Age beer before or after force carbing?

About to keg for the first time. I am going to the keg after 4 weeks in the primary. Should I let the keg age at room temp prior to force carbing or should I force carb then age at room temp. Does it even make a difference?

johnsmh2 said:

Does it even make a difference?

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Not really, except that the colder the beer the faster it will carb. I have a dedicated c02 tank for carbing and cleaning, so all my beers get carbed as soon as their kegged, then they sit @ 50f and await their demise.

If you do wait, remember to purge the keg of oxygen before aging.

That a long time in the primary for starters. I usually put keg's right in the keezer hook up co2 and let it sit. There are several way's to carb some say ramp it up high then drop down in levels and bla bla bla. But if you look at charts that style can get you over carbed and take time to come back down. Usually I go for about 7-10 days in primary then 12-20 in secondary then to keg set it about 11-12 psi and let it set. Some will say drinkable in 2 weeks but same as bottling beer is much better after about 3+ weeks. Yours may be better closer to that 2 week period since your going straight from 4 week primary. I think using the keg instead of the bottle takes some of the "bottle condition" out of it just carbing it.

So then is it ok to chill the beer, force carb it, and then sit at room temp to condition or will that skunk the beer?

Skunking happens when beer (actually the bittering oils from hops) is exposed to UV light.

You can do it in any order. If I don't have room in the keezer, I carb at cellar temp while it ages in the keg. Two birds, one stone.