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Date: 14 Sep 2006 04:47:21
From: Jeff
Subject: Keg or bottle by style
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I now have a keg setup and have used it for 2 batches of beer now with
very few problems. The batches so far were both lighter wheat ales
designed for quick consumption.
I have a Berliner Weiss and a Cherry Wheat in secondary that are just
about ready, and I'm probably going to keg those as well. Next batch is
going to be either a Robust Porter, Stout, or Imperial Stout (haven't
decided yet) but either way, these are beers that I think will
generally benefit from aging about 6 months in the bottle.
Will beer age in a keg just as well as a bottle, or should I plan on
bottling when I make beers that lend themselves to extended aging? Does
anyone keg barley wines and let them age out for multiple years (trying
them every so often, of course)? Is there any special process to this?
Thanks,
--Jeff
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Date: 14 Sep 2006 09:31:26
From: Jeff
Subject: Re: Keg or bottle by style
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> > Beer ages differently in volume (some say faster, or better).
>
> On the other hand, some say it ages the same.
So I could put a Barley Wine in a keg, let it sit for 2 years, tap it
for a Christmas gathering, put it back into storage for another year,
and do it again every Christmas until it's gone, correct? Or is this
pushing my luck in some way and it would be better to just bottle it?
--Jeff
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Date: 14 Sep 2006 17:07:31
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Keg or bottle by style
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On 14 Sep 2006 09:31:26 -0700, <jjhenze@gmail.com > wrote:
>> > Beer ages differently in volume (some say faster, or better).
>>
>> On the other hand, some say it ages the same.
>
> So I could put a Barley Wine in a keg, let it sit for 2 years, tap it
> for a Christmas gathering, put it back into storage for another year,
> and do it again every Christmas until it's gone, correct? Or is this
> pushing my luck in some way and it would be better to just bottle it?
IMO, that would work.
John.
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Date: 14 Sep 2006 14:45:16
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Keg or bottle by style
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On 14 Sep 2006 04:47:21 -0700, <jjhenze@gmail.com > wrote:
> Will beer age in a keg just as well as a bottle, or should I plan on
> bottling when I make beers that lend themselves to extended aging? Does
> anyone keg barley wines and let them age out for multiple years (trying
> them every so often, of course)? Is there any special process to this?
Aging works just fine in the keg. I keg all my beers now, even ones that
I want to do extended aging on. Just think of the keg as one big bottle.
I even keg meads, which generally spend several years in the keg before
I finish them.
The only thing special you want to do is make sure that the keg keeps
positive internal pressure, since that is what keeps the lid sealed.
The easiest way to do that with beer is to carbonate them first, and
then age them. I would not recommend aging uncarbonated beer in a keg.
John.
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Date: 14 Sep 2006 05:38:50
From: GeoffT
Subject: Re: Keg or bottle by style
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Beer ages differently in volume (some say faster, or better). So, doing
an Imperial stout in a keg may be a good idea in theory - the only
problem is leaving a keg untouched for a year. It also gives you better
control over the carbonation, which can be unpredictable over time.
I would be tempted to try it if I had a large stock of kegs and some
willpower.
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Date: 14 Sep 2006 14:46:06
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Keg or bottle by style
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On 14 Sep 2006 05:38:50 -0700, <sonic_death_monkey@hotmail.com > wrote:
> Beer ages differently in volume (some say faster, or better).
On the other hand, some say it ages the same.
John.
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Date: 14 Sep 2006 09:00:03
From: Dan Logcher
Subject: Re: Keg or bottle by style
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GeoffT wrote:
> Beer ages differently in volume (some say faster, or better). So, doing
> an Imperial stout in a keg may be a good idea in theory - the only
> problem is leaving a keg untouched for a year. It also gives you better
> control over the carbonation, which can be unpredictable over time.
>
> I would be tempted to try it if I had a large stock of kegs and some
> willpower.
I've got 9 kegs and its doesn't seem like enough :)
I had three batches stacked up, but got busy over the
summer and fell behind. One going away party and a few
other events and its done.
I've got batch conditioning, and 3 gallons left from the
previous batch. I should take a vacation day during the
week just to brew. Heh.
--
Dan
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Date: 14 Sep 2006 14:53:09
From: Bill Riel
Subject: Re: Keg or bottle by style
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In article <1158234440.867173.325500@k70g2000cwa.googlegroups.com >,
jjhenze@gmail.com says...
> Will beer age in a keg just as well as a bottle, or should I plan on
> bottling when I make beers that lend themselves to extended aging?
Well, this is really up to you - my preference for big beers it to
bottle them. Partly, I don't like tying up a keg for 6 months to a year
or more, and secondly (I know I'm in the minority here), I find that
*my* mostly emptied kegs don't age as gracefully as my bottles.
Though I will say that I "found" a keg that was about a quarter full of
stout that was about a year and half old. It was actually pretty good,
showing some minor signs of oxidation, but nothing very unpleasant.
Otoh, my old bottles generally seem to stay a bit "fresher".
It's something that we've covered in rcb in the past, and most people
claim to not experience any difference between keg & bottle. But I
certainly do when they get old (especially if the keg isn't full).
--
Bill
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