Will Kegging Improve Taste

[baron]

Hello,

I've been brewing for quite awhile.
Stated brewing all extract and have moved over to AG in the past 2 years or so.
I'm pretty happy with the results of my brew -- I think it has improved since going AG and using a yeast starter.

Although my beer tastes very good -- it still has slight yeasty aftertaste.
Some might call it "homebrew taste".

Just wondering if I go to kegging and force carbonate -- will this help since I won't be priming anymore?

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Rick

 

[Bensiff]

If you have yeast in suspension still you just need to clear it out...use gel, cold crash, whatever works to clear it and it will taste fine. Kegging won't help for your yeast issue in of itself; however, it will make using something like gel much easier. I tend to prefer naturally carbed beer, I don't know why as CO2 is CO2, but there is something to it that seems better than my kegged beer. Anyway, it does need to rest for a while for it to clear after it is done carbing up (realistically 5 weeks to fully carb) then put in 30 degree fridge to cold crash to really clear it up. On the flip side kegs are easy and good for things like dry hopping and serving beers that are better really fresh like an IPA.

 

[markcurling]

'Homebrew taste' usually comes from unhealthy fermentation, so you should check you are using the proper amount of healthy yeast (look into starters) and ferment at the correct temperature. These will be much more effective ways of improving your brew than the storage method

 

[day_trippr]

[...]Anyway, it does need to rest for a while for it to clear after it is done carbing up (realistically 5 weeks to fully carb) then put in 30 degree fridge to cold crash to really clear it up.[...]

I don't "force carb" as I have the luxury of a wide pipeline, yet my brews are nicely carbed within a couple of weeks - even the wheat beers that are carbed to 3-3.5 volumes.

Also, I prefer to cold-crash before kegging, so the beer is already bright when it hits the keg. That way the first and last pours are as clear as any in between...

Cheers!

 

[baron]

I've heard of cold crash -- but have never done it.
Might be a good thing to do before going to kegging...I have noticed some of my brews are not as clear as I would like for them to be.

I'll try cold crash on my next batch.

I've always done secondary fermentation -- but reading some posts -- some just leave it in the primary until proper F.G.

I have a 6 gallon carboy -- something else I might try also.

Thanks for the replies.

Rick

 

[scottland]

My beers are clearer now that I keg, but that's simply because they cold condition in the keg. The same thing happened when I left a bottle in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.

The big improvement for me was being able to easily adjust carbonation levels. There's obviously never any problems with beers being over or under carbed.

That's about it.

 

[audger]

'Homebrew taste' usually comes from unhealthy fermentation, so you should check you are using the proper amount of healthy yeast (look into starters) and ferment at the correct temperature. These will be much more effective ways of improving your brew than the storage method

i dunno. i would associate peoples descripton of "homebrew taste" (in the perjorative sense) with old and stale ingredients. back in the day when home brew kits were mail order, stuff sat around for loooong periods of time and often people would make beer that tasted old. as far as i can tell thats where the term came from.

today, with home brew shops all over, and comparatively super fast internet ordering/shipping, that has pretty much been taken care of. i kind of take offence when people use the term "homebrew taste" in any way other then positvely. i prefer the homebrew taste to the garbage from bud/miller/coors.

the only real difference you *should* get from kegging vs bottle conditioning would be the lack of priming sugar in the bottles adding a small amount of sweetness or alcohol, or the lack of yeast in the bottle (which you shouldnt pour into the glass anyway). everything else (taste and carbonation) should be nearly identical if the rest of your process is sound.

 

[Bensiff]

I don't "force carb" as I have the luxury of a wide pipeline, yet my brews are nicely carbed within a couple of weeks - even the wheat beers that are carbed to 3-3.5 volumes.

Also, I prefer to cold-crash before kegging, so the beer is already bright when it hits the keg. That way the first and last pours are as clear as any in between...

Cheers!

Yeah, I don't know what it is, I just prefer natural carbonation to artificial. Yup, cold crash before bottle or kegging if you are going to do it...plenty of times finings are plenty to clear the beer so I don't cold crash.

 

[Bensiff]

'Homebrew taste' usually comes from unhealthy fermentation, so you should check you are using the proper amount of healthy yeast (look into starters) and ferment at the correct temperature. These will be much more effective ways of improving your brew than the storage method

Usually when I hear people discuss homebrew taste they are describing yeast bite more than anything, its just a green beer that needs a little more age. If one has incorrect pitch rates or incorrect temps you are going to get into brewing flaws such as diacetyl, acetaldehyde, excessive esters or phenols, fusel alcohols and such...not homebrew flavor, just brewing flaws.