my first keg : advice

My first keg has been conditioning for 3 weeks, I just converted a mini fridge to be a home for my keg. I have a small CO2 set up and I am anxious to dispense my beer & drink it. So how long to you generaly condition if not force carbing & how long do you chill after conditioning before you tap? Anxiously awaiting my first try at my first home made draft.

every style is different...... Most of mine are wheats, and take very little conditioning. Some styles are best after 6 months of conditioning.

No matter the brew, I like to let them rest for 2 days in the fridge before drinking.

just to make sure i understand. Did you put priming sugar in your keg and you are waiting for it to carb? I'd assume a keg carbs slower than bottles, but i don't know how much slower that'd be. Or are you just letting it age and will carb on CO2 when you chill it?

Force carbing seems to have two definitions, which is why i ask. One is putting it on a high PSI for a short period of time. The other is simply putting it on CO2 at serving pressure for a longer period of time. Just curious how you are 'conditioning'

I added priming sugar to the keg. I was hoping to use the CO2 only for dispensing.

bluehouse said:

I added priming sugar to the keg. I was hoping to use the CO2 only for dispensing.

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why? Co2 is cheap, and in my opinion a better/ more consistent way to carb beer than letting yeast do the work.

One thing I noticed with my home-brewing in my pre-keg days was that my beers tasted differently than commercially made craft brews.

Once I started kegging and force-carbing my beer I realized why my beer tasted different...it was the yeast from carbing/conditioning! IMHO, if you want homebrewed beer that parallels the stuff you get on draft at your local microbrewery....kegging and force carbing is the way to go!

Besides, you could have been drinking that beer 2.5 weeks ago had you force-carbed!

broadbill said:

why? Co2 is cheap, and in my opinion a better/ more consistent way to carb beer than letting yeast do the work.

One thing I noticed with my home-brewing in my pre-keg days was that my beers tasted differently than commercially made craft brews.

Once I started kegging and force-carbing my beer I realized why my beer tasted different...it was the yeast from carbing/conditioning! IMHO, if you want homebrewed beer that parallels the stuff you get on draft at your local microbrewery....kegging and force carbing is the way to go!

Besides, you could have been drinking that beer 2.5 weeks ago had you force-carbed!

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TO each their own. I think carbing with sugar is fine, but you are right about being able to drink it faster on CO2.

TO the OP. I don't personally know what the proper length of time for carbing with sugar in a keg is, but the search might help. Whatever it says, you'll want to chill the keg down before trying to drink from it, so that the CO2 can absorb back into the solution. just like with bottles.

The received wisdom is that naturally carbing (using priming sugar, or even better, DME) a keg produces finer bubbles than force carbing, and therefore tastes less harsh. Plus, (most) beer naturally needs to sit and condition for a few weeks after kegging/bottling just to get less green.

To the OP: I think you're at a good point if your keg has been conditioning/priming for three weeks, depending of course on the style. Throw that keg in the kegerator, wait for it to chill down a few days (say two or three), and pour some out. Because you've used natural priming, your first pint or two will be cloudy, as the yeast have created some keg trub. But after those first few pints, you'll be treated to some tasty and clear beer with fine bubbles! Cheers!

Thanks all for opinions. Last night I completed the final tear out of my mini fridge door parts so my keg could fit & close in nicely. I am looking forward to tapping my keg by the week end when it is throughly chilled & I have time to relax.