Kegging and secondary/conditioning

[jp27300]

I'm thinking of branching out into kegging.

I have not done any yet. So after primary you can put it in the keg to either secondary or condition.

I';m looking to keg a Saison brewed in Summer, for winter drinking.

What is the difference in secondary and conditioning or cellaring?

Also when something goes in the keg for conditioning/secondary do you put it under pressure or just purge the head space?

Lets say im going to force carb and not add priming sugar.

thanks

JP

 

[hunter_le five]

"Cellaring" generally implies that you are keeping it at a cool temp (cellar temp), say ~50*F. This will allow you to age the beer nicely without letting it age "too fast" (room temp).

You could also "cold condition" it (aka lagering) by storing it at cooler temps, 32-40*F. This will have a slower aging effect, but will really help clarify the beer a lot.

Either way works fine. Technically you could store it at room temp as well, but if I'm storing for an extended period of time, I would rather the beer be kept cool.

You can keg condition it under pressure, or simply purge the headspace. Either way will work, it just depends on whether you have the spare equipment for leaving it on the gas for an extended period of time.

If you are not going to leave it under pressure the whole time, I would first purge the O2 out, and then hit it with ~30psi for a few seconds to make sure the lead gets a good seal. Check the pressure relief every once in a while to make sure it is still sealed under pressure.

Alternatively you could force carb it for a few weeks, and then cellar it, so that when you are ready to drink it, it will already be carbonated and ready to go, just chill and serve.