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I still dont really use temp control (per se) for ales, but thats just my climate. I probably cant brew this weekend because its too warm, but its only a couple months out of the summer that i really need to beware. Shit, the rest of the year i have to worry about it being too cold, so sometimes i have to move my fermenters upstairs.
Posted 34 days ago.
Gotcha Ray. I think temp control showed up for batch 3 or so for me too. All-grain batch 6. Not sure when I started making starters, but it was fairly early on. I listened to a lot of the jamil show back then so I picked up good habits very quickly.
Posted 34 days ago.
Ditto.
Posted 34 days ago.
I have five kegs total...my keezer is a three-faucet system, so it means that I have enough to keep those occupied and then have two full ones in reserve. There is nothing worse than an idle faucet!
I second rayfound's comment on kegging resulting in easier sharing for parties. It's so nice to just take one or two growlers, rather than a mess of bottles (and then try and get the bottles back and cleaned and reused).
Posted 34 days ago.
I'd like to clarify a couple points I made also: when I said best upgrade... I mean that kegging made me a better brewer-not that it made my beer quality necessarily better like temp controller, all grain, or yeast starters may have done.
It made me better. It made sampling/tasting easier, it made my brewing cadence faster so I could repeat recipes faster , it renewed my passion for brewing, etc...
I was the thing that improved - it was an indirect improvement on the beer. Though I think it is exceptionally difficult to make an impressive IPA bottle conditioned. I'm yet to have one.
Posted 34 days ago.
I think the ability to quickly bottle say a 6 pack for a party, would be really nice to do, without having to bottle the rest of the batch and worry about priming sugar, etc.
One problem for me, is I'd probably drink more of my own beer since I wouldn't have a visual on what's left. As it is, I give most of mine away for others to try.
Posted 34 days ago.
What's the problem?
Posted 34 days ago.
Apparently he doesnt want to end up like me.
Posted 34 days ago.
I have 6 ball lock and four pin lock. My keezer is a 6 tap and most of the time it is full. I usually let a beer sit in fermenter a touch longer as I empty a keg for a tap, but now that I have four more, I was wondering what others did when they filled the kegs that are not going on tap right away. Fill, purge, and set in room temp? Unfortunately, my brew room is not temp controlled (yet).
Posted 34 days ago.
That's basically what I do. Hoppy beer gets keezer priority. High ABV beer usually gets aged, and sours are fine to sit out too.
My beer is stored in a crawlspace so it's closer to cellar temp than room temp though, I think.
Posted 34 days ago.
I have 5 kegs total...and I will (honestly!) say that kegging means I drink less beer overall.
Yes, you are rightfully skeptical, but hear me out.
Sometimes I only want a half beer. Or I finish one glass, and want a little bit more, but not a full bottle's worth. Kegging to the rescue! It's incredibly nice to be able to pour whatever amount I want, and not have to commit to finishing a bottle. And I like being able to just take a growler to parties; easier to fill, easier to clean up and refill.
Posted 34 days ago.
Oh, I started drinking a good bit more when I started kegging. I do like being able to pour samples, half pints, etc, but generally I just pour a whole pint anyway.
Posted 34 days ago.
I probably drink the same amount (too much), but i drink a lot more homebrew now, which is kinda a good thing i guess. Homebrew probably isnt as bad for you as pisswater macro lager.
Posted 34 days ago.
I have 3 kegs, that's all the keezer space I have. I had the same question about whether it is a good idea to fill and purge kegs and then let them sit at room temp. If so, I would get a couple more for aging. As it is now, the kegs go into the keezer and usually get drunk before they have really properly aged! I often use a beer gun to fill some bottle and then those actually get aged longer--but I typically keep those cold too.
What do other people do?
Posted 34 days ago.
IMO, purging kegs and using them to bulk age is pretty close to ideal. I bulk age at cellar temp in carboys right now, but if I kegged - and could therefore bulk age so without worrying about oxidation - that would be huge.
Posted 34 days ago.
