Conditioning - Bottle Vs. Keg

[Scruffy]

Random - I'm using Chrome.

I've still got cursor control

Edit: Ahh yeah that's a god damn good beer. It's in my top 10.

Yup - Chrome works!!! - see me able to type after the quote?!!

Just Firefox 3.6 then, eh?

 

[Scruffy]

Yup - Chrome works!!! - see me able to type after the quote?!!

Just Firefox 3.6 then, eh?

Opera too...




Mods - you can delete these little test witterings if you desire - I'll just nip over to the feedback area... Ta!

 

[waggastew]

Google Chrome vs. Conditioning Time, who would have thought hey?

Thanks for the opinions re: kegs vs bottles. I too will be bottling for the foreseeable future, I don't drink enough to warrant running a keg.

Next brew will be an IPA of sorts while waiting for the cooler weather to have a bash at a genuine (Saflag yeast, 10degC ferm temp) lager. I might try and do the Manticle time lapse tasting over the next few months. If I identify a sweet spot I will record it and time future batches accordingly.

Cheers

 

[jetfoley]

In summary;
Nah they mature at about the same rate.
And you don't have to wait a full 2 months before cracking your first beer, wait about 3 weeks and try not to drink the lot before at least 1 month of conditioning. Save some for a couple of months.

 

[Uncle Fester]

I currently have an amarillo ale in the fermenter which will be my first keg conditioned beer.

This idea was seeded after I drank a stubby of a beer I did 3 months ago. The crash carbonated keg was very drinkable. The stubby which was bottle conditioned was magnificent.


If this is result consistent, then I will naturally carb/condition kegs outside the fridge in the future, with the exception of wheats, which go straight on tap from the cold conditioning cube.

My only concern is the sanitation of the keg. Lots of places in there for nasties to hide.



Fester Out.

 

[Aus_Rider_22]

This idea was seeded after I drank a stubby of a beer I did 3 months ago. The crash carbonated keg was very drinkable. The stubby which was bottle conditioned was magnificent.


If this is result consistent, then I will naturally carb/condition kegs outside the fridge in the future, with the exception of wheats, which go straight on tap from the cold conditioning cube.

Pretty much exactly the same this way. My first 2 kegs were great, I was happy to have beer that poured how I wanted it, but the taste of it vs 1.5-2month old bottles was amazing.

I will be racking to kegs from now, couple blasts of co2, sealing them up and leaving in my shed for a month then fridging them!

My other option is racking them to secondary for a month, then onto the keg. This would probably result in clearer beers but I have yet to try it.

 

[raven19]

Often however I read about people who have kegged there beers drinking them a shorter time (1 week?) after kegging. Some of these have been lagers that have been cold conditioning but other seem to be ales etc. Does beer condition faster in kegs? Does the forced carbonation accelerate conditioning? I realise the CO2 means no 2nd ferm but if thats all its doing then why wait 2 months for bottles if they pretty well carbonate in about 7 days?

I am not planning on leaping into the kegging world yet. Its just the scientist in me is curious and the beer drinker in me is (a little bit) impatient!

:icon_offtopic: If you can, leap into kegging - you wont regret it!

Back on topic, throwing my 2c into the ring:

Wheat beers are meant to be consumed when green, so as soon as fermenting is complete get them into a keg, gas up and enjoy!

Conditioning - my understanding is a larger vessel is better for conditioning hence with a keg being bigger than a bottle, there is more yeasties in suspension to clean things up. (I could be wrong on this sentence though).

Force carbonation is usually done when the beer is cold to get it ready to drink at suitable carbonation levels, I see this as different to conditioning. In saying that, I have had a landlord change nicely over the period of a month or so when inside the keg fridge at 6 degrees, so yup even if its cold it will condition and improve (subject to beer type though!)

Adding CO2 will not stop secondary fermentation though, hence sometime stuck ferments if bottled can result in bombs when fermentation kicks off again.

CO2 just gives the beer a protective layer from oxidation and other nasties...

Hope this covers some of your Q's.

My other option is racking them to secondary for a month, then onto the keg. This would probably result in clearer beers but I have yet to try it.

You could gelatine and leave for a day or so in lieu of racking for a whole month. Works for me when I can be bothered! :icon_cheers:

 

[Pete2501]

Keg

• Can be forced carb'd
• Is bigger than a bottle
• You can take a bit out at a time (most of the time I find it's about a pints worth at a time)

Bottle

• Needs to be primed
• Isn't bigger than a keg.
• Once you pop you can't stop.

On a side note as many others have touched on. Long term storage is normally done in bottles. Also one of my favourite beers is bottled.

Korbinian :wub:

 

[TeeTwo]

I believe the beer a person enjoys can only be appreciated by them. I like a Bitter and strong malty flavoured beers aged or not whereas a friend of mine swears by the Carona style which tastes wish washy to me. He does not like my preference.

All beer IMHO should have some aging. I use the 1 2 3 method 1week in Fermenter, 2 weeks in the Secondary and 3 weeks in the bottle. Then I drink it. So my beer is a minimum of 5 weeks aging and a right good drop. I would have to sy that it is my beer.