First Time Keggery

[Silentclint]

Hey guys, when you keg do you ferment in the primary/ secondary longer so that the beer conditions prior to kegging? Is it better to keg condition for a few weeks then refrigerate? Any thoughts or does it matter either way? I know a lot is about personal preference but conditioning the beer longer seems to sound like it will taste better.

Cheers!

PS. Meant to say kegging, damn auto correct!

 

[day_trippr]

I don't change the fermentation duration - primary or secondary - per se. But I do tack on a four day crash cooling cycle (fridge controller set down to 32) to drop yeast and pellet fragments to the bottom before kegging so those first few pours aren't loaded up...

Cheers!

 

[Silentclint]

I don't change the fermentation duration - primary or secondary - per se. But I do tack on a four day crash cooling cycle (fridge controller set down to 32) to drop yeast and pellet fragments to the bottom before kegging so those first few pours aren't loaded up...

Cheers!

Does cold crashing improve the taste of the beer?

 

[Dan]

Does cold crashing improve the taste of the beer?

I am by far not an expert and hopefully somebody with more experience will give you a better answer. In my experience I would say no it does not improve the taste, however it does seem to improve my beer's appearance and drink-ability.

 

[mrk305]

Any little sediment that settles comes out with the first pull anyway. When I hit a new keg I waste the first 6 oz.

 

[mkw87]

Why waste it tastes the same

 

[day_trippr]

Does cold crashing improve the taste of the beer?

Can't remember, it's been part of my regimen like forever. I suspect not, but it definitely helps clear the brew, and keeps random debris from ending up in my kegs and then in a glass - which is really why I do it...

Cheers!

 

[mrk305]

Why waste it tastes the same

Because it's not perfect, and I have plenty of beer.

 

[Golddiggie]

I do long primaries anyway, with no secondary. I usually go 4-8 weeks in primary before going to bottle/keg. In keg, I'm opting for the longer/slower carbonation method. Since I'm still on my first three kegs, I'm still perfecting my methods. So far, the best seems to chill it for a day, or three (after purging of oxygen/normal air), then put it on 3x the serving pressure for ~24 hours before putting it to serving pressure for 1-2 weeks. This seems to do a better job, in my limited experience, than the other methods. Basically, I'm using the method outlined by Bobby_M in the sticky...

Make sure your brew is otherwise ready to drink before sending it to keg.

 

[Antler]

Cold crashing definitely helps clear the brew. I filter/force carbonate/bottle my beers mostly, and If I filter the brew from room temp, it sometimes gets a little haze when chilled. Chill it for a day or two then filter and. Crystal clear beer every time!

 

[Silentclint]

So I am having trouble with too much foam in my beer that I kegged. I force carbonated at 30 psi for about 4 min then I let it sit for 24 hours. I let CO2 out of the keg about 3-4 different times. After the 24 hour sit it was still way too foamy so I let it sit another day with out CO2 on it and tried again. Still the same result, too much damn foam. I let it sit overnight with 10 psi on it, still too much foam. I tried 5 psi on it, still too much foam... Help!!! What am I doing wrong with it?

 

[Golddiggie]

Silentclint, you need to wait longer.

Doing the 30psi for 24 hours helps to get the CO2 into the brew, but you need to let it sit for a week (or two) before you start pouring it. Also, what size brew lines are you using? I have 5' on picnic taps on my kegs currently, and I get about 1/4-1/3 a glass of foam during the pour. My taps (and associated hardware) arrived today, so I'll be installing those soon. With those, I plan to run 10' of the 3/16" ID Bevex tubing.

Also, I found that having the keg on 30psi for the first 24 hours really helped to get carbonation into it. I then turned the pressure down to 10-12psi to equalize (venting the kegs first). I then let mine sit for a full week before I poured a glass. The carbonation is getting to where I want it to be, and I'm pretty sure the longer brew lines will help with the rest. I do plan on using the calculation tool to figure out how long to make the lines. Since I have 50' of tubing, I don't think I'll have an issue making the lines long enough for three taps.

