keg my beer

Tonight I’m brewing a kölsch to take on a guy’s camping/poker weekend. I’m going to try to keg it (in my own equipment) and take it in a cooler. Now I just gotta get equipment. Todd?? ;)

I used to think that nothing quite said “I’m a drunk” like a keg of flowing beer in one’s basement. I could see how one could get in trouble if the beer was especially intoxicating but it’s really kind of fun to drink half a glass of good homebrew with dinner. It’s still going to take quite a while to move through a whole 5 gallon keg and I still will bottle the brews that take a while to mature. But for the convenience and the thrill of a nice draft beer at home, I’m glad I did accomplished this goal.

I’m going to mark this goal accomplished!

I have 5 gallons of “Breakfast Stout” (oatmeal, milk sugar and 2 cups of strong coffee) in a keg in my “cellar” and Mib7 and I have been tapping into it all week. It’s great to be able to drink a small cup of beer when you don’t really want a whole bottle. Plus the head on the stout is fantastic, even with out beer-gas. The process of kegging was so simple I can’t believe I didn’t try it earlier. (I was afraid I’d make it all go “boom” somehow.) I have also been working on a portable keg-sized cooler made from an old trash can and a couple cans of expandable foam insulation so I can take the party on the road. I still will bottle the high gravity beers that need to mature to perfection (I.P.A. and barleywines) but darned it a nice house mild and a low gravity stout sounds like a new permanent addition.

Last Friday I bought a charged 10# CO2 tank, a ball-lock keg, a dual gauge regulator, all the hoses and quick release attachments from a friendly little beer supply store in Dearborn (http://www.homebrewing.org/) It was payday, what can I say! I even have a batch of sweet stout ready to transfer. (Yeah, yeah I know I should get NO2 and a stout nozzle for dispensing it. Maybe next payday.) The next challenge is to find a way to chill the kegs sufficiently for consuming. Maybe that’s not too much of a problem for styles that are supposed to be cellar temperature which is mostly what I enjoy anyway.

... using my beer, then I’ve done it using his equipment.

I agree, it’s a game changer. Kegging is a 30 minute deal and in three days you’re ready. Bottling is a 2 hour deal and in a week+ you’re ready. SOOOO much easier.

I think I’m going to get a double Corny system, and fridge now ;)

Oh man, kegging’s the only way to go if you can afford it! My wife and I had a chest freezer that we converted into a nice three-tap system. It could hold two 1/2 kegs and five soda kegs. We had to sell the setup when we decided to travel for a while, and I can’t wait to set up another one!

We wound up brewing a lot more frequently, just because it made everything so much easier. Have fun!