Conditioning a keg after cold storage

[JNish]

Cross-post from kegging since it got no views there and it's relevant here:

I brewed a winter specialty ale that fermented a bit too warm but already put it in cold storage. Will the yeast still be active enough to smooth out the hot flavors if I bring it back to warmer temp?

It was brewed with White Labs Irish Ale (with a starter) at an OG of 1.090. Fermentation temp reached 78F for a few hours; it was a freakishly hot day and the fermentation literally blew the lid off my bucket (I kept the lid on top with foil). I gradually brought it back down to 68F over 5 hours and fermented in primary for a month. I transferred to keg and let it condition at 60F for another month after which I put it into the keezer, which is around 34F, and the beer finished at 1.022 (so around 9% ABV). However, there is some lingering hot fusels that I notice. It's not that much to put the beer off but could improve with further conditioning. I made a tripel a while ago before I made starters that was nearly undrinkable, but after 6 months of conditioning is fine now. I put quite a bit of effort into this beer and am a bit disappointed with the results. I know that it could be better with longer conditioning, but I already put it into the fridge and it's been there for a month.

Do you think the yeast have all flocculated out (and tapped out of the beer) or should there be enough left in suspension to condition the beer? I suppose I could pitch more yeast, but I am not looking to bring the gravity down, just to clean up some of the off flavors.

 

[waldoar15]

If you're concerned, you could always just sprinkle a little dry yeast into the beer when you're priming it. It shouldn't do anything to the gravity if it was finished when you conditioned it.

 

[MachineShopBrewing]

Adding more yeast is not going to clean up fusels. Only time will help some off flavors fade.

 

[kanzimonson]

Also, it sounds like the kind of conditioning that your beer could benefit from has less to do with yeast activity and more to do with time. I'm talking micro-oxidation, mellowing and marrying of flavors, etc. But I've been under the impression that hot alcohols barely subside with time, if at all.

All you can do now is wait and hope.

 

[samc]

Not sure from your post how long ago you brewed this. Obviously at least 2 months, which is still early I think for a 1.090 beer. I"d remove it from the keezer and let it sit for a few more months.

 

[JNish]

Yep, I probably should have conditioned it longer before chilling it. It was brewed in mid-November. I will probably transfer it from the keg to bottles since I have other, lighter beers that I want to keg. I think it's more of the melding of flavors that would benefit the beer. I've had hot flavors in a dubbel subside after about 6 months in bottles. But this winter beer seems to have masked most of the hot alcohols. Suppose I'll bottle it and enjoy it next winter.

Should I stir up the sediment from the bottom of the keg before bottling to re-suspend the yeast, or just rely on enough still being in suspension? I agree with the above post, I think adding yeast at this point would just contribute to off-flavors rather than clean them. A 9% ABV isn't friendly conditions for new yeast.