Kegging vs Bottling Homebrew: Pros, Cons and Which to Choose

The short answer: bottling costs little to start and makes beer easy to share, but a 5-gallon batch means filling about 50 bottles and waiting two to three weeks for them to carbonate. Kegging costs more up front, because you need a keg, CO₂ and a way to keep it cold, but the whole batch goes into one keg in about half an hour, it's carbonated in days, and it stays fresher. Most brewers who brew regularly end up kegging, and many still bottle a few from the keg to share.

Kegging vs bottling at a glance

	Bottling	Kegging
Start-up cost	Low: bottles, caps, capper, bottling bucket	Higher: keg, CO₂ tank, regulator, lines, tap, and fridge space
Time to package 5 gallons	About 1.5 to 2 hours, including cleaning about 50 bottles	About 30 minutes for one keg
Time until it's carbonated	2 to 3 weeks at room temperature	About 1 week at serving pressure; 1 to 2 days with a carbonation stone or a burst of higher pressure
Carbonation control	Set once by the priming sugar; can't change it later	Adjustable any time with the regulator
Freshness	Good; hoppy beers fade within a couple of months	Better; a CO₂-purged keg keeps oxygen out
Sediment	A thin yeast layer in every bottle	The first pint or two pulls it out; after that, clear
Sharing and travel	Easy: grab a few bottles	Harder; fill bottles or growlers from the keg
Storage	Bottles store at room temperature once carbonated (cold is better)	Needs space in a fridge or kegerator
Ageing strong beers	Ideal; age a few bottles for a year or more	Possible, but it ties up a keg
Cleaning	About 50 bottles per batch	One keg per batch

Bottling: pros and cons

Pros

• Cheap to start. A bottling bucket, wand and capper cost little, and bottles can be reused for years.
• Easy to share. Bottles go to parties, friends and homebrew competitions.
• Great for ageing. Put a few bottles of a barleywine or imperial stout away and try one each year.
• No fridge space needed while the beer carbonates.
• Built-in oxygen protection. The yeast that carbonates the bottle also mops up some of the oxygen picked up at bottling.

Cons

• Time. Cleaning, sanitizing, filling and capping about 50 bottles takes most of an evening.
• Waiting. Two to three weeks before the beer is carbonated.
• Carbonation is locked in. Too much or too little priming sugar can't be fixed afterwards.
• Sediment in every bottle, so you have to pour carefully.
• Risk of gushers and bottle bombs if you bottle before fermentation is finished.

If you're bottling, follow our step-by-step guide to how to bottle homebrew beer properly, including a priming sugar chart.

Kegging: pros and cons

Pros

• Fast. One keg instead of about 50 bottles: packaging takes about half an hour.
• Ready sooner. Carbonated in about a week, or in a day or two if you speed it up.
• Full control of carbonation. Turn the regulator up or down until it's exactly how you like it.
• Fresher beer. A keg purged with CO₂ keeps oxygen out, which matters most for IPAs and other hoppy beers.
• Clear pours with no yeast in the glass after the first pint or two.
• Beer on tap. Pour a pint, a taster or a growler whenever you like.

Cons

• Higher start-up cost for the keg, CO₂ tank, regulator, lines and tap.
• Needs cold space. A kegerator, keezer or spare fridge that holds the keg and CO₂ tank.
• Less portable. Taking beer out of the house means bottling from the keg or carrying the keg.
• CO₂ refills and occasional leak hunting. A leak can empty a CO₂ tank overnight.
• Foamy pours until the pressure and line length are balanced.

What you need to start kegging

• A keg. Most homebrewers use 5-gallon ball-lock kegs (often called Cornelius or Corny kegs). One per batch, plus a spare so the next beer can carbonate while you drink the last.
• A CO₂ tank and a dual-gauge regulator. One gauge shows the pressure you're serving at, the other how much CO₂ is left.
• Gas and beer lines with ball-lock disconnects. Most setups use 5 to 10 feet of 3/16-inch beer line; too short a line gives foamy pours.
• A tap: a picnic tap to start, or a faucet through a fridge door or keezer collar.
• Cold space: a kegerator, a chest freezer with a temperature controller (a keezer), or a spare fridge.

