenient. Sure the
>bottling process itself (2 hours tops) would be avoided, but
>mostly I'm thinking of things like where to store it, and keep
>cold. I have a basement where I store the bottles now, and then
>just bring up a six pack and pop in the fridge. For me I can't
>see how running down the stairs, filling up a glass, back up the
>stairs, repeated x times would be convenient, much less when you
>start adding wife, friends, etc. I don't have room upstairs for
>another fridge. Is it really more convenient?
IME, kegging is hands down easier and more convenient than
bottling, up to and including not having to pop a cap.
Portability is where bottling has the edge, though. Even here,
there are all those empties to deal with, which in the opinion of
many are actually more annoying than a nice, neat kegerator.
The best situation would be to get a kegerator in your serving
area, or at least on the same floor. Mine is in a back room.
YOu don't need a full refrigerator, or to take up any kitchen
space. A small chest freezer can be made to fit almost any
decor.
Kind of a middle solution, you could fill pitchers or growlers to
bring upstairs, and serve from those.
Scott S
--
Scott Sellers
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Date: 08 Jun 2006 14:20:30
From: Bob
Subject: Re: Kegging convenience?
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"Dukester" <dontbothermedukes909@withspam.yahoo.com > wrote in message news:128h0nr1tg9gie6@corp.supernews.com...
> I've been brewing for 8 years now and bottling the stuff this entire time
> (well except for that short spell with Tap-A-Drafts). Reading this group
> and my homebrewing catalogs/literature I think often about moving to kegging
> but have yet to see how it could be more convenient. Sure the bottling
> process itself (2 hours tops) would be avoided, but mostly I'm thinking of
> things like where to store it, and keep cold. I have a basement where I
> store the bottles now, and then just bring up a six pack and pop in the
> fridge. For me I can't see how running down the stairs, filling up a glass,
> back up the stairs, repeated x times would be convenient, much less when you
> start adding wife, friends, etc. I don't have room upstairs for another
> fridge. Is it really more convenient?
>
> Ideas?
Running up and down the stairs burns calories - allowing you to drink more beer.
An extra keg filled with water guarantees all the soda water you want.
You can get as much beer as you want, not just bottle increments.
You can play with carbonation levels.
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Date: 08 Jun 2006 17:53:13
From: Craig Bennett
Subject: Re: Kegging convenience?
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If feasible: how about put the kegs downstairs in your basement, and run
your beerline to the floor above ? use wider diamater tubing to make up for
the drop in pressure.
me, I dont mind going downstairs to get a beer, but I can understand fully
why some folks would object - especially after a few drinks :-)
Craig B
"Bob" <bobnospam@gmail.com > wrote in message
news:V7WdnZlPUccKCRXZnZ2dneKdnZydnZ2d@comcast.com...
>
> "Dukester" <dontbothermedukes909@withspam.yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:128h0nr1tg9gie6@corp.supernews.com...
>> I've been brewing for 8 years now and bottling the stuff this entire time
>> (well except for that short spell with Tap-A-Drafts). Reading this group
>> and my homebrewing catalogs/literature I think often about moving to
>> kegging
>> but have yet to see how it could be more convenient. Sure the bottling
>> process itself (2 hours tops) would be avoided, but mostly I'm thinking
>> of
>> things like where to store it, and keep cold. I have a basement where I
>> store the bottles now, and then just bring up a six pack and pop in the
>> fridge. For me I can't see how running down the stairs, filling up a
>> glass,
>> back up the stairs, repeated x times would be convenient, much less when
>> you
>> start adding wife, friends, etc. I don't have room upstairs for another
>> fridge. Is it really more convenient?
>>
>> Ideas?
>
> Running up and down the stairs burns calories - allowing you to drink more
> beer.
>
> An extra keg filled with water guarantees all the soda water you want.
>
> You can get as much beer as you want, not just bottle increments.
>
> You can play with carbonation levels.
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Date: 08 Jun 2006 20:32:13
From: Joel
Subject: Re: Kegging convenience?
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Dukester <dontbothermedukes909@withspam.yahoo.com > wrote:
>I've been brewing for 8 years now and bottling the stuff this entire time
>(well except for that short spell with Tap-A-Drafts). Reading this group
>and my homebrewing catalogs/literature I think often about moving to kegging
>but have yet to see how it could be more convenient. Sure the bottling
>process itself (2 hours tops) would be avoided, but mostly I'm thinking of
>things like where to store it, and keep cold. I have a basement where I
>store the bottles now, and then just bring up a six pack and pop in the
>fridge. For me I can't see how running down the stairs, filling up a glass,
>back up the stairs, repeated x times would be convenient, much less when you
>start adding wife, friends, etc. I don't have room upstairs for another
>fridge. Is it really more convenient?
You're right. I know people who swear they'll never
bottle again. They're right, too. Me, I keg *and* bottle.
Generally I bottle mead and strong ales, and keg everything
else.
It all comes down to what works for you. If you keg,
you have to deal with CO2 cylinders, regulators, manifolds;
have some method to chill the beer (jockey box) or keep the
kegs cold (fridge/freezer), and are more limited in how many
different brews you have available at any given time. And
you still have to clean and sanitize those kegs between use.
But you have beer on tap always, can dispense as much or
little as you like, and (a small win) can force-carbonate
to have a beer ready to drink a bit faster.
For bottles, you have to store the bottles somewhere,
it takes longer to package in 50 bottles compared to one
keg, cleaning those bottles can take longer and definitely
takes more work, etc. However, you can have portions of
a less limited number of batches available compared to
kegs, your non-beergeek friends can deal with bottles,
it's easier to give away samples in bottles as compared
kegs, etc.
--
Joel Plutchak
"...illiterate Abyssinians did it for 5000 years, you can do it too."
- Guy Gregory on brewing beer
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