POLL: Do you keg?

[peteru]

You can age your beers at fridge temperature if you are not expecting them to carbonate using fermentation. If you have the means to force carbonate and spare taps, you might as well hook it all up and then you can "monitor" the flavour development. After a while, you will get a feel for how long between kegging and optimal drinking window.

 

[Beamer]

Personally switching to kegs was the best move I made, I like the fact I can keg two 22L batches in a morning before I have to work where as with bottles it would be the morning of the day off bottling.

 

[BKBrews]

So beers still age in kegs at room temp? Why is it recommended to put bottled beer in a cupboard to age then? Or is that purely to get carbonation?

 

[Rocker1986]

It's only recommended to leave bottled beer in a cupboard or wherever at warm temps for about 2-3 weeks for the carbonation phase. After that's done they can be refrigerated for as long as you like.

I wish I had a spare fridge. At the moment I keg my beers and then give them a short hit of gas to purge and fill the headspace, then they just sit around in the brewery area untl the time comes to put them on tap. I'd rather be able to keep them stored cold, but it's still better than bottling entire batches. They do seem to be better once on tap after this short period of sitting around, than they were when they just went straight on tap after being filled though.

 

[BKBrews]

Cool - that answers it - thanks. My plan is to have two tapped with one conditioning in the fridge. When one of the two blows, I'll tap the 3rd and do a brew day. Not a massive drinker (more of a weekend hobby!).

 

[Rocker1986]

I was gonna do something similar to that, but it never worked out very well. Now I just throw three full kegs in at the same time and then brew and fill three more while those ones are on tap. Usually I have the next three ready before the last of the previous three are emptied. When one empties I just chuck in some soda water to use with cordials until the next three beer kegs are ready to go in.

 

[Grott]

As you don't have a spare fridge I assume you force carb once the replacement keg has cooled down? I'm lucky in having a mini fridge which holds 2 kegs (remember I brew to 9.5l & 12l keg "sets"), once chilled I force carb so they are ready when needed to be transferred to main fridge and taps.
cheers

 

[Rocker1986]

I keg them cold straight out of being cold crashed in the FV, and then let them sit on gas on the spare line for an hour or two just to get a little in there, then they sit next to the brew fridge until space is available. When it's time, the three full kegs go into the kegerator and are left on gas at about 45 PSI for around 20-22 hours. After this, the gas disconnects are removed and the kegs left to sit for another day before being burped and hooked up at normal serving pressure, at which point the beer lines are hooked up as well.

I know it's probably not the best practice to let them warm up then chill them down again but I don't have much alternative at the moment unfortunately. One day I'll get a small spare fridge to use as a keg storage fridge.

 

[Denobrew]

I keg, mainly dispense from 50 liter commercial kegs. I lost too many bottles of CO2 from dodgy ball lock posts. I still have a few cornys that I use for lagering and single batches. I bottle from the keg and give a lot of beer away.

 

[LAGERFRENZY]

Popping the keg cherry this weekend with just a couple of cornies with Pluto guns and hoping to have those joined by 2x5 litre Minikegs that are sailing over. Pretty sure the slippery slope will not just end there though.

Anyone in Brisbane who needs some PET bottles just PM me from time to time as I will be giving them away as they get emptied. They will be well rinsed but NEVER EVER cleaned or sanitised again.

 

[Nullnvoid]

They will be well rinsed but NEVER EVER cleaned or sanitised again.

Is that a stipulation of people taking them . They must never be cleaned or sanitised? Hahaha

 

[LAGERFRENZY]

Peeps can do whatever they like with them after they leave my abode. I have taken the oath never to wield a bottle brush ever again so long as I draw breath...

 

[pajs]

Only bottles for me. Find it easier for handling the large number of tiny batch beers I make, and keeping the drinking sensible. Don't mind bottling really. Almost as meditative as cleaning.

 

[Rocker1986]

I find it interesting that so many people think that having kegs means you drink more beer. While that may be the case initially due to the novelty factor and the desire to keep "making sure it's pouring properly", once that wears off, for me at least I just went back to normal. I certainly don't drink any more than I did when I was bottling everything.

 

[BKBrews]

I find it interesting that so many people think that having kegs means you drink more beer. While that may be the case initially due to the novelty factor and the desire to keep "making sure it's pouring properly", once that wears off, for me at least I just went back to normal. I certainly don't drink anyway more than I did when I was bottling everything.

I'm sure that will be part of it once I'm up and running - I'll be wanting to just pour a beer constantly. But when I go back to normal, it will take me a while to get through a keg. Probably drink less than a 6 pack per week (normally all on the weekend) unless I am at a party or something. So let's say 1.5L per week on average - that's 12 weeks or 3 months per keg. I'm more looking forward to sharing it I think and the brewing side of things.

 

[LAGERFRENZY]

I quite often felt obligated to finish the last of a PET bottle just so that I could give it a good rinse out and have it tidied up for the next brew day. Remembered the same sensation in the bad old days when I was a smoker - sometimes I would just light another one to help fill up the last couple of minutes of a smoko break. We are indeed all strange creatures with our habits.