Did you have the keg in the fridge for 24 hours before you put it onto gas? Getting the entire keg to serving temp before you start to carbonate (from what I've read, and have experienced so far) is a good idea.

Also, don't swing the pressure level all over the place. Set it to serving pressure for the CO2 volume, and work the rest of the system.

Remember, patience is rewarded with home brew. Kegging is no exception...

 

[Silentclint]

Silentclint, you need to wait longer.

Doing the 30psi for 24 hours helps to get the CO2 into the brew, but you need to let it sit for a week (or two) before you start pouring it. Also, what size brew lines are you using? I have 5' on picnic taps on my kegs currently, and I get about 1/4-1/3 a glass of foam during the pour. My taps (and associated hardware) arrived today, so I'll be installing those soon. With those, I plan to run 10' of the 3/16" ID Bevex tubing.

Also, I found that having the keg on 30psi for the first 24 hours really helped to get carbonation into it. I then turned the pressure down to 10-12psi to equalize (venting the kegs first). I then let mine sit for a full week before I poured a glass. The carbonation is getting to where I want it to be, and I'm pretty sure the longer brew lines will help with the rest. I do plan on using the calculation tool to figure out how long to make the lines. Since I have 50' of tubing, I don't think I'll have an issue making the lines long enough for three taps.

Did you have the keg in the fridge for 24 hours before you put it onto gas? Getting the entire keg to serving temp before you start to carbonate (from what I've read, and have experienced so far) is a good idea.

Also, don't swing the pressure level all over the place. Set it to serving pressure for the CO2 volume, and work the rest of the system.

Remember, patience is rewarded with home brew. Kegging is no exception...

What's the point of kegging if you have to wait two weeks? Yes, I had it at 35 degrees for 24 hours then force carbonated. Some of the videos on YouTube are showing pours a few days after force carbonation and they look fine. I Haney the short line and picnic tap set up. I need a longer line I guess. Thanks.

 

[Golddiggie]

IMO, kegging isn't about instant gratification, it's more about having more of a batch in a single vessel, carbonated to a known level instead of trusting sugar/yeast to carbonate to where you want it.

Plus, you can take a single keg of home brew to a party/gathering and let many people enjoy it and not need to worry about them getting sediment in their glass, or needing to be there to pour it for them. I did that at the last family gathering/party we had (bottles)... The next one, I'm bringing kegs.

Still, kegging should be faster, by at least a week, compared with bottling. ~2 weeks from putting to keg, to enjoying as opposed to 3+ weeks from bottling to glass.

 

[Silentclint]

IMO, kegging isn't about instant gratification, it's more about having more of a batch in a single vessel, carbonated to a known level instead of trusting sugar/yeast to carbonate to where you want it.

Plus, you can take a single keg of home brew to a party/gathering and let many people enjoy it and not need to worry about them getting sediment in their glass, or needing to be there to pour it for them. I did that at the last family gathering/party we had (bottles)... The next one, I'm bringing kegs.

Still, kegging should be faster, by at least a week, compared with bottling. ~2 weeks from putting to keg, to enjoying as opposed to 3+ weeks from bottling to glass.

You are right just thought it would be faster..... Thanks.....

 

[Golddiggie]

I'm sure it can be, once we get some batches through our kegs, and experience doing it.

For the next batch getting carbonated in kegs (on gas) I plan on going 24-48 hours (maybe 36, depends on how things pan out) on ~30 PSI before shifting down to serving pressure. I sealed the kegs at ~30 PSI, leaving the gas feed on them only for a couple of minutes each. I purged them first (of course) so things should be good there. I just need to shift some bottles out of the final keg spot in the fridge, so that I can put the fourth keg in there.

If your brew is carbonated to the level you wanted, already, then chances are you just need to balance the delivery side of the system. Pretty soon, I'll have two picnic taps that won't get used often, if at all. I might be using one until I get a fourth tap for the fridge. Although I'm tempted to not do that, opting to make a keezer once I move.