Conditioning Beer and the switch to Kegs

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DrewschBag

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A lot of the recipes I use call for bottle conditioning anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months. However, I am looking to switch to kegging my beer. I have read that most people rack the beer from their carboy to the keg and carb for 1 week before serving. Doesn't this cut down on the beer's ability to age well? Do you get the same results in the keg as you would in a bottle?

Also, I was considering doing the following: rack the beer from my carboy to a second carboy. I know I would need to flush the oxygen out of the carboy's headspace so I would add priming sugar at this stage and pop on an airlock. After letting the beer condition here for some time, I would then move the beer to the keg.

Has anyone tried this? Is it too much work for the result?
 
Carboy's aren't meant to hold pressure, so don't try it!!! The beer will age just fine sitting comfortably in the keg whether you prime it or force carb it.
 
I just realized you said you would put an airlock on it. If you prime while it has an airlock, you wouldn't be carbonating the beer as the CO2 would escape. Prime it or force carb it in the keg. You can use the second carboy to let it age or clear if you'd like, but lots of folks skip this step and just let it do the same thing in the keg, or in the primary before they rack it.
 
If you decide to naturaly carbonate in a keg make sure you flush the O2 out of the headspace as you mentioned, this will also help the keg seal.
 
Aging requirements vary depending upon the style/recipe of the beer. The reason bottles are required to “age” and condition is they require that time to carbonate. Force carbing a light ABV, lightly hopped ale in a keg can get you a servable beer within a few days.
 
BierMuncher, I have a double batch of your Centennial Blonde Ale sitting in fermemters right now. I'll be gone this weekend so am goin to cold crash and keg Monday. Been about 4 weeks in the buckets, looking forward to drinking some on brew day March 10. It smells delcious! Thanks for sharing.
 
Lazy people like me usually keg the beer and let it carb at serving pressure, which takes about two weeks. This also lets the beer age a bit, lets any hop bits or yeast settle, etc.
So, pretty similar time frame to bottling really.
 
Would the batch pick up off flavors if I let it sit a little longer on the trub in the carboy?
Lots of folks routinely leave their beers in primary for a month+ before racking to a keg or bottling bucket. It'll be fine.
 
carrotmalt said:
Lots of folks routinely leave their beers in primary for a month+ before racking to a keg or bottling bucket. It'll be fine.

I'm one of the monthers... works for me!
 
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