The Bar Towel

...the only bottles I used were muskoka 750s and even then...I did have to clean and peel some of my bottles, but made me want to get into kegging.

Although...those muskoka bottles with your home brew in em looks pretty cool!

Getting the hop leaves out of my carboy wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be...

Hope it's gonna be good!!!

Once you have a good stock of bottles without labels, it's not bad (assuming you have a bottling bucket with a spigot). A dishwasher with sanitation cycle helps to cut down on the chemicals too.

I hate to bottle alone, but if I have a second pair of hands it isn't too bad. I generally brew with 2 other guys, so if we bottle, there is a good flow going. One to sanitize (and rinse when filled), one to fill, one to cap.

Derek wrote:Once you have a good stock of bottles without labels, it's not bad (assuming you have a bottling bucket with a spigot). A dishwasher with sanitation cycle helps to cut down on the chemicals too.

I siphon with a bottling wand - is a spigot the way to go?

I use a spigot with an elbow and a tube to reach the bottom of the bottle.

I put the beer into a keg, add priming sugar, then use a Beer Gun to get it into bottles.

I have a couple taps, but ... let's be honest ... quaffing 20l of a 9% Belgian is waaaaay beyond my capacity. If it's in bottles, I can give some away, age some more, and enjoy it at a more leisurely pace than I could when I know that my keg will, eventually, go off.

Jason

I use a bottling bucket with a spigot, hose and bottling wand. It works pretty well even if you are doing it on your own, way less spillage with the bottle wand

JeffPorter wrote:...the only bottles I used were muskoka 750s and even then...I did have to clean and peel some of my bottles, but made me want to get into kegging.

Although...those muskoka bottles with your home brew in em looks pretty cool!

Getting the hop leaves out of my carboy wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be...

Hope it's gonna be good!!!

I bottled once on my own and bought kegs pretty much the next day.

so...on a similar topic - how do I get into kegging so that it's relatively cost effective?

Did you guys make your our keggerators out of fridges? Did you put in tap handles? Is it easy to do? Super expensive?

I prefer chest freezers, they will fit more kegs, though you will need to buy a temp controller (not entirely necessary with a fridge). I didn't make any mods to mine, just go with picnic taps and put the CO2 tank inside.

At minimum, you will need:

1 used keg
1 picnic tap
1 CO2 tank (I rent mine)
1 CO2 regulator
some gas and serving line
1 used fridge or 1 used freezer + temp controller

I personally have 7 kegs, a 20lb CO2 tank, and 4 taps. Freezer is big enough to hold 6 kegs and the CO2. Seems to be about right for my needs (I brew once a month).

Email Patrick at www.ontariobeerkegs.com

He can price out a nice system for you.. but he has some great startup kits with everything you need.

Awesome guy, awesome customer service.

I have bought from Ontariobeerkegs a few times now. Great service, good prices.

If you are mechanically inclined, you can hack the thermostat on a chest freezer, eliminating the need for the external controller. Saves $30ish.

JeffPorter wrote:so...on a similar topic - how do I get into kegging so that it's relatively cost effective?

Did you guys make your our keggerators out of fridges? Did you put in tap handles? Is it easy to do? Super expensive?

I spent about $450 to get started, including the used fridge. Here is a good kit to start with. I jumped right in and bought 4 used kegs and 2 taps, currently considering buying a 3rd tap for the fridge, it's nice to have variety.

http://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/product_ ... hrough.htm

I worried at first I would spend my nights laying on the floor drinking straight from the tap! That never happened, it's really nice being able to pour a half glass here and there. Lately I've been mixing a Porter and IPA together.

Here is my fridge, plus the freezer is full of hops! The shelves have been changed around since then to fit a 3rd keg and the CO2 tank is outside the fridge.

Just beware it's a slippery slope.

Less than a year later, I have 4 taps. Let me tell you it's a parttime job keeping 4 taps full.

I am upgrading from a mini-fridge with a 2 tap tower to a full size fridge to fit more taps.

The mini-fridge is pending to someone, but if you are interested send me a PM and I will let you know if things don't work out with that buyer.

It fits 2 ball lock kegs and a 10lb Co2 tank with regulator, but its a tight fit.