Cold conditioning?

[shtank]

Does beer condition the same in a kegerator hooked up to co2 as it does at room temp?

 

[shtank]

I usually move my kegs to the kegerator at about week three and start sampling at week 4 and 5 but they still taste young would it be better to leave them at room temp till week 5?

 

[pkeeler]

Such a simple question should have a simple answer. But the question is not so simple. By "beer," do you mean ale or lager? By "conditioning" do you mean the part of fermentation where the yeast clean up their by products, or do you mean the settling out of the yeast and other haze forming proteins? Are you asking if forced carbonation in the fridge leads to a different result than natural carbonation in the cellar?

If you have an ale in a keg that has been bulk aged for at least 3 weeks already, then the simple answer would be no. It will "condition" faster in the fridge.

 

[Yambor44]

Very good question. I have been discussing this very thing with a brew buddy. To answer some of your question, yes it is better to let them sit longer, the colder the better. I actually try to get my pipeline built up enough that I don't tap a beer until it is at least 8 weeks old. My goal is 12 weeks but I have only hit that a couple of times. Since I went back to 5 gallon batches, it is harder to catch up.

Both of my current beers on tap are only 4 weeks old and are a little young tasting. Both are pale ales.

 

[shtank]

Everything I make is an ale. Its been through secondary fermentation and filtered so I'm not referring to yeast or haze. Basically taste is what I mean by conditioning. Should it sit at room temp or be chilled to condition quicker. I would think that the warmer temp would be better as far as aging but I fear bacteria can grow easier with the warm temp as weLl.

 

[Broncoblue]

Do they condition the same at room temp with CO2 on it or off of it? They should be safe in the keg from bacteria and the alcohol should help retard any growth.

 

[pkeeler]

Everything I make is an ale. Its been through secondary fermentation and filtered so I'm not referring to yeast or haze. Basically taste is what I mean by conditioning. Should it sit at room temp or be chilled to condition quicker. I would think that the warmer temp would be better as far as aging but I fear bacteria can grow easier with the warm temp as weLl.

If the yeast are filtered out, there is no more they can do. Only thing left is precipitating chill haze at near freezing. That won't happen at room temp. In other words, if the beer is filtered, it will be stable at room temp; might precipitate some stuff at near freezing temps.

 

[shtank]

Do they condition the same at room temp with CO2 on it or off of it? They should be safe in the keg from bacteria and the alcohol should help retard any growth.

That's right the alcohol will pry take care of any infection. So the question still remains does beer age quicker at room temp or chilled?

I'm not asking about haze. Just flavor characters.

 

[Yooper]

That's right the alcohol will pry take care of any infection. So the question still remains does beer age quicker at room temp or chilled?

I'm not asking about haze. Just flavor characters.

Beer ages faster at room temperature.

 

[shtank]

Thanks Yooper. That's what was asking I can be a little thick sometimes.

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