First batch is kegged...

[BlackNotch]

I just finished transferring my first batch of English Pale Ale to a keg. The plan is to keep the keg in my kegerator for a week or so, than put some gas on it for another week. The brew sat in the bucket for 12 days, the FG was hit after a week.

I was surprised how clear the brew was during the siphoning, there was a lot of junk at the bottom. I was thinking of trying a filtering system, but it doesn't look like I'll need it. This site is GREAT!!!

 

[Parker36]

Wow, you just jumped all in for with kegging your first batch, well done. I would add some pressure to your keg now, though, just to seat the lid.

 

[DutchK9]

Wow, you just jumped all in for with kegging your first batch, well done. I would add some pressure to your keg now, though, just to seat the lid.

I agree. Even if you added sugar to carbonate, I would still pressurize the keg with CO2.

 

[BlackNotch]

Thanks guys, I pressurized the keg, no sugar was added.

 

[TexLaw]

Yep, go ahead and hook the keg up to the gas. The only thing that will happen is that your beer will all good and carbonated earlier.


TL

 

[bmckee56]

I did the kegging thing on my first batch of homebrew to. I was surprised at how well the Ale took to the keg. It's in the keg 5 days now and we have enjoyed several glasses of the American Pale Ale. Question of refrigerated temperature though! What is a good temperature to keep an Ale at? I originally had my unit down as low as it would go because I was cold stabilizing a Muscat Wine, but have since raised it to about 42F.

Oh and when I transferred to the keg from the secondary, I used a piece of nylon (sanitized) over the racking cane to keep any of the sediment from getting into the keg. Seems to have worked quite nicely.

Salute!

 

[eddie]

42F isn't a bad serving temp for your kegs. There isn't any need to filter or screen your beer when racking to the keg unless you have dryhopped or something. Most of the yeast that settles out in the keg while carbonating will be removed in the first couple draws.

 

[Bob]

Appropriate serving temperature depends on the style. For example, English style ales benefit from being served at "cellar temperature", or 55-65 degrees F.

42 is a bit too cool for my taste. Colder than cellar temperature tends, in my experience and opinion, to numb the taste sensors, reducing my ability to sense the complex flavors I've worked so hard to put into the beer. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense, does it? Further, colder temperatures tend to enhance the carbonation to the point it acts as an additional mask to the beer's flavor. That said, in summer nothing is more pleasant than a sub-40degF pale beer after tinkering in the garden!

Do yourself a favor and try serving your ales closer to 50 than 40. If you don't like it, no harm done, but I think you'll note more flavorful ales.

Cheers,

Bob