Forgotten beer makes a comeback!

So I brewed a Nut Brown Ale 3/18/09, bottled 4/19 and just found/drank one last night 11/28. It was one of the best beers I've tasted in a long time.

Here's my dilemma. I've got another batch of this same Nut Brown Ale sitting in my basement that I haven't had the time to bottle recently. My plan was to keg this batch as my first attempt at kegging BUT last night, after having this bottle sit conditioning for 8 months I want to do the same thing again and age in the bottle for 8 months.

Is bottling really my only option for conditioning or should I buy another keg, rack this batch of NBA into the keg and let it sit for 8 months?

Thanks

If you keg it, it will age differently. Bulk aging allows it to do it's "thing" quicker than bottle aging.

So technically leaving it in the keg to condition will just cut the time substantially? That's even better.

Kegs are cheap and they take up a lot less space. I don't bottle at all.

......I would personally bottle a sixer, and keg the rest.

I had something similar happen to me with a strong ale I had made, where 6 or so bottles surfaced after unpacking from moving, and the beer did seem better than I remember from previous...

Nice to know that letting it rest in a keg will help it go faster.
If that's the case, Id do the keg, since they are pretty easy to store and are pretty cheap if you look around.

I like Cheesy's suggestion. I'll bottle a 6 pack and keg the rest I think.

Is there any calculation to see the time difference between bottle conditioning and bulk conditioning?

If I'm not force carbing a beer, I can do the normal water/sugar ration I always do when bottling still right?

Use half to 2/3 of the sugar you would normally use when bottling if you're going to naturally carb in the keg. You'll still need to hit the keg with 12psi to seat the lid and purge the O2, but after that, the yeasties will eat the priming sugar and finish the bubble job.

Well this thread has encouraged me to finally put the last of my Irish Red in the fridge. I bottled them on May 8, 2009, and I saved one in the back corner of one of my cabinets for future tasting. Can't wait to give it a try.

report back! Every batch I make from now on will get one 6pack set aside for just about a year or so for a real good conditioning.

Time to start accumulating kegs!

I kind of do it in reverse, I tap the keg and when it is getting light I bottle a six pack or so for longer ageing to see how it comes out.

mikefranciotti said:

report back! Every batch I make from now on will get one 6pack set aside for just about a year or so for a real good conditioning.

Time to start accumulating kegs!

Click to expand...

Since you asked, I'll give my report. This was an Irish Red Recipe that I bottled on May 8, 2009., so about 7 months later I've opened the one I kept in the cupboard.

First thing I notice is that the color is still the same, and the carbonation is there, but it did not hold a head as long as it did 5-6 months ago. Beyond that it tastes a bit hoppier than before, as if the maltiness had dissipated somehow. Overall, though, I still love the beer, and I've already planned on making it my "house" brew.

Awesome! I think this NBA might be my 'house' brew as well. Plan on always having a keg of it on hand.

I'm a bit OCD so I'll probably bottle a 6-pack knowing I'll have a full 6er rather than only being able to fill up 5 or something. Just me...