Cold Crash in Keg, Carb, to Room Temp = active yeast?

[beerspitnight]

Just curious...
After kegging, we use the cold Beijing air to cold crash our beer in the kegs, and then carb it up. If we move the kegs back inside to room temp, will the yeast reactivate and continue to condition the beer? Or does the lack of oxygen in the keg hamper their ability to come back to "life"?

 

[deepcdan99]

Are you force carbing your beer or trying to naturally carb in keg? Beer will continue to condition, slower in colder temps faster in warmer temps.

 

[beerspitnight]

Are you force carbing your beer or trying to naturally carb in keg? Beer will continue to condition, slower in colder temps faster in warmer temps.

We force carb...

 

[deepcdan99]

Are you force carbing your beer or trying to naturally carb in keg? Beer will continue to condition, slower in colder temps faster in warmer temps.

Oops sorry I just saw u force carb, but either way, most of the yeast will have dropped out but the beer will continue to condition, warm or cold, just the rate at which it conditions will be affected.

 

[beerspitnight]

Oops sorry I just saw u force carb, but either way, most of the yeast will have dropped out but the beer will continue to condition, warm or cold, just the rate at which it conditions will be affected.

Thanks, Deep. What about the lack of oxygen? I am assuming that by injecting CO2 and purging O, there is a minimal amount of oxygen left in the beer for the yeast to work off of.

 

[Clementine]

The yeast has finished eating all the sugar and should also have finished any post fermentation clean up before you bottle/keg. Bottled beer requires warm temp to condition as you are adding more sugar to restart fermentation to make CO2. As you are force carbing you don't have to worry about temps the yeast will only wake up if you add more sugar and raise the temp.

Clem

 

[beerspitnight]

Thanks, Clem.
I am just trying to wrap my head around the biological aspects of yeast...
When I cellar/age a beer in a bottle, there isn't any oxygen in the bottle, yet the beer still conditions. As I think this through (as I write this) then the beer isn't conditioning any longer since all the fermentables have been used. Therefor, is the conditioning that is taking place due to the flavor (remaining sugars and hop acids and perhaps salts) "molecules" becoming conditioned?

 

[Yooper]

Thanks, Clem.
I am just trying to wrap my head around the biological aspects of yeast...
When I cellar/age a beer in a bottle, there isn't any oxygen in the bottle, yet the beer still conditions. As I think this through (as I write this) then the beer isn't conditioning any longer since all the fermentables have been used. Therefor, is the conditioning that is taking place due to the flavor (remaining sugars and hop acids and perhaps salts) "molecules" becoming conditioned?

Well, "conditioning" of beer is like that of wine. Flavors mellow and meld, to give a smoother product.

It sounds like you're talking about fermentation restarting, and not conditioning if I'm understanding you right. Fermentation halts when there are no fermentables left for the yeast to eat. Then, the conditioning process begins. Beer conditions faster at room temperature, that's why good beers and wines are cellared- to slow down the aging process and control temperature swings (which damage beer and wine flavor).

The conditioning that is taking place is simply a mellowing of harsh flavors (alcohol, roasty flavors, etc). An analogy is spaghetti sauce. It always tastes better after long simmering, and then eating it the next day. The flavors have time to marry and meld together in a harmonious arrangement.

If you take a finished beer, and put it outside and then bring it back, nothing will happen to it except that it will be colder and then warmer. It won't restart fermentation or anything like that. Finished beer is still finished.

 

[beerspitnight]

Well, "conditioning" of beer is like that of wine. Flavors mellow and meld, to give a smoother product.

It sounds like you're talking about fermentation restarting, and not conditioning if I'm understanding you right. Fermentation halts when there are no fermentables left for the yeast to eat. Then, the conditioning process begins. Beer conditions faster at room temperature, that's why good beers and wines are cellared- to slow down the aging process and control temperature swings (which damage beer and wine flavor).

The conditioning that is taking place is simply a mellowing of harsh flavors (alcohol, roasty flavors, etc). An analogy is spaghetti sauce. It always tastes better after long simmering, and then eating it the next day. The flavors have time to marry and meld together in a harmonious arrangement.

If you take a finished beer, and put it outside and then bring it back, nothing will happen to it except that it will be colder and then warmer. It won't restart fermentation or anything like that. Finished beer is still finished.

And Yooper responds! :rockin:

I just curious as to how the cellaring/aging process takes place. I have found that a beer that I start drinking 3 weeks after brewing takes on new (and usually better) flavors after week 5 (although never at week 6...as there is never any beer left at that point!) - and from the responses here, it has less to nothing to do with yeast and is a more of a micro-ingredient process. And good analogy, btw.