Will a beer still condition after it is refrigerated and carbonated?

[Fett327]

Hey all,

I have a brew that i kept in primary for a couple weeks and in secondary for a couple weeks. After that i kegged it and put it in the kegerator to carbonate and eventually to serve.

Its been a month since then and i was wondering if the normal conditioning process still takes place even though the beer is under pressure and refrigerated. Im thinking that my beer might taste a little better a month from now than when i first kegged it. Im guessin it still conditions, but probably at a reduced rate.

Does anyone else have a more learned opinion on this?

 

[chrisknight]

'When' a beer is ready is totally up to you. If you transferred it out of the secondary then any further flavor the yeast would contribute to would obviously be absent. You did a couple weeks primary & secondary so I'd say the yeast had plenty of time to clean up after themselves. The beer will bulk condition cold & under pressure & if its a standard ale, I'd say that the flavor within that extra month will change a bit, usually for the better. After a month to 3 months (after pitching with a typical ale) the noticeable changes seem to really slow down.

 

[farmbrewernw]

It will condition, my kegs taste different by the time I kick them unless of course me and the wife have been hittin the taps a lot.

 

[Fett327]

Thanks all,

I figured that yeast obviously wouldnt play a major part in any conditioning, but im happy to hear that a beer will at least age somewhat after its kegged.

However i would think that after extended periods the beer would start changing for the worst as it ages. But i doubt the keg will last that long

 

[TheJadedDog]

Yes it will continue to condition, although it probably won't achieve anymore carbonation.

 

[Saccharomyces]

Conditioning at room temp is quicker than at refrigerator temps. I like to let my kegs condition at room temp for a week per 10 gravity points before cooling and force carbing. Even longer for dark beers. Lighter beers and wheats I will condition for two weeks.

The reason is simple.. the yeast are more active at warmer temps. The cooler you age them, the slower the yeast will metabolize minor byproducts.

Bobby_M had a post awhile ago about a couple of kegs that weren't good he pulled out of the kegerator and left in his 80 degree garage. A few months later he found them and decided to give them a try thinking he would dump them and instead discovered they were really good!