keg conditioning after secondary fermentation

[bmooney33]

hey there all
so, here's the dilemma. my buddy and i brewed an American IPA about 3 weeks ago. we just transferred the batch into a carboy on sunday. our gravity was at about .012 for a few days, so we figured it was a good time. my question is this: we plan on kegging this batch, but i've heard mixed reviews on how long to condition the beer in the keg before consuming it... and right now, i'm really dying to have a taste. i've heard some people use the keg as their secondary fermenter and just keep it pressurized and get all the funky stuff out that way... but since we've already gone the secondary fermentation route... how long should we wait with the beer in the keg (at the assumed 30psi) before serving? i've heard 24 hours all the way to 2 weeks. so i was hoping for a little more info.
thanks

 

[samc]

I'd keg it now and then put on the correct serving psi of Co2 at serving temps - wait two weeks and start sampling it. Might sneak a taste or two after a week to learn how it is progressing.

 

[OlieNH]

I am new to kegging as well. I enjoy taking small samples along the way (after all, it's beer!) and learning how it develops over time. I currently have apfelwein in my first keg and I am going the slow carbonation route, setting the pressure to 12 psi. I will be kegging a Janet's Brown Ale this weekend and will follow the same route. I would bet that your beer will be in its prime from 2-6 weeks, but that is just my gut instinct.