kegged beer-priming v. force carbonating

[jeffg]

Is there any benefit to priming kegged beer w/ dme versus force carbonating? What are people's preferences? I have only always force carb'd my beer with good results, but am curious if I am missing something...

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

it's just quicker, and "unnatural" to some. you'll get more sediment with the first few draws, but after that it should be cleared up. just be sure to "pop" some CO2 on top to make sure the lid seals well. don't want to wait 2-3 weeks to try a brew and find out all the CO2 produced by the DME/yeast leaked out.

i force carb all mine and love it!

 

[ajf]

Some say that naturally conditioned beer tastes better. The downside of natural carbonating is that there must be some active yeast in the finished beer. As yeast is stuffed full of vitamins, and I need not bother about filtering, I (and most others) carbonate naturally.

-a.

Edit. Most people carbonate naturally when bottling. If kegging (when forced carbonation is much easier), this may not be true.

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

The downside of forced carbonating is that there must be some active yeast in the finished beer. As yeast is stuffed full of vitamins, and I need not bother about filtering, I (and most others) carbonate naturally.

????? why do you say you need active yeast to force carbonate??????

 

[ajf]

????? why do you say you need active yeast to force carbonate??????

Too much homebrew while brewing current batch. Sorry, mistake corrected.

-a.

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

Too much homebrew while brewing current batch. Sorry, mistake corrected.

-a.

gotcha ! thought i mighta been missing something

 

[Ed_Savage]

I have primed all of my kegs so far. I did try force carbonating one batch though.

I would choose a primed batch over force carbed any day of the week. It just tastes soooooo much better. I like to age them at least a month or two at room temp before they are tapped.

Priming
Pros:
*Chill and serve. Once its cold its ready to drink, no force carbonation.
*Tastes better because you can age it as long as you want at cellar temps. Just like bottles.
*I have not had a problem with beer clarity. All of my beers have been crystal clear after the first few pints, all the way to the end. Except for one of the Hefes I did. But thats not a bad thing for a Hefe (suspended yeast)

Cons:
*The only downside is the first few glasses have some yeast sedement draw. After that its smooth sailing good beer.
*Once and a while you might not add the proper amount of priming sugar/DME, and it may require force carbing over night to get the perfect co2 amount. Or venting to release pressure if over primed.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[david_42]

I almost always force carbonate. If you prime, you HAVE to wait longer. I suspect this would make the ale taste better. Since I generally have plenty of stock, I don't drink the young stuff except to QA.

 

[Ed_Savage]

I almost always force carbonate. If you prime, you HAVE to wait longer. I suspect this would make the ale taste better. Since I generally have plenty of stock, I don't drink the young stuff except to QA.

Yeah but this hobby is all about being patient anyway. I always have two beers on deck in the kegerator. So I really dont have to WAIT longer when I prime. I just choose to let them sit and age in my closet or basement until one of my kegs goes dry and then just hook up the next.

The key is to have a steady rotation system. And like you said keep plenty of stock!

 

[El Pistolero]

Yeah but this hobby is all about being patient anyway.

This tidbit of wisdom should be stickied to the top of every forum, IMHO.

But off of that soapbox, and on to another...I'm beginning to suspect that the Pacific Northwest is on the verge of outnumbering us Tejans on this forum. I'm not sure what that means, but I have to say I'm troubled.

 

[Ed_Savage]

This tidbit of wisdom should be stickied to the top of every forum, IMHO.

But off of that soapbox, and on to another...I'm beginning to suspect that the Pacific Northwest is on the verge of outnumbering us Tejans on this forum. I'm not sure what that means, but I have to say I'm troubled.

Stop by and visit sometime El Pistolero! You might like the NW. Its been raining cats and dogs for the last month or so, but hey its Oregon right?

We officially have more breweries here in Portland per capita then anywhere else in the world.

Here is a map. http://www.guestontap.com/map.shtml?area=metro

I noticed there are a few that arent listed, but you get the idea.

Hence, more breweries, more homebrewers.

 

[El Pistolero]

Stop by and visit sometime El Pistolero! You might like the NW.

I lived in Tacoma for 4 years...my only hope is that I get to move back there someday...right now I'm aiming for Houston, BC.

That said tho...I'm still keeping an eye on you guys.

 

[david_42]

Actually, I think McMinneville has Portland beat: Only two brewpubs but just 19,000 people.

I do believe Portland metro has more brewpubs, period, than any similar sized area in the world. Still need to get to Yamhill & that new one in Sandy. I'm beginning to think sampling one new brewpub a month can't keep up.

 

[Ed_Savage]

I'm beginning to think sampling one new brewpub a month can't keep up.

True, true sooooo true. They just keep opening up left and right around here.