Connecting Keg & Temp Conditioning

[TylerPrime]

Hey all,

My wife got me a Keg for Christmas, so I was thinking about using it on a batch that is almost out of Primary.

This is a two part question since I have never had to keg before:

1. Can I condition the keg in the fridge? Does it have to be conditioned at room temp (as I would with bottles). Are there any differences?
2. Should I/Can I leave the Co2 bottle in the fridge with the keg connected at all times? Should it be disconnected after the initial pressure is put in the keg?

Thanks!

 

[Iseneye]

Depends on what you mean by "condition". When you are leaving bottles at room temp it is because you are carbonating using sugars so need the yeast to do the work. If you are naturally carbonating the keg then you will need to leave it at room temperature just like bottles. If you are carbonating the keg via bottle CO2 then it is far easier to do at serving temps.

With regards to question 2 the majority of people leave the keg connected to CO2 at all times. There is a fast carbonation method where you set the regulator at a higher pressure and leave it on for x hours and then reduce to serving pressure. The slow carbonation method is leaving the regulator at serving pressure and the beer should be carbonated in 2-3 weeks.

 

[TylerPrime]

Depends on what you mean by "condition". When you are leaving bottles at room temp it is because you are carbonating using sugars so need the yeast to do the work. If you are naturally carbonating the keg then you will need to leave it at room temperature just like bottles. If you are carbonating the keg via bottle CO2 then it is far easier to do at serving temps.

With regards to question 2 the majority of people leave the keg connected to CO2 at all times. There is a fast carbonation method where you set the regulator at a higher pressure and leave it on for x hours and then reduce to serving pressure. The slow carbonation method is leaving the regulator at serving pressure and the beer should be carbonated in 2-3 weeks.

By condition, I mean that the beer is usually too "green" coming out of the primary. Sometimes I like to let my beer sit for a few week after Primary until it tastes ready (if that makes sense). I know we bottle and leave at room temp for proper carb to take place, but I was wondering if I get the same condition effect (ie. the beer progressing) in the fridge at 33 degrees.

Additionally, if I leave the beer at serving pressure (ie. 10 PSI) and I shake it about a hundred times before putting it back into the fridge, how long would it take for it to become carbonated at that point?

Thanks!

 

[Iseneye]

I don't have an answer for shaking at serving pressure. Sounds like too much hard work. I would either do the fast carb method or set and forget.

With regards to your "green" taste it depends on whether the off flavours are caused by fermentation or by particulates being in suspension. If you drop the temp to serving pressure then you will be dropping out particulates which will improve your beer (in general). If you had off flavours caused by poor fermentation then you should probably leave it at room temperature.