To keg? Or not to Keg?

[Darcey]

Ok, just a simple one... I have just checked my first all grain to actually work and its f^*%ing amazing. I am used to bottle conditioning my beers using priming sugars and I have had some very good results doing that with kit beers, however I have recently bought a breading pair of cornies, one of which is empty...

Do I bottle my beer and wait patiently for it to condition?
OR/
Attempt to clear my beer in a 2ndary then rack in to a cornie and attempt to carbonate to about 2.00 Co2 Volumes over a week or too, forget about it while im on holiday then serve on draught?

I don't want to ruin my first brew but I would prefer it on draught...

 

[StubbsPKS]

Ok, just a simple one... I have just checked my first all grain to actually work and its f^*%ing amazing. I am used to bottle conditioning my beers using priming sugars and I have had some very good results doing that with kit beers, however I have recently bought a breading pair of cornies, one of which is empty...

Do I bottle my beer and wait patiently for it to condition?
OR/
Attempt to clear my beer in a 2ndary then rack in to a cornie and attempt to carbonate to about 2.00 Co2 Volumes over a week or too, forget about it while im on holiday then serve on draught?

I don't want to ruin my first brew but I would prefer it on draught...

Keg that baby! If only because I don't have cornies yet, so I am trying to get other people to use theirs :-D

 

[Hawks]

I'd keg it, but not bother with secondary... I keg direct from primary after about 14 days, I only fine if I have used S-05, all other yeasts I have used drop enough for my liking. I do then get a slight cloudy half pint at the start, but I can live with that.. :thumb:

If you are off on holiday, I'd just gas it up when you keg and then turn your gas off and disconnect from the cornie- just as it sounds like its the first time you have used them, and the smallest leak in your pipeline can empty a cylinder of gas and leave you with flat beer.

Clearly its best to calculate the CO2 properly, but as a general rule of thumb I chuck in 20 PSI on a full keg after purging the air and then leave it disconnected for a few weeks - when I am ready to serve I use around 2 PSI to dispense.

Hope this helps

 

[Darcey]

I have calculated my co2 volumes for temp so I'm not worried about that. The keg when fully dissolved will be stored off gas.

I am using s-04 so I have a lingering krausen to deal with aswell. Fining will have to be done but not for as long as I would usually do. D

 

[user 2037]

You did miss one option off your poll......... Both.

For my very first brew I bottled about a dozen and the rest in a keg. It has been in there for 5 days and I just could not resist a taste and it was great. I just hope the bottles are as good.

 

[Swift Pint]

Keg!

I used to use a combo of plastic barrels and bottles. I had far to many issues with the plastic barrels; leaks, oxidation etc. So if you keg, go down the Corny route.

I found bottling to be too much of a faff. Now if I bottle I have some nice 750ml swingtops. I love swingtops & trhe fact they are 750ml means Im not washing out as many bottles each time. Oh and it means I have to drink 750ml of beer at a time, which is a great shame obviously :lol:

 

[Darcey]

Thank you everyone for your voting and your replys...

You did miss one option off your poll......... Both.

Very true, as I am using 19L cornies and doing 23-25L brew lengths I am bottling the remainder. I have just got my kegerator up to 'readyness' this evening so I have free flowing beer from a lager kit I made last month, I am VERY impressed with the results, compares favourably to cask conditioning for carbonation levels and mouth feel...

So I WILL be kegging... AND bottling the virgin all grain brew. I will most likely force carb the keg but leave for 2months. When the bottles taste good the keg will be better..

Photos to follow!

 

[Darcey]

I have just kegged and lots of love bits of yeast / krausen are now floating / sinking their way in my cornie.. DOH! :shock:

 

[Dunfie]

I have just kegged and lots of love bits of yeast / krausen are now floating / sinking their way in my cornie.. DOH! :shock:

Don't worry, that will all settle out. The first pint you pour will contain some gunk but as long as you leave undisturbed it will be clear for the remainder of the cornie. :thumb:

 

[Darcey]

Hello! Yes I was prob abit over excited about kegging. I am going to leave the keg in the fridge for 2 weeks then rerack to a fresh cornie so I can move it into the kegerator. I've also bottled the remainder which is equally cloudy and clumpy I'll use these as guide how the keg is going.

The beer does already taste good tho!