Kegging Question from New Guy

[Mike]

New Guy here (again). I have my very first batch (a Newcastle clone) fermenting right now. I intend to Keg my beer when finished and have a "newbie" question.
I keep reading in various beer kit reviews about how the taste usually improves with age the longer it's in the bottles but what about kegs? does the same hold true there also?. I was planning on force carbonating and drinkin' it ASAP !! don't know if I can wait weeks. I was hoping some of the experienced brewers can tell me what's up?

Thanks much,

Mike

[brahn]

IMO, the exception to brew captain's general rule is any hoppy beer. They should really be consumed quickly even if it's dark and strong. Otherwise, it's a good general rule. Try it for a few batches and you'll get a feel for when you like it best. The only things I really take any time to age specifically are big-ish beers (say 8%+), beers that need to be lagered, and beers where I'm using brettanomyces.

[lexuschris]

Welcome to the boards Mike!

I am amazed at how a few extra weeks can improve a beer, or even take the edge off some otherwise 'strong' flavors in a particular batch. I usually sneak my 1st bottle/pint @ 4 weeks after bottling/kegging. Then I try to wait another 4 weeks. (I don't always make it)

If you have the keg hooked up to the tap during this stage, then you can always sample a little bit each week to get a feel for how it changes over time. Like Brew Captain said, they aren't bad early ... but generally, they do improve over the 1st dozen weeks.

My extra rule of thumb to add is for any beer with spices in the receipe: nutmeg, cinnamon, all-spice, corriander, etc. Generally, those spice flavors will be very present and strong/sharp in the first few months. I think those come into their prime after 6+ months... the spice sharpness mellows and blends with the overall beer.

So try one after a few weeks, and see how it goes! Good luck & happy brewing!

--LexusChris

[JonGoku]

Welcome to the boards Mike. There's not much to add to whats already been posted, but as Chris pointed out, if you're kegging, you can always take sips along the way without having to "waste a bottle" just to find out it's still a little green.

The key thing to remember is to make sure you bring some to the club meeting

Cheers!

[Mike]

Thanks all, looks like i'm gunna let it age it for awhile. Here's (hopefully) my last question.
I've been fermenting outside in a converted freezer with digital temp control. This same freezer
will also have to store my finished keg.(s) I don't have a Kegerator and yes, you guessed
it, the wife doesn't want all this beer making stuff in the house so I agreed to keep is outside.
Question is......can I also keep the co-2 tank inside my converted freezer or should I store it
outside and drill yet ANOTHER hole in it? I've heard conflicting opinions on this. Almost every
picture I see of someones converted refer/kegerator shows the co2 bottle "inside". What's your
take on this ??

Thank you,
Mike

[JonGoku]

The Co2 can go either inside or out. Physics does apply though and at colder temperatures the same amount of gas (Co2) inside the tank will produce less pressure. In other words you would need to refill your tank slightly more often. Other than that it's just a matter of how you want the project to look. If a tank on the outside really bothers you, and you don't mind losing however much space it would take up on the inside, put it inside. If you really need the space on the inside or if you want to get the most bang for the buck from your Co2 tank, put it on the outside.

Cheers!

[maltbarley]

In other words you would need to refill your tank slightly more often.

The amount of CO2 being discussed here is so minuscule it's not worth talking about.

[Mike]

Again, Thank you all............you're helping more than you know.

Mike

[bwarbiany]

There's another piece to the puzzle that nobody has yet discussed -- clarity.

One of the advantages to using kegs is that you get carbonated beer very quickly. However, depending on your racking method, whether you use a secondary fermentation chamber (or dump the trub from a conical), and to what extent you use fining agents, clarity CAN affect taste.

When you cool and carbonate a keg without using fining agents, the cold temps help to precipitate particulates over time. You get a good amount down in the first few days, but I think on most of my beers it's taken a good 2-3 weeks before the beer really starts coming out bright and with the flavor profile of a bright clarified beer.

When I've cooled and carbonated with gelatin as a fining agent, the particulates seem to pretty well crash in the first 2 days. By the time you get to 4 days in the keg, the beer comes out clear and bright, and those particulates which affect taste are gone as well.

Other folks may disagree, but I'm very much sold on the use of fining agents, and in my experience they make the beer taste better more quickly than not using them. Then again, my racking procedures aren't phenomenal, and I typically ferment in one container (without really ever getting rid of the trub), so I probably get more particulates into the keg than most folks.

[backyard brewer]

In other words you would need to refill your tank slightly more often.

The amount of CO2 being discussed here is so minuscule it's not worth talking about.

Agreed. You probably lose way more gas than that just disconnecting the hose from an empty keg.

[JonGoku]

In other words you would need to refill your tank slightly more often.

The amount of CO2 being discussed here is so minuscule it's not worth talking about.

Agreed. You probably lose way more gas than that just disconnecting the hose from an empty keg.

Interesting. I did not know there were was so many meanings to the term "slightly". Anyways, I believe you have gotten the point. So Mike, what have you decided to do with your freezer?