When it comes to storing your beer there are two options; bottle conditioning or kegging. For more details on kegging your beer, check out my article on the topic which goes into more detail.
Bottling beer
By far the easiest way to source bottles is to recycle used bottles from the beer you have been drinking. Simple sanitize them thoroughly with a good sanitizer, I recommend Star San as it is a non-rinse product (available on Amazon).
If you don’t have enough bottles to hand, then you can buy some from any good brew shop or online. You can choose from bottles that require capping or flip cap ones.
24 x Longneck 12 fl oz bottles
This is a great deal for so many specially designed beer bottles. You can check the price for this on Amazon, but it’ll be hard to beat the deal unless you save up your own empty bottles.
If you go for this option, you need to make sure that you can actually seal your freshly bottled beer. For this you’ll need a bottle capper, I recommend the Red Baron bottle capper (Amazon) for beginners. Don’t forget you need to buy new bottle caps too!
Flip Cap bottles
These are a great option if you aren’t used to bottling beer or don’t want to spend extra time sealing your bottles with caps. Simply fill up the bottle to the required level and seal it with the wire-attached flip cap. When compared to the extra cost of a capping tool and bottle caps, this can also work out to be cheaper. Check out my recommendation on Amazon and get the best deal on the net!
Beer Kegs
If you have a local homebrew beer shop, I’d recommend speaking to them for some more practical advice on how to work with kegging equipment, then buy it online to save some money!
My current recommendations are:
Kegco 5 Gallon keg (Drop-in D Sankey system)
This is a great entry-level keg although it does require the use of the more complex (to disassemble) Sankey system. However, there is a lot less likelihood of leaks with this type of keg over ball or pin lock versions.
See the latest deals on Amazon.
Half barrel Stainless Steel Keg (Drop-in D Sankey system)
The half barrel holds up to 15.5 gallons of beer and so is best suited for those brewers who make larger batches. Still, there is nothing wrong with starting small and building up your brew yield over time. Again, this keg required the Sankey drop-in D model system
See the latest deals on Amazon.
Cornelius Keg, 5 Gallon (Ball Lock)
The Ball lock keg system is very popular among homebrewers nowadays despite its origins in the soda drink industry. They are easier to maintain and take apart but also have more risk of CO2 leaks due to the “IN/OUT” liquid and gas system. Still, you can’t go far wrong with this model on functionality and price!
See the latest deals on Amazon.
5 Gallon Ball Lock Keg Kit (with CO2 canister)
If you want to upgrade in one click, then consider this ball lock keg kit. It gives you absolutely everything you need from the 5-gallon keg to the gas regulator to the beer/gas lines and, most importantly, a 5 lb CO2 gas cylinder.
See the latest deals on Amazon.
Draft Brewer Single Homebrew Kegging System
Another really good all-in-one upgrade would be this kegging system which provides you will all you need to start kegging your beer, except the CO2 gas cylinder.
See the latest deals on Amazon.