How to keg homebrew

1. Clean and sanitize the keg. Check the lid and post O-rings; replace any that are cracked or flattened.
2. Purge it with CO₂. Fill the keg with sanitizer, seal it, and push the sanitizer out with CO₂. You're left with a sanitized keg full of CO₂ instead of air.
3. Transfer the beer. The best way is a closed transfer: push the beer from a pressure-capable fermenter into the purged keg with a little CO₂, so it never touches air. From a bucket or carboy, siphon gently into the bottom of the keg.
4. Seal and pressurize. Set 10 to 12 psi, then pull the pressure relief valve a few times to vent any air in the headspace.
5. Carbonate. Leave it in the fridge at serving pressure for about a week (see the chart below).
6. Serve. Pour the first pint or two to clear any sediment, then enjoy.

Keg carbonation chart at 38°F (3°C)

Carbonation	Regulator setting	Good for
2.2 volumes	8 psi	British ales, stouts, porters
2.4 volumes	10 psi	Most pale ales and IPAs
2.5 volumes	11 psi	American ales, amber and brown ales
2.6 volumes	12 psi	Lagers and pilsners
2.7 volumes	13 psi	Wheat beers, Belgian ales

Colder beer needs less pressure and warmer beer needs more. At 38°F, "set and forget" takes about a week to reach the target. To go faster, set 25 to 30 psi for 24 hours, then drop back to serving pressure; or use a carbonation stone, which gets there in a day or two without the risk of overshooting.

The fastest route: carbonate before it reaches the keg

If your fermenter holds pressure, you can skip most of the waiting. In a Unitank, set the spunding valve near the end of fermentation so the yeast carbonate the beer for you, cold crash with a glycol chiller, and push the finished, carbonated beer into a purged keg with a closed transfer kit. The beer can go on tap the day you keg it, and it never touches air from fermenter to glass. See our pressure fermentation guide for the full method.

Which should you choose?

Choose bottling if:

• You brew a few times a year and want to keep costs down.
• You like giving beer away, entering competitions or ageing strong beers.
• You don't have spare fridge space.

Choose kegging if:

• You brew every month or two and bottling day has become a chore.
• You mostly brew hoppy beers and want them fresh.
• You want to dial in carbonation, or have beer on tap at home.

Or do both. Keg every batch, and fill a few bottles from the keg with a counter-pressure bottle filler when you want to share. That gives you the speed and freshness of kegging and the portability of bottles.

Frequently asked questions

Is kegging better than bottling?

For most brewers who brew regularly, yes: it's faster, the beer is ready sooner and stays fresher, and you control the carbonation. Bottling is still better for sharing, competitions and ageing strong beers.

Is kegging cheaper than bottling in the long run?

Kegging costs more to start, but kegs last for decades and there are no caps to buy, so the ongoing cost is mainly CO₂ refills. The bigger saving is time: about half an hour per batch instead of an evening.

How long does it take to carbonate a keg?

About a week at serving pressure (around 10 to 12 psi at 38°F). A day or two with a carbonation stone, or with 25 to 30 psi for 24 hours before dropping back to serving pressure.

How long does beer last in a keg?

Kept cold and under CO₂, most beers stay good for two to three months. Hoppy beers taste best in the first month, while strong, malty beers can last much longer.

Can you bottle beer from a keg?

Yes. Chill the beer well and use a counter-pressure bottle filler, or a simple filling tube on a picnic tap, to fill bottles without losing much carbonation. Cap right away. Beer bottled this way has no sediment.

Do I need a kegerator to keg beer?

You need a way to keep the keg cold. That can be a kegerator, a chest freezer with a temperature controller, or a spare fridge with a picnic tap.

What does each pint cost you? Our free cost per pint calculator adds up malt, hops, yeast and power, and compares it with buying beer.