Kegging big beer w/ choc and coffee, switching out mid-keg

[domdom]

I just got done brewing a 9% imperial coffee chocolate stout. it's the first big beer i have brewed since switching over to kegging and had a few questions.

-when bottling, i know my big beers would take about 3 times as long to carbonate, usually a month or 2. since i no longer have to wait for carbing in the bottle, do i need to age it longer before serving or can i keg, carb, and drink as soon as it's tasty?

-i'm planning to add the coffee at kegging, but am debating between if i should add the cocoa nibs in the fermenter a week before kegging or just add when i keg. worried that cocoa nibs might clog things up.

-since it's such a boozy beer, i know i probably won't drink it as fast as my other brews. i was wondering if it is okay to switch it out halfway through and then rotate it back in a month or so later. i always flush my kegs w/ co2 before kegging and it seems to keep things pretty fresh. if this is a bad idea, i also have a beer gun to bottle but it takes time and as much of a PITA as bottling.

thanks!

 

[PADave]

A keg is just a big bottle, but yes, you can control the carbonation. You can drink it anytime you want, it's your beer. When it's tasty, that's a good time, but it could get even better with age. You could always add the cocoa nibs in a hop bag or a metal hop filter to keep them from clogging anything. Sure you could switch the keg out. Once carbed up, again it's just a big bottle.