How long before kegging?

[Oyarsa]

I am brewing a Northern Brewer Empire Builder Cream Ale (seen here: https://www.northernbrewer.com/products/empire-builder-imperial-cream-ale-extract-kit).

This will be my first kegged beer. It seems as though it also a beer that might do well with a little extra time. When would you keg? As soon as fermentation stops, which would be a few days at the rate it's going? Give it two weeks (the suggested primary fermentation time) then keg? Give it the whole 4 weeks primary/secondary period to ferment and clear? And, with your recommendation, would you force carbonate with the quicker methods, or let it carbonate at serving pressure for a bit?

In the meantime I put water and a jug of Simply Limeade in the keg to have some sparkling water, so I'm not in a particular hurry...only modestly impatient...

 

[thehaze]

I would not wait long to keg and drink such a simple beer. It might be " clean tasting " like a lager, but it can turn boring rather quickly. It's not dry hopped, so there's no need for any cold crashing, conditioning or whatelse, as it will clear fine in the keg. The grainbill is also simple and by the looks of the recipe, you have two hop additions, neither contributing that much aroma and flavour.

 

[Oyarsa]

Yes, it was a very simple recipe. Should be interesting to see how it turns out.

 

[Pkrd]

Keg it at two weeks. HBT is full of "I overcarbed my beer" threads so I'd set and forget at 15PSI. Will be drinkable in one week and perfect at two.

 

[Oyarsa]

That was what I was leaning towards. Thanks for the advice.

 

[RM-MN]

How long to leave a beer in the fermemter before kegging it depends on the color of the beer (darker needs longer to mature, can be in fermenter or keg) and the pitch rate of the yeast. Assuming that your cream ale had sufficient yeast pitched I would be kegging it at 10 to 14 days. That amount of time will have the fermentation complete and the majority of the clearing done.

 

[millatime]

I do an ale similar to a cream ale, I also keg around 2 weeks. From the keg its usually carbonated in about 5-6 days and I turn it down to serving pressure. I do like the cream ales and simple blonde ales for the quick turn around to drink!

 

[Oyarsa]

Thanks for your input.