Keg Aging

[babelfish]

Quick question,
I have a Irish stout (first home brew!)that has fermented for one week and I would like to free up my primary for my next batch of ale. It has stopped bubbling for the last few days, but I know there is still benefits to aging the stout longer. Can I rack the Stout into the corny key and still have the beer mature? I am afraid of exposing it to oxygen so my thought was to hook up the CO2 just to pump a little in to the keg to push the oxygen out. Then bleed out the oxygen and disconnect the CO2 while leaving the brew at room temperature. Is this a good way to do this or will the CO2 stop the brew from maturing?
If leaving the stout in the primary is the smartest thing to do that is what ill do I'm just anxious to start another batch!

P.S this forum is AMAZING for learning about home brewing, everyone in here has been so educational i really appreciate you all!

 

[Bamsdealer]

Quick question,
I have a Irish stout (first home brew!)that has fermented for one week and I would like to free up my primary for my next batch of ale. It has stopped bubbling for the last few days, but I know there is still benefits to aging the stout longer. Can I rack the Stout into the corny key and still have the beer mature? I am afraid of exposing it to oxygen so my thought was to hook up the CO2 just to pump a little in to the keg to push the oxygen out. Then bleed out the oxygen and disconnect the CO2 while leaving the brew at room temperature. Is this a good way to do this or will the CO2 stop the brew from maturing?
If leaving the stout in the primary is the smartest thing to do that is what ill do I'm just anxious to start another batch!

P.S this forum is AMAZING for learning about home brewing, everyone in here has been so educational i really appreciate you all!

Absolutely. If its reached final gravity you can also add priming sugar to the keg and let it carbonate while you wait. When ready to drink just chill and hook it to the gas.

 

[Dhinds10583]

One week could be pretty quick to move. If it is a really low gravity beer then maybe. I normally leave it it the primary for a min of 3 weeks. If I were you I would buy another plastic fermenter. They are cheap and it's not worth it to me to risk moving the beer too early. Gravity readings are the only way to know if its done fermenting for sure though.

 

[BigFloyd]

I'd want to leave it on the yeast cake at least a few days after it hits FG to allow the yeast a chance to clear up their normal by-products.

Have you confirmed that it is truly done with a hydrometer, or just going by bubbles? Bubbles alone are an unreliable indicator.

Once it's completely done fermenting, there's nothing wrong with aging in the keg a few months so long as you purge it with CO2 right after racking.

 

[BansheeRider]

One week could be pretty quick to move. If it is a really low gravity beer then maybe. I normally leave it it the primary for a min of 3 weeks. If I were you I would buy another plastic fermenter. They are cheap and it's not worth it to me to risk moving the beer too early. Gravity readings are the only way to know if its done fermenting for sure though.

This ^ Just buy another fermenter. A bucket fermenter can be had for under $15.

 

[ShaineT]

This ^ Just buy another fermenter. A bucket fermenter can be had for under $15.

+1 I recently brewed a 1.068 ale and after 2 weeks racked to a couple kegs, checked the gravity and it was only 1.020. I rigged air locks on the soda kegs and pn another week it dropped to 1.012 so I figured done. One went to the keezer and the other purged & cold crashed it then stored at room temp. When I tapped the 2nd one it had self carbed itself to about 4 volumes, wow! Had to let that one gas off a little.

 

[babelfish]

Thanks for all the great responses! I think that I will buy another fermentation bucket and let this bad boy sit for a little while longer! Has anyone ever fermented in a bottling bucket? Could i just get a lid for that since im going to be kegging my beer?

 

[Dhinds10583]

Thanks for all the great responses! I think that I will buy another fermentation bucket and let this bad boy sit for a little while longer! Has anyone ever fermented in a bottling bucket? Could i just get a lid for that since im going to be kegging my beer?

I haven't. The one I got with my starter kit had a slow leak out of the valve, so I could never put anything in it. As long as the valve and bulkhead don't leak it should work. Just make sure you get the valve and bulkhead cleaned and sterilized good. After all most bottling buckets are the same bucket as the fermentation bucket with another hole drilled in them.

 

[BigFloyd]

After all most bottling buckets are the same bucket as the fermentation bucket with another hole drilled in them.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Many bottling buckets (like mine) are 5 gallons instead of 6 or 6.5 gallons. That doesn't leave enough headspace for the ferment of a normal-size batch.