Kegging too soon?

[BDFST507]

I curious what the side effects are of kegging once initial fermentation is complete. Usually with my IPAs i'll primary for 7-10 days and secondary w/ dry hop for 7-10 days. If im doing a 6% Brown Ale or something that doesnt need a secondary, and its done fermenting at 7 days, is there a down side to kegging it at 7 days? I recently started priming my kegs with corn sugar and Ive got a good rotation going so they sit for at least a month before tapping.

 

[poley]

As long as you've hit terminal gravity and it's stable, then no, there's no downside. I've kegged some bitters that fast, but those are usually < 4% ABV, so they ferment quickly.

 

[cperry7467]

You don't want to chill it or filter out the yeast that early. You'll get some off flavors that aren't pleasant. I did 2 weeks and put it in my keg to chill it and got butter beer. Wish I would have left it in the primary or secondary longer.

 

[TarheelBrew13]

If he gets enough diacetyl in a brown ale to perceive butter he's got problems that another two weeks in the fermenter won't fix.

The amount of time a beer needs to age before its ready to drink is dependent on the style, yeast and how healthy he fermentation is. Some breweries produce fantastic beer that are ready to drink in less than a week.

For most styles, if your yeast was happy furring fermentation, you can bottle or keg as soon as fermentation is complete.

 

[BDFST507]

Thanks! I slightly chill it before I transfer but it will sit at room temp in a keg for 1-2 months before I actually throw it in the fridge

 

[poley]

As long as fermentation has finished (terminal gravity is stable), there should be enough yeast in solution to do any cleanup, especially if you're re-feeding it with priming sugar.

Again, this all assumes you had a healthy and complete primary fermentation.