What to do...

[UKBrewing]

I usually find 4 weeks in Primary and 4 weeks in keg gets me a beer that has aged well and tastes good. I used to taste and drink my beer earlier than this, but try to leave until 8 weeks old before tasting as I find by this time the beer has matured and tastes better.

To try something a little different, I was going to keg my 6% APA a little earlier than usual tomorrow after 2.5 weeks in Primary, make a new IPA and dump the IPA wort into the FV on top of the yeast cake left by the APA.

However, I looked at the calendar and realised the APA is actually only 10 days old, not 2.5 weeks...

I took a gravity reading and its at 1.010 which is lower than I was expecting (it should have gone to 1.014) so I guess it is at FG.

So my question is what would you guys recommend?

Option 1 - Keg the APA at 10 days old and leave to condition warm (in the shed) for a while in the Keg (maybe 4-5 weeks), dump the IPA wort onto the yeast cake in the FV from the APA and put that in the fermentation fridge.

Option 2 - Leave the APA in the FV but take out of the fermentation fridge and leave in warm conditions (in the shed) until a later time. Make the IPA and put that in the fridge with 2 packets of Safale S-05

Option 3 - Leave the APA in the fermentation fridge another 2 weeks then Keg. Do the IPA in a couple weeks and then dump it on the yeast cake.

Thanks!

 

[RM-MN]

Your beer needs to be in a temperature controlled fermentation chamber while the most active part of fermentation is going on, perhaps 4 or 5 days. After that rapid fermentation has slowed, letting the beer warm helps the yeast do the cleanup of any off flavors and finish breaking down the intermediate compounds it created in the initial part of the ferment. At 10 days an APA could have had dry hopping done and be ready to keg. Done well, it would be ready to drink as soon as carbonated.

By keeping the beer in the fridge, you have delayed the maturing of the beer. Thats why it takes so long for the beer to mature.

 

[Pkrd]

I'd go for option 4 - Keg the APA, put it straight on the gas, drink in a week.

 

[UKBrewing]

Cheers for the advice... option 3 was thrusted upon me as I have too much to do to fit a brew in today now... but I have warmed the setting on the fridge from 19 degrees (centegrade) up to 22 to let the yeast do its thing in a slightly warmer setting.

I'll keg it when back from holiday, the beer will be 3 weeks old then.

Also - probably wont dump the IPA onto the yeast cake as this is no doubt going to be vastly overpitching... I may try and collect the yeast into 2-3 bottles/jars and refrigerate, then use one of those on the IPA and see how that goes.

 

[RM-MN]

Cheers for the advice... option 3 was thrusted upon me as I have too much to do to fit a brew in today now... but I have warmed the setting on the fridge from 19 degrees (centegrade) up to 22 to let the yeast do its thing in a slightly warmer setting.

I'll keg it when back from holiday, the beer will be 3 weeks old then.

Also - probably wont dump the IPA onto the yeast cake as this is no doubt going to be vastly overpitching... I may try and collect the yeast into 2-3 bottles/jars and refrigerate, then use one of those on the IPA and see how that goes.

Good idea. Divide the yeast into 4 bottles instead to get the approximate proper pitch rate. Save 3 in the refrigerator for later batches.

 

[isomerization]

With healthy yeast and proper pitch rates, your beer is done in 4-5 days easy (up to 7-8% abv, then I’ve seen the yeast slow down a bit).

Most styles, going quickly isn’t necessary (or even desired), but for anything hoppy, try to move your product along more quick than 2 months.

I don’t know if you’re repitching dry yeast or not, but I have heard that those strains are more susceptible to mutating over generations. If you aren’t, I’d recommend overbuilding starters rather than yeast harvesting after primary. Much less risky (imo).

 

[UKBrewing]

With healthy yeast and proper pitch rates, your beer is done in 4-5 days easy (up to 7-8% abv, then I’ve seen the yeast slow down a bit).

Most styles, going quickly isn’t necessary (or even desired), but for anything hoppy, try to move your product along more quick than 2 months.

