Conditioning beer while pressurized

[k2ainslie]

I have just brewed my 86th beer, almost all all grain and I have noticed a peculiur thing... That is no matter how long I condition a beer (cold or celler temp) I notice an appreciable change in the beer about a week after kegging/carbonating. I find it particularly noticiable with porters and stouts where again about a week after kegging the beer is crisper and overall noticably better. This is true whether I brewed the beer 3 weeks ago or aged the beer for 2 months with cold conditioning prior to kegging. Any ideas or I am crazy?

Stumped and displaced in NOVA

 

[stubbornman]

The newfound carbonation has made and the beer feel more light / crisp and that is altering your perception of its taste?

 

[k2ainslie]

I don't think so, the carbonation is constant from 2 days in to 7, but I swear there is still some "cleaning" up going on. I know this should not be true but I was wondering if anyone had experienced anything like this.

 

[jangelj]

I've noticed it, too. Even a porter that sat for 2 months changed taste noticeably after about 1 week in a keg with CO2.

perhaps an interesting experiment would be to keg a batch in 2 kegs. put both in the fridge, but only put gas on one. give it a week or so, put gas on the other and taste for differences.

 

[android]

for one, you are allowing yeast and other proteins/compounds to settle out and that will affect the flavor of the beer. beers always taste better for me after they've sat in the keg for a while. i also think beer goes through an entire set of different reactions when it becomes carbonated. it almost needs to go through an equilibrating stage before it tastes it's prime after being carbed.

 

[vnakkar]

Carbonic Acid

Carbonation does change the beer.