First Time Kegging Question

[Rebel_B]

Yes, I do like to open a home brewed bottle from time to time but I could never go back to bottling every batch. If I didn't get, I'd brew a whole lot less.

I'm a kegging fan as well. The only time I have bottled this year, is filling up a few bombers from my kegerator to give away.

[FedoraDave]

Since I do two 2.5 gallon batches for every fiver, I still bottle those. Not as many bottles, but still not as fast as kegging. I like to have bottles of homebrew, though, especially when there's a get-together, since I'm usually in charge of providing the cold'n'frosties. I do have a growler filler I got from the LHBS, and it's great for those situations, too.

Still, I've been seriously considering the notion of getting a small keg and a picnic tap, since I've got that lager fridge downstairs.... That may be my next big brewing purchase.

[bpgreen]

Since I do two 2.5 gallon batches for every fiver, I still bottle those. Not as many bottles, but still not as fast as kegging. I like to have bottles of homebrew, though, especially when there's a get-together, since I'm usually in charge of providing the cold'n'frosties. I do have a growler filler I got from the LHBS, and it's great for those situations, too.

Still, I've been seriously considering the notion of getting a small keg and a picnic tap, since I've got that lager fridge downstairs.... That may be my next big brewing purchase.

I got a beer gun so I could bottle from the keg. Some people just use a bottling cane and a picnic tap. I like the ability to fill the bottle with CO2 first.

[FedoraDave]

Brian, I think it makes a difference if you're bottling from a keg or just filling a growler from a keg. Bottling implies long-term storage, as you're capping it, likely for consumption later on (I know, it may only be for a picnic later that afternoon, but still....). A growler, on the other hand, isn't meant for long-term storage. I'm not ready for a beer-gun; I just don't see a need for it.

[Kealia]

What? You've never drank from a beer gun, Dave?

[Beer-lord]

I actually got the beer gun so I could bottle from the keg for competition. Only thing is, I've never entered my beer in any competition. I think it's a great idea and I really should but a part of me just doesn't care what a judge says if I am brewing beer I like.
But the gun has been handy when I want to send a few out to friends or empty a keg to make room for another keg. The Blichman isn't cheap but works great for me though many make their own that work just fine.

[Kealia]

Yep, count me in the group that uses a racking cane and stopper. Not that I would turn down a gun.

[BlackDuck]

For those of you that use the Blichmann Beer Gun...is the accessory kit necessary?

[Beer-lord]

For me, most of it was needed. I got some stuff locally and other stuff I had here but its a bit easier if you have a dual gauge regulator.
I have 1 5 lb tank that I just use for 'beer-gunning' and keep another in the kegerator and since I got a great deal on a 10 lb tank, I keep it around in case of emergencies. Can't have kegs and run our of Co2 during a game on a Sunday with friends wanting beer.
But, I don't really use the gun all that often......maybe once a month.

[bpgreen]

Yep, count me in the group that uses a racking cane and stopper. Not that I would turn down a gun.

Can you purge the air with that setup or are you only bottling for short term things like picnics, etc?

[bpgreen]

For those of you that use the Blichmann Beer Gun...is the accessory kit necessary?

They call it optional, but it's only optional in the sense that if you have everything in the accessory kit, you don't need it. When I bought mine, it came with ball lock connectors, so in a way, I was lucky that I didn't buy it online, because my LHBS just swapped out the connectors.

[Inkleg]

Yep, count me in the group that uses a racking cane and stopper. Not that I would turn down a gun.

Can you purge the air with that setup or are you only bottling for short term things like picnics, etc?

We need no stinking beer gun is quite a long read through, but others, myself included have stored beer bottled this way for a very long time. I've enjoyed beers that have been bottled for 6 months like this.

[Kealia]

Yep, count me in the group that uses a racking cane and stopper. Not that I would turn down a gun.

Can you purge the air with that setup or are you only bottling for short term things like picnics, etc?

We need no stinking beer gun is quite a long read through, but others, myself included have stored beer bottled this way for a very long time. I've enjoyed beers that have been bottled for 6 months like this.

Yeah, what he said. NO, you can't purge the air or add CO2 but I haven't had any issues. I think I've only gone a few weeks, maybe a month on something bottled this way but had no issues with that timing. If Inkleg says he's done it for 6 months, I believe him. And I've had his beers

That all being said, I would agree that purging the air and filling with CO2 would be a Best Practice but it also seems to work without doing it. You know how it is, what works for some may not work for others but there are a lot of people on HBT that have had good success with this.

[ScrewyBrewer]

I like the beer gun because it purges the bottles with Co2 before filling them and the bottled beer always has the same amount of carbonation as my kegged beer. Another benefit is using the beer gun to push a little puff of Co2 on top of the bottled beer just before capping to further reduce the chance of oxidation.

Beer bottled with the beer gun doesn't have any bottle trub in it either, which means they can be shipped or shaken without clouding the beer. Since it takes a week to set and forget carbonate a keg, the beer is ready to bottle ice cold in a week instead of taking two or three weeks using priming sugar at room temperature. Then of course there's the cool factor.....

[Beer-lord]

I like the beer gun because it purges the bottles with Co2 before filling them and the bottled beer always has the same amount of carbonation as my kegged beer. Another benefit is using the beer gun to push a little puff of Co2 on top of the bottled beer just before capping to further reduce he chance of oxidation.

I do this too but probably wouldn't have if not for the video of it I watched. I just tried a bottle I beer-gunned 5 months ago that was left in the fridge and was surprised how fresh it was. Not sure if what I do helped it or not but that's the longest I've gone with a beer-gunned brew and was glad it was good that long.