I don’t know if you’re repitching dry yeast or not, but I have heard that those strains are more susceptible to mutating over generations. If you aren’t, I’d recommend overbuilding starters rather than yeast harvesting after primary. Much less risky (imo).

For this brew I used 1056 American Ale and made a starter of about 3/4 of a Litre (or quart for you US guys).
Brewers friend told me that I was under pitching when I input that into the software (after I had pitched it)... but I wasn't too worried (some dont make a starter at all)

Next time I will check first the starter size I need for the brew and make it accordingly.

My beers always seem to taste a bit green until that 8 week period... so I stopped sampling along the way and just left it until then before tasting.

Maybe I am doing wrong by kegging and keeping the temp too low, should I leave the keg warmer to help it mature for a couple weeks?

Otherwise I cant see what I am doing wrong and why my beers take longer

 

[isomerization]

Well you’re very likely underpitching, which is stressing the yeast and leading to those “green” flavors. With that said, a 750 mL starter should be fine volume wise (for med/low gravity beers). Are you letting it go several days? Can you confirm that yeast are growing? When starters are done, the yeast will start floccing out (strain dependent on how aggressive this is). If you cold crash the starter, you should see a “mat” of yeast develop at the bottom.

On the keg question, unless it’s a style that needs aging, your fine to serve right away. You will have chill haze for a bit, but that’s superficial and shouldn’t affect flavor.

 

[chickypad]

What green flavors are you getting? What is your fermentation temp schedule? 4 wks is a long time in primary for a pale ale, so you shouldn't need to let it sit even longer warm in the keg. I'd look at your yeast/fermentation practices as mentioned by folks above - pitch rate, temp control, etc.

 

[thehaze]

Your beer should not taste green, depending on style and ABV of course, but anything up to 7-8% should be ready to drink in 20-25 days. My hoppy beers are bottled at day 12-13 and are already carbonated at day 5-7 in the bottle. No green flavour, are crisp and ready to be enjoyed.

I will soon be bottling 1 Mosaic smash ( OG: 1.055 / FG: 1.011 ), 1 Pale Ale ( OG: 1.052 / FG: 1.009 ) and 1 IPA ( OG: 1.058 / FG: 1.007 ), which have been brewed on August 2 and 3. I will dry hop for 2-3 days and bottle directly. Have been doing so for a while with no green flavours.

You should never keep beer at warm temperatures in the keg. If the beer is in the keg, you should always keep it cold and make sure it does not run low on C02. Pale Ales and IPAs should be drunk fresh, young and quick.

 

[kh54s10]

For a Pale ale and an IPA I would not go 8 weeks, especially with the IPA since you will be losing hop aroma and flavor. 2 weeks primary is plenty. Then either burst carb the beer in the keg and be drinking it with the week or set to serving pressure and be drinking it in about 2 weeks. When I started there were two vocal camps. Those that said you have to ferment your beers for at least 4 weeks and those that said get FG + a day or 2. At most 2 weeks... I opted for 3 weeks, I then ran low and did a couple at 2 weeks and they were just as good as the ones fermented 3 weeks or longer. I now go 2 weeks unless I procrastinate. My most recent was in primary for 2 months 4 days through procrastination. Fortunately it is not a hoppy beer.

 

[UKBrewing]

Thanks for the responses... I will work on getting the yeast rates sorted next brew.

I have had off flavors in the past like a metallic kind of taste followed with a strange after taste, which I think was due to over carbonation, or applying too much co2 pressure trying to carb quicker.

I have often had a heavy alcohol taste when drinking early, sometimes that takes a while to subside (i put that down to being green, and flavors yet to meld together)

The I get my normal "its ok but i would rather drink something else" until about the 8 week period, then it often tastes much better.

You have all convinced me though, I will keg today at 12 days old. I'll give it a try in 1 week, then 2 and see how that tastes. If it is good I will be drinking a beer in half the usual time which is great. Otherwise, back to the drawing board!