Kegged Spicy Ghost

[randyrob]

Hello All,

recently kegged a K&K Cascade Spicy Ghost and started drinking it over the weekend,
it was terrible tasting very sulphery.I have heard from others that have made this kit several
times that when they bottle they leave it for several months (3-4) before it is drinkable and the
sulphery taste disappears.

will it mature in the keg at all like in the bottle? is there anything i can do at all besides watering the
plant with it?

many thanks Rob.

 

[Bazza]

Rob
How long has it been in the keg? If it tastes sulphury and its only been in for a couple of weeks you may need to leave it a few more.
ESB wheat kit is a good purchase too BTW.
Bazza

 

[randyrob]

Hey Bazza,

i only kegged it on saturday!? after attending the perth brew day i was inspired and figured it was
time i got a keg setup. this is my first keg i have done after reading many posts i figured i'd
just do the ross method of carbonationa and drink it the next day

so it is better to leave it in the keg for a few weeks before consuming? this will improve like
in the bottle?

Thanks Rob.

 

[andrewg]

Hey Bazza,

i only kegged it on saturday!? after attending the perth brew day i was inspired and figured it was
time i got a keg setup. this is my first keg i have done after reading many posts i figured i'd
just do the ross method of carbonationa and drink it the next day

so it is better to leave it in the keg for a few weeks before consuming? this will improve like
in the bottle?

Thanks Rob.

Leave it for 3 to 4 weeks then tap again - I'm tipping the improvement will be huge!
In general, depending on the style, I find kegged beers condition more rapidly than in the bottle and at 4 - 6 weeks they are clear and taste great. However sessional English ales (bitters, milds) and wheats (weizens, wits) are often good much earlier. This is related to the properties of the yeast used - English ale yeasts are often highly flocculant so that the beer can clear and condition quickly, whereas the reverse is true for wheat beers where the yeast stays in suspension and drives the flavour.
If you used the K&K yeast then 3-6 weeks conditioning and it should be fine.
cheers
HStB

 

[randyrob]

Hello HStB,

thats what i wanted to hear!
so in the future i should just burb the keg and leave it in the fridge for say a month, then carbonate and drink?

thanks again Rob.

 

[Bazza]

Rob
what I normally do is leave the beer in primary for a week after ferment has finished (cold, so it clears a bit), then keg it and force carbonate ('ross' method) at the same time. Then around 4-6 weeks later, depending on style, go for it.
Cheers
Bazza

 

[randyrob]

Hey Bazza,

i'll definitely give that a go next time, my LHBS guy recommended bulk priming and letting the keg naturally carbonate for a month before i put it in the fridge, he said once its in the fridge it will stop all its activity?
so i guess there is two schools of thought on this subject?

Thanks Rob.

 

[barls]

i do the natural carbonation in my keg mainly because it takes me a while to get around to drinking them. i have noticed that i get better head retention with this but that could just be me as well

 

[Bazza]

i do the natural carbonation in my keg mainly because it takes me a while to get around to drinking them. i have noticed that i get better head retention with this but that could just be me as well

me too, for some beers (but not lagers). Carbonation/bubbles seem to be smoother/fuller as well.

Bazza

 

[hughman666]

the spicy ghost was the only brew i have ever thrown out and that was an early kegging disaster. i have had some good experiences with this kit a while ago when it was bottled, but it took AGES to improve to the point where it was enjoyable to drink. of all the cascade kits, only the pale ale is a consistent performer in my opinion.

as for carbonation, i have to say that gas carbonation beats the primed carbonation. it just tastes cleaner and gives better head retention. i have heard figures like 1 week in the keg is equal to 4 weeks in the bottle and i would say that this is (generally) true. i dont force carbonate any more. i gas it at 15 psi and let it sit for a week before drinking although it improves in leaps and bounds by week2. week 3 is fantastic but that's where the keg usually runs out :angry:

 

[randyrob]

Hey Guys,

thanks for all the advice it has helped out quite a bit, ok here's what i have done
i had the beer split into 2 x post mix kegs originally and one was force carbonated
and tried on the weekend, it tasted quite bad so i've left that one in the fridge to
mature and pulled the other one out and bulk primed it to let it naturually carbonate.

i'll leave both for a month and compare the two and see which way i want to go
and let you know.

Cheers Rob.