Keg Conditioning

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Fingar

Keg Conditioning

Post by Fingar » Wed Mar 08, 2017 10:10 pm

Hi Folks,

I am just about to venture into the brave new world of kegging my ale after buying two AEB kegs from Malt Miller. I currently have a Patersbier which is ready for racking, which normally would have been bottled, but these kegs aren't just for decoration! The recipe is one of Greg Hughes' and says that this brew can be ready after about 3 weeks conditioning which seems a bit swift as I would normally give it 6 weeks, but Greg knows better than me!

How do you folks go about conditioning your beer? Would you put it straight into the keg and force carb or do you put into a conditioning barrel for a while then siphon into the keg? I'm hoping that dispensing straight from the FV into the keg is OK as I don't have any other barrels.

Typically, how long does a beer need to be conditioned in the keg or barrel; the same amount of time as a bottle conditioned beer? I appreciate that different beers require different conditioning times.

Cheers... Fingar

Fil
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Re: Keg Conditioning

Post by Fil » Wed Mar 08, 2017 11:05 pm

generally folk tend to condition in the keg with pressure, a 2ndary fermentor and an extra sediment drop will help minimise keg sediment but wont eliminate it.

and if not conditioning (and maturing) in a kegfridge or at the point of serving then allow a few days for sediment to settle after moving a keg prior to serving. Once settled you can expect a dirty first 1/4-1/2 pint depending on how much sediment you have and then as long as the keg remains undisturbed you should pour cleanly from then on..

Beer should mature nominally faster in a keg than in a bottle but its a subjective judgement as to when a beer is at it best.

I will sample a keg after a couple of weeks and take it from there myself ;)
ist update for months n months..
Fermnting: not a lot..
Conditioning: nowt
Maturing: Challenger smash, and a kit lager
Drinking: dry one minikeg left in the store
Coming Soon Lots planned for the near future nowt for the immediate :(

Fingar

Re: Keg Conditioning

Post by Fingar » Sat Mar 11, 2017 8:33 am

Thanks Fil... that sounds like music to my ears!

Cheers... Fingar

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IPA
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Re: Keg Conditioning

Post by IPA » Sat Mar 11, 2017 9:02 am

Fingar wrote:Thanks Fil... that sounds like music to my ears!

Cheers... Fingar
I agree completely with Fil. I would just add two points. Make sure that the real FG has been reached before kegging and if you are priming rather than forcing do not over prime. If your beer is over carbonated all you will get out of the tap is foam. You can get away with highly carbonated beer in bottles but not in kegs and before someone says that you can correct this with longer/smaller diameter pipe lengths it is far better to get it right in the first place. To judge if your level of co2 is correct the next time you open a bottle listen. Did it "pop"? If so ask yourself if you have ever heard a bottle of commercial beer make that noise. I guess not because no matter what type of beer the sound will always be just a slight "hiss" As a guide I recommend you start by priming with 2.5 grams of sugar per litre.
"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on." Dean Martin

1. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... "f*ck, what a trip

It's better to lose time with friends than to lose friends with time (Portuguese proverb)

Alone we travel faster
Together we travel further
( In an admonishing email from our golf club)

Halfacrem
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Re: Keg Conditioning

Post by Halfacrem » Sat Mar 11, 2017 12:17 pm

I'm just starting the journey into Corny kegs. I kegged a batch yesterday, which was primed and is currently conditioning in the keg. I got myself a spunding valve' which acts as a blow off valve for extra pressure. As this is my first use, I can't vouch for it as yet. I'm sure it will take a little getting used to for perfect carbonation, but I'm hoping it will help to stop over carbonation in the keg.

It's nice to see the pressure building up in the keg, so at least I know it isn't leaking.

http://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/index.ph ... ductId=804

Fil
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Re: Keg Conditioning

Post by Fil » Sat Mar 11, 2017 9:48 pm

might be easier to google for a priming charge calculator online ( is there one in jims tools and calculators??)

then you can simply add enough sugar to condition the brew to your taste without the need of such a valve..

An Over conditioned isnt a big problem either. the solution is a few shake and vent repetitions to vent off the excess condition, if naturally conditioning however you can expect a bit more sediment which gets disturberd when a shake n vent ocours ;)
ist update for months n months..
Fermnting: not a lot..
Conditioning: nowt
Maturing: Challenger smash, and a kit lager
Drinking: dry one minikeg left in the store
Coming Soon Lots planned for the near future nowt for the immediate :(

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IPA
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Location: France Gascony

Re: Keg Conditioning

Post by IPA » Sun Mar 12, 2017 9:13 am

Fil wrote:might be easier to google for a priming charge calculator online ( is there one in jims tools and calculators??)

then you can simply add enough sugar to condition the brew to your taste without the need of such a valve..

An Over conditioned isnt a big problem either. the solution is a few shake and vent repetitions to vent off the excess condition, if naturally conditioning however you can expect a bit more sediment which gets disturberd when a shake n vent ocours ;)
The problem with online priming calculators is that they designed for bottled beer and because they are American or Australian the result is over carbonated. A good example is the recommended level for a Belgian Wit. As I said before buy a Wit, Blanche de Namur for example, and listen when you remove the cap.
"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on." Dean Martin

1. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... "f*ck, what a trip

It's better to lose time with friends than to lose friends with time (Portuguese proverb)

Alone we travel faster
Together we travel further
( In an admonishing email from our golf club)

Fingar

Re: Keg Conditioning

Post by Fingar » Mon Mar 13, 2017 7:06 pm

My approach to kegging was to force carb... never thought about priming, but this seems like one more unnecessary step, but I'm sure, being the novice in this area, that there is a valid reason for doing it.

Cheers... Fingar

BenB

Re: Keg Conditioning

Post by BenB » Mon Mar 13, 2017 7:37 pm

It's a nice pint that Patersbier. Not that complex but refreshing nonetheless, can do with quite a high carbonation level of course...

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alexlark
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Re: Keg Conditioning

Post by alexlark » Mon Mar 13, 2017 7:37 pm

Yea, force carb all the way. 30/35 PSI for 24/48 hours then down to serving pressure and sample. The colder you can get your keg, the faster it will carb. Handy in the summer when you kick a keg and want to turn another round quickly.

Troutman47
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Re: Keg Conditioning

Post by Troutman47 » Sat Apr 22, 2017 5:18 pm

Fil wrote:might be easier to google for a priming charge calculator online ( is there one in jims tools and calculators??)

then you can simply add enough sugar to condition the brew to your taste without the need of such a valve..

An Over conditioned isnt a big problem either. the solution is a few shake and vent repetitions to vent off the excess condition, if naturally conditioning however you can expect a bit more sediment which gets disturberd when a shake n vent ocours ;)
Got this from a Craig tube video.

http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

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