Conditioning beer in keg

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gurrback

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Hi there,

I brewed a black IPA approx. 3 weeks ago. After 10 days I took a gravity reading and racked into a secondary filled with toasted coconut. I have taken another gravity reading and it has completed fermentation. I tasted the beer at that time and the coconut is quite strong but otherwise it's fairly green. For that reason I'd like to remove the coconut and let the beer age for another few weeks.

problem: I used a glass carboy and I can't fish the coconut out. I also don't have any spare carboys to rack into for aging.

Question: I was planning on kegging this batch for the very first time. I'm wondering if I could rack into the soda keg, purge the oxygen and let it sit for a few weeks in the keg before carbing. Are there any issues with this? Do I need to purge the o2 at all or could I just sanitize/rack and put a lid on it?

Many thanks!
 
A keg is just another vessel -- you can absolutely allow your beer to continue bulk aging inside of one. When I do that, I do connect CO2 and purge the headspace a time or two. I generally do this before carbonating the beer itself, but I don't know how much difference this makes.
 
YEah, rack to keg, pump 30psi in, shut gas off, purge, repeat, purge, then throw a dozen pounds of CO2 in there and let it be as long as ya like.
 
I just did that for the first time a few weeks ago with a Biere de Garde. I sanitized the keg, racked into it and purged the headspace of O2 and added maybe 15psi of CO2 to help keep the seal. Now it's sitting in my closet. I check it about once a week to make sure it's still got some CO2 in the headspace.
 
Awesome, this is what I was hoping to hear! I assumed this would be fine but I've got zero experience with kegging so I wanted to check for sure.

Thanks!
 
Better yet, add your priming sugar to the keg and the beer will carbonate itself while conditioning. Then, when you are ready to drink it, all you need to do is chill it down and tap it.
 
Skipper74 said:
Better yet, add your priming sugar to the keg and the beer will carbonate itself while conditioning. Then, when you are ready to drink it, all you need to do is chill it down and tap it.
Click to expand...

This is what I did for a keg o beer that I made for a friend's wedding. Hoping I didn't need to purge the o2 after sealing the lid up.
 
timmah84 said:
This is what I did for a keg o beer that I made for a friend's wedding. Hoping I didn't need to purge the o2 after sealing the lid up.
Click to expand...

it's never a bad idea, but we don't do it in bottling. I set to 30 to seat lid, then hit the relief valve a few times just to make sure there's more CO2 than O2 in there.
 
Skipper74 said:
Better yet, add your priming sugar to the keg and the beer will carbonate itself while conditioning. Then, when you are ready to drink it, all you need to do is chill it down and tap it.
Click to expand...

i always do this when i'm leaving a beer to condition for a few weeks. why not, i figure, saves time and co2 from the tank. i am a convert to the 'use 1/2 the amount of sugar you would for bottling' rule after i have had several kegs overcarbonated. if it's a little bit undercarbonated after a couple days in the fridge just crank up the co2 a bit and you'll be fine in a few days
 
I naturally prime as well, but use more than the 1/2 rule for some reason. Maybe I have more headspace in the keg. Saves $$ on CO2 but does create a little more yeast. I do four 1/8 pint pulls spread apart by 30 minutes or so. It's pretty clear of yeast by then.

To get rid of O2, I purge the keg 3-4 times at 12 psi. Crank it up to 30 psi to seat the seals (and use keg lube). Then disconnect, set it someplace warm, and try to forget about it for a month. Note that the 30 psi will absorb into the beer, but the CO2 created by sugar conversion will quickly take its place.
 
gurrback said:
Hi there,

I brewed a black IPA approx. 3 weeks ago. After 10 days I took a gravity reading and racked into a secondary filled with toasted coconut. I have taken another gravity reading and it has completed fermentation. I tasted the beer at that time and the coconut is quite strong but otherwise it's fairly green. For that reason I'd like to remove the coconut and let the beer age for another few weeks.

problem: I used a glass carboy and I can't fish the coconut out. I also don't have any spare carboys to rack into for aging.

Question: I was planning on kegging this batch for the very first time. I'm wondering if I could rack into the soda keg, purge the oxygen and let it sit for a few weeks in the keg before carbing. Are there any issues with this? Do I need to purge the o2 at all or could I just sanitize/rack and put a lid on it?

Many thanks!
Click to expand...

For my IPAs and bigger beer I leave them in the primary for about 4 weeks and then to a keg, put some pressure on it and let it sit. (sometimes I prime it)

The first pull "might" have some yeast in it but after that not much.

THING TO DO IF YOU DO THIS:
Check it after a week or so to make sure the lid is tight.

BUT if you do it this way you can put the sugar in and condition... you do not have to wait.

You still presurize it... but if all is good the presure will increase and the seal will not break...
 
Here's another scenario:

I've transfered the beer to the soda keg and sealed the top. I had to transport it to the eventual source of C02 which is unfortunately quite warm. As I mentioned, I'd like to let it condition for another week or so before carbing. Will warm temperatures (80f) harm the beer during this phase? Keep in mind it has been off the yeast for 10 days already and has now been racked off the coconut.

The other option is throwing it into the walk in fridge that stands at about 35-40f. What would the consequences of this be?

I think I know the answer to these questions but since I've always just aged at home (68f) for 4 weeks and then bottled, I'm a little thrown off.
 
Under pressure it seems to get happy quicker. Especially under pressure fermenting
 

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