• Welcome to the new forum! We upgraded our forum software with a host of new boards, capabilities and features. It is also more secure.
    Jump in and join the conversation! You can learn more about the upgrade and new features here.

What comes first AG or kegging?

Fermenting beer is at a higher temp than ambient. Ive seen 10F more.

Wow! I generally expect 2F above ambient, and the most I've seen was 4F.  That's comparing a fermometer stuck to a glass carboy with another fermometer stuck to another glass carboy, one being in full fermentation while the neighbor is a clear secondary.

I have little control over my fermentation temperature other than heating the basement in the winter. That's when I do lagers by holding ambient in the low 50s. Spring and fall I do a string of ales, and summer is too warm to brew.

My last ale of the season is ready to rack. That's five kegs for the summer. That should get me through.  ;)
 
Maine Homebrewer said:
Fermenting beer is at a higher temp than ambient. Ive seen 10F more.

Wow! I generally expect 2F above ambient, and the most I've seen was 4F.  That's comparing a fermometer stuck to a glass carboy with another fermometer stuck to another glass carboy, one being in full fermentation while the neighbor is a clear secondary.

I have little control over my fermentation temperature other than heating the basement in the winter. That's when I do lagers by holding ambient in the low 50s. Spring and fall I do a string of ales, and summer is too warm to brew.

My last ale of the season is ready to rack. That's five kegs for the summer. That should get me through.  ;)


Get you through what? The weekend? Hahaha
 
My process has been to chill my wort to 40 -45F, pitch my yeast, then put it into my ferm fridge, set for 48 F. I close the door, allow the yeast to work unsupervised for a couple of days, then I raise the setting to 50F. After a week, I open the door to see if the beer is still there. While I have the door open I check the fermometer; the beer is always still been there and the temperature has always been the same as the controller setting. Years ago I would open the door daily starting about a day after pitching and typically found the beer about 2F above the set point for a couple of days. I think the absence of supervision (door opening) and my low pitching temperature has prevented temperature swings in the beer itself.

In other words, my process works for me. However, I have been confusing Tom's entire fermentation chamber with the actual beer temperature controller. The link to Tom's actual temp control system explains a lot. Being able to control temp to within half a degree F with a $20 device is way better than my old analog controller; I may have to pull the sofa cushions and see if I can come up with the cash to replace that old dinosaur.

Thanks for the information, especially the link to Tom's temp control page.
 
Without a doubt get your keg set up going first. You will never run out of desire to brew better beer. There is always time for that and, you will always be trying to improve your product. That never ends. Take it from a 23 year home brew nerd. Stop wasting your time cleaning and filling bottles. Use that extra time to learn how to brew AG. You will always need to keg your beer but, you don't have to go AG if you want beer. I did both at the same time roughly but if I had to pick one it would be kegging first.
 
Both were important for me.  I went with all grain first because I got a deal on a 70qt cooler.  If I'd been offered a keg at a rock bottom price, I think I'd go with that first.

To me, spend your money wisely & you will have both in short order.

(For better beer, go with temperature control.)
 
Back
Top