Ageing in keg - how long?

[trustyrusty]

Hi
Ok there are probably 100 answers to this, and everyone has a different method. A hbs told someone to put in fridge straight out of fermenter and gas it.
I personally like to leave it age at least a week,(if in a hurry) but I know it improves in a bottle but what is everyone’s preference.
Do you put straight in fridge or age. I have had beers in bottles for years and got better, especially black beer . Keg should be no different. I would think it needs 14 days before any cold crashing.

Do any of you cold crash in fridge before kegging? I know AG brewers will be racking before fermenting. But I’m talking about general kit and kilo brewing.

 

[raturay]

I don't rack my all grain but cold crash at the end of the ferment and then straight to the keg. To answer your question "Do you put straight in fridge or age" - yes, both. In the fridge and leave as long as possible most times. Sometimes on gas and sometimes not. Depends on what's happening in the kegerator. I always think that the last say quarter of the keg is the best so ageing certainly helps with mine. Currently have a Robinsons Old Tom British dark ale brewed June last year. It was a struggle leaving it this long but is worth the wait!

 

[Lix]

I do the same - keg and into the kegerator to mature and gas up (starting to think I need another kegerator). How long I leave it before I start on the contents varies with the beer, my house pale ale 2 weeks and it peaks at about 6; lagers I leave for 5 and it peaks around 10 (I have never managed to leave it that long before tapping into it); belgians leave for around 4 weeks and it peaks around 8.

Alex

 

[ckirtley]

Linking this to the Bia Hoi thread, I think Bia Hoi is ready as soon as fermentation is finished - that's why they call it "fresh beer", I think. I basically do the same thing - brew in the keg with spunding, and serve from there (no racking to another vessel). I usually wait a bit longer but I could drink it immediately (around 5 days from pitching).

 

[trustyrusty]

Linking this to the Bia Hoi thread, I think Bia Hoi is ready as soon as fermentation is finished - that's why they call it "fresh beer", I think. I basically do the same thing - brew in the keg with spunding, and serve from there (no racking to another vessel). I usually wait a bit longer but I could drink it immediately (around 5 days from pitching