Keg Conditioning: Development Post-Force-Carbing?

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Evan!

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I just pulled the first pint yesterday from my new kegerator, and I'm curious: how much will these kegged beers change over the next few weeks? I force-carbed at 35psi for 48 hours, then dropped down to 10psi for serving. They definitely don't taste green like newly bottled beer does...I've been enjoying it plenty today and it tastes great...but will there be significant development over the next few weeks? Or is this where it's at? [/kegn00b]
 
hobbled goblin was brewed on 1/26 and went into secondary 10 days later. weizenbock was brewed on 12/27 and went into secondary 10 days later.
 
My 2cents say they will def. improve. Force carbing is effective but i've found that a little more time will be well served.

In your words "significant development", that's a tough one...but Ive always found the last glass to be the best.

Freshly forced carbed brew is rumoured to have a carbonic acid bite that will go away after a while. You paid your money...now you have to sit back and enjoy the ride.:mug:
YMMV

Mike
 
I find that around 2 to 3 weeks after kegging, my beers mellow out and start tasting awesome instead of just good....... unfortunately most of the beer is usually gone by then, so i just get mad at myself for not waiting.
 
So you think that those two kegs are going to last more than a couple of weeks, eh?

Friggin n00b. :D
 
I am into my 3rd keg and already can tell that they need to age to taste best. I'm going to let them sit 2 weeks before putting them on the gas.
 
Evan! said:
Apparently you haven't seen my bottle inventory :p

Lol, I was just gonna say the same thing. :D

This is a good question, as I am heading into some kegging...soon...hopefully. I am mainly shooting to put all my sessions on tap, and continue to bottle the Belgian stuff and funky types, or anything that is of significant gravity. My personal reasoning is that I want low abv stuff that is quick to condition, easy to quaff ready to go on tap. I don't really sit back and kick down 3x8% brews in a row and I won't want something with high gravity hogging up my keg.

What are you planning on putting in your kegs (in general) Evan?

Anyways, I'd imagine the rule of time is still going to be very similar if you keg or bottle, possibly slightly accelerated in bulk...but that's merely a guess.
 
bradsul said:
You need to age your kegs the same way as your bottles. Carbonated green beer is still green beer.

Wouldn't this only be true if you're priming your keg?
 
Blender said:
I am into my 3rd keg and already can tell that they need to age to taste best. I'm going to let them sit 2 weeks before putting them on the gas.

put it on gas as soon as you fill it. purge the O2, then pressurize it once, up as high as you want (30 - 50 psi) and disconnect it. The idea is to have pressure inside the keg to keep it sealed up. Don't worry about over carbing, cause one high pressure shot won't even come close to carbing it, let alone overcarbing.
 
cnoyes said:
Wouldn't this only be true if you're priming your keg?
No, 'age' is the key word. If your pale ale is best at 6 weeks from brew day in the bottle, it won't be any different in a keg.

Just because the beer is carbonated doesn't mean it isn't still young, green beer. You need to let it age, regardless of how you carbonate it.
 
bradsul said:
No, 'age' is the key word. If your pale ale is best at 6 weeks from brew day in the bottle, it won't be any different in a keg.

Just because the beer is carbonated doesn't mean it isn't still young, green beer. You need to let it age, regardless of how you carbonate it.

Lemme get this straight. I know that with bottling, even if a beer has been aging in carboy for 3 months, it still needs 2 or 3 weeks post-bottling before it's over the green stage.

But, what if a beer has been aging in carboy for 2 months and goes into a keg. Am I still looking at the same amount of time?

Reason I ask is, these beers that I just force-carbed on Thursday did not taste green when I first tapped them on Saturday.
 
Some argue that the prescence of carbonic acid in a carbonated beer is required for proper aging (which I am sure is style dependent).

I'd let my (taste) buds be my guide until someone can lay down the science.
 
shafferpilot said:
put it on gas as soon as you fill it. purge the O2, then pressurize it once, up as high as you want (30 - 50 psi) and disconnect it. The idea is to have pressure inside the keg to keep it sealed up. Don't worry about over carbing, cause one high pressure shot won't even come close to carbing it, let alone overcarbing.
Oh sorry I didn't mention that I do pressure it up to 30 and then let it sit.
 
Evan! said:
Lemme get this straight. I know that with bottling, even if a beer has been aging in carboy for 3 months, it still needs 2 or 3 weeks post-bottling before it's over the green stage.

But, what if a beer has been aging in carboy for 2 months and goes into a keg. Am I still looking at the same amount of time?

Reason I ask is, these beers that I just force-carbed on Thursday did not taste green when I first tapped them on Saturday.
That's why I always say 'aging from brew day' instead of 'time in the bottle.' I think force carbing requires at least a week for the carbonic acid bite to go away but that's just my opinion based on my own taste buds.

I also agree with olllllo's statement about carbonic acid being necessary for at least SOME of the conditioning period but ultimately it's up to your own taste buds. If you like it; it's right! :mug:
 
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