aging under pressure?

[firefighter0585]

I'm fairly new to home brewing. I only have about 5 brews under my belt and just have a quick question...I have a Belhaven Wee Heavy partial mash clone that's been in my secondary for about 4 weeks. I have a keg full of Hopdevil IPA partial mash clone on tap and have one spare keg but I don't have a manifold to split the gas between the two kegs. I'd like to let the Wee Heavy mellow out for a couple of months before drinking it. Would it be ok to rack it to the second keg and force carb it and just let it sit until I'm ready to drink it or should I just leave it in the secondary? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[EuBrew]

as long as you're sure it has completed fermentation you could transfer to the keg with bottling sugar and let it natural carb. If it's going to be in there for a couple months there's not much advantage to force carbing it. Make sure you boil the priming sugar and cool it as you would do if bottling.

 

[JoMarky]

as long as you're sure it has completed fermentation you could transfer to the keg with bottling sugar and let it natural carb. If it's going to be in there for a couple months there's not much advantage to force carbing it. Make sure you boil the priming sugar and cool it as you would do if bottling.

Advantage: not losing beer due to yeast slurry.

I've been aging a beer in a keg under pressure & cold to see if it would develop as much as I would expect it to if it was 60* and in a carboy. So far its been progressing great. Might move along faster if it was at 60* but I'm thinking pressure isn't affecting it much.

 

[wildwest450]

Or just rack to corny, purge and seal with 30psi and let age, it can be carbonated later.

 

[The Pol]

Bottles age carbed and under pressure...

I keg and age under 30PSi regularly

 

[ifishsum]

Advantage: not losing beer due to yeast slurry.

Not really. I naturally carb all of my kegs and I pour out only the first half pint and it's clear after that. Now if it's kegged too early it will have more sediment, fermentation time makes a lot more difference than the carbonation method.

As to the OP's question, I'd prime the keg (I usually use 3 oz corn sugar) an let it sit at room temp for a month or two. It will age nicely and it will be carbonated, ready to chill and serve. It will age with or without carbonation, but will age quicker at room temperature so you've got nothing to lose by priming it IMO.

 

[david_42]

Keg it. You'll free up the fermenter and you won't have to worry about light-striking or contamination.