Aging in keg - How long?

[normzone]

Ah, naive youth. Those bygone days of halcyon yore, or something like that.

I used to believe that I could go from the fermenter after four weeks to the keg, force CO2 it, and voila! Beer ready to drink.

I tried it. What I got was just carbonated, chilled, green beer.

So how long do you guys let your brew age in the keg before you start drinking? How much time for a 7 percent versus a 9 percent?

And how does my local microbrew pub (I live in San Diego) deal with this issue?

Thanks
Norman

 

[david_42]

Carbonating the beer changes the pH and that impacts the flavor. Generally a week is all it takes for the flavor to stabilize.

Aging, I go with a month plus a month for every percent over 5%.

 

[normzone]

Much thanks, [david 42]. So much for my instant gratification fantasy. Especially since I've been making seven-pluses and nine-pluses.

Oh well, filling up the closet with future brews.

 

[paraordnance]

I don't know how others including some very reputable and experienced homebrewers can pull it off so quick but I find that all my ales improve dramatically after 1.5 month from brew date and lagers usually peak at 2-2.5 months. Sure I can have it in a keg and carbed in 3 weeks, and kick the keg same weekend but it just doesn't taste all that great from the satrt! So what is the point to drink green beer? I started to age all of my beers in keg after long primary (3 weeks atleast) for 2-3 weeks. I have to admit that I still pull a small samples couple times a week just to monitor progress. My Alt was best after 3.5 months. Before that I could taste Carafa and only after 2.5 months of lagering all the flavors finally blended in and it was completelly different beer. May be it has to do with my serving/lagering freezer temp which I hold at 37F that it takes so long to age and condition. My 8.5% Maibock I don't even dare to tap yet and it was brewed in May. So yes, I love aging in keg, I have to get more kegs so I can just fill them and come back 3 months later

 

[Andy_LV]

it really depends on what you brew and your personal taste... I like my wheats and light pale ales while they are green - that puts them very drinkable (to my taste) in about 4-5 weeks after brewday. Just put my last 2 bottles of 8.5% dark ale into cooler - they are 10months old now, started taste somewhat good only after 4 months (bottled tho) I think you can add more time for kegs

 

[normzone]

I'm a second time newbie - it's all changed for the better since I first learned this game in the eighties.

I remember aging dark heavy beers for a month in bottles, and six weeks for pale ales.

Nowadays the beers I like are so big I may as well be brewing for next year. I think I'll bottle exclusively until I've used all the Pizza Port Wipeout bottles that I've drained and stored so far. That will see me into the next forty gallons (and counting)

Have a great weekend, thank you very much for your posts.
Norman

 

[Mexicanconnection2002]

I most brew pale ales and ipas and primary for 3 weeks, cold crash 2-3 days then keg. Set the CO2 to serving pressure. About 10 days later I am drinking good beer and its clear. About 10 days later its at its peak...then the kegs blows. Gone a month and a half after brew day.

Browns and stouts I age a couple weeks longer...Imperial Stouts about 6 months to a year.

 

[normzone]

It sounds like the cold crash is one of the keys to speeding drinkabililty. And ten days CO2 at serving pressure? My force carbing seemed to add some CO2 twang to the beer, but that may just have been the original flavors heightened and accented by the high CO levels.Okay, experiment coming up. Thanks much - Norman

 

[eltorrente]

The higher the gravity and alcohol, the longer it'll take. The more types of grains used, the longer it'll take for them to "meld" together. If you brew a 1.045-50 beer with 2-row and maybe some crystal, medium ibu/hoppiness, you can drink it rather quickly. Heavy IPA or imperial stout - you need much longer.