Aging Beer

[Thunderlips]

I know a lot of people like to age their beer for weeks or even months in the bottle but I'm curious as to how people with kegs age their beer.
I've just started using kegs and for my last brew I cold conditioned it for a week (too short I know but I was beerless and desperate) and then transferred it to the keg and gassed it up and it turned out pretty good. What are others with kegs doing?

 

[Kai]

I don't have a keg thunderlips but one possible option is to age it in a secondary vessel like a cube or jerry or just a fermenter. Keeps the keg free for dispensing goodness.

 

[Thunderlips]

Thanks Kai. Do you reckon it would be better to cold condition it or just leave it in a corner for a few weeks at room temp?

 

[jayse]

Hi thunderlips,
What your doing sounds fine, with most average gravity ales there is no need to condition for very long at all, mine go in the keg as soon as the yeast clears.
Cold conditioning ales does not need to be for a long time at all one week is good even less is fine, this is about the norm, cold conditioning of ales is for no other purpose than to get the yeast the 'floc' out of there.
To answer your question 're just leave it at room temp, this is also quite fine and what is ussually the case with most ales, as long as the room temp is below 18c.

If the yeast hasn't cleared after 3 weeks from when you first pitched it then chances are it isn't going to clear a hell of a lot more before you drink it all, I leave my beer in the primary at room temp for a extra week or two at room temp after the fermention has finished and ussually it is clear by then and ready for the keg.
In my opinion the type of beers iam talking about here don't need very long at all before you drink them, just long enough to become clear.

Happy kegging.
Jayse

 

[jgriffin]

I agree with Jayse. Most of my ales only need a week or two after primary, then just cc them for a day or so to knock some more yeast out, and keg it up.
I reckon beer in a jerry ages heaps quicker than in the bottle.

 

[Bobby]

larger volumes mature faster than smaller volumes.

 

[Batz]

I CC my ales for a least a week somes two , usually they sit there waiting for an empty keg , I nomally have 2-3 brews in CC
Although they may not need long in CC it won't hurt them to sit there for a while either , it does clear them up nicely

Batz

 

[jgriffin]

larger volumes mature faster than smaller volumes.

Yeah i've read that before. I wonder how much of a factor it really is - you hear of commercial brewers lagering for a matter of days. Thats a hell of a lot shorter than weeks.