Comments on: Kegging Beer Natural vs Forced Conditioning

By: Larry

Larry — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:04:37 +0000

You do have to wait for the beer to condition in the keg and mature. The more complex the beer the more time this will take, no matter how it is packaged.

In my opinion, kegged beer tastes fresher longer, and my best beers have been kegged. There is zero risk of oxidation problems that come from bottling home brew. Kegging beer is also a HUGE time saver. Organizing the bottles, washing them, filling them, capping them, and then putting them all away takes at least an extra hour. Having beer on tap is just really awesome too. It can lead to drinking more, as you can always go for that extra half glass without having to crack another bottle.

Getting a keezer/kegerator setup is an extra expense and a bit of a quest. Take care to get a moisture absorption product (if you use a keezer). The keezer must be kept clean, the lines must be all sealed, and when the tank runs out you have to get it re-filled. I keep a full spare tank on hand so I’m not forced into making a trip to the home brew store the next day. Every year or so I tear all the gas lines apart and clean them as invariably a bit of beer gets in there. Beer can ruin a regulator if too much back pressure causes the beer to flow in the opposite direction.

By: Duskin

Duskin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:04:10 +0000

I’ve only bottled so far but I am interested in getting into kegging. In my experience, most of my brews taste a lot better after 3 to 6 weeks of aging. Certain harsh flavors from from grain or hops seem to mellow, and adjuncts, such as coffee or spices seem to come through in a more balanced way. My questions, using the forced carbonation method, is the beer still going to taste “young” due to lack of aging? If aging is still needed for optimum flavor, is there any advantage to forced carbonation at all, since priming will save on CO2?

By: Keith

Keith — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:11:46 +0000

Thanks keith

By: Larry

Larry — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 15:08:25 +0000

Rapidly chilling before serving is an interesting idea. I have never tried that. You’ll probably have to fiddle with the CO2 pressure and line length to get a good pour. I would under carbonate it somewhat just to avoid an overly frothy head. In theory when the beer is chilled, the carbonation level will rise, but the pressure is not being kept constant.

This chart is a nice graphical relationship between pressure and temperature for beer:
http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

By: Keith

Keith — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:28:13 +0000

Having a party and would like to dispense my corny through a cold plate. should I carbonate as per beer style using charts at room temp

By: Larry

Larry — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 05:36:18 +0000

Wow thanks for sharing Ed!

By: Ed C

Ed C — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:50:42 +0000

I have been sucessfully krausening my kegs for a few months now. I fill a 1.75 plastic Vodka bottle with wart that is settling from the grains after I fill my pot. It has some sugar and all the specialty grains that came from the grain bill. I add a half cup of DME to the unfrozen wort and cook it for a hour to make sure the sugars are blended and to sterilize it. After cooling I siphon a little yeast from the fermenter as I rack the green beer into the Corny Keg. I have made up a pressure gage for the keg and monitor the progress over the next five to six days. As the pressure indicates the C02 level is right for the beer style I place it in the Keezer. 24 hours later I tap. No need for co2 yet because there is plenty. You could releive the pressure to avoid high foam but it tasts so good I just drink it. By end of the day it settles down and later you may need to add a few pounds to the keg to push. This works best with Brown, Porter and Stouts because it will raise the ABV a tad and may/has affected flavors of IPA’s. This is only a outline. Care should be taken to know how much suger is needed to keep the beer from changing too much. Only add the mixture to the Keg after there is obvious fermentation. Like making a starter the number of cells will carbonate faster. Everything must be sterle.

By: Larry

Larry — Fri, 20 May 2011 04:37:54 +0000

I never thought of keeping kegged beer at room temperature. I wonder, would that lead to stability problems?

As for the CO2 level, I’d have to play with it. My guess is, because of the fountain style dispenser, its going to splash and foam a ton as you pour it. I’d keep the carbonation low.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 20 May 2011 01:34:55 +0000

Here’s a curveball: I have scored an old 4-tap Pepsi fountain. The Corny kegs will be kept at room temp, the beer is chilled in the lines as it is dispensed. How should I adjust carbonation?