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Date: 18 Aug 2006 09:28:29
From: Don Levey
Subject: Secondary v. Kegging
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When I don't sleep, I start to think, and that starts to cause me
problems. For example, last night I started to think about the brown
ale I have in secondary, and when I can put it in the keg.
My understanding of the purpose of the secondary is to finish the
fermenting process, to allow the yeasts to clean up after themselves,
while getting the beer off of the majority of the trub. I've also
been told there's some aging going on as well.
But if I'm going to put this in a keg, why can't these things happen
there? My previous experience with kegging is that there's always
a bit of sediment that happens (and gets decanted with the first pint).
Is there any reason wny I want to leave my beer in secondary for two
weeks before I keg?
--
Don Levey $ cd /pub
Framingham, MA $ more beer
NOTE: email server uses spam filters; mail sent to salearn@the-leveys.us
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Date: 18 Aug 2006 08:25:11
From: Pj
Subject: Re: Secondary v. Kegging
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Don Levey wrote:
> But if I'm going to put this in a keg, why can't these things happen
> there? My previous experience with kegging is that there's always
> a bit of sediment that happens (and gets decanted with the first pint).
> Is there any reason wny I want to leave my beer in secondary for two
> weeks before I keg?
> --
Don ---- when we make as good beer as you and I who the hell can be
patient, as John suggest. :-)
I never use secondary; just pour the wort off the trub before it goes
into the fermenter and after 6 or 7 days, depending on how thirsty I
am, I keg. Slosh it around for 10-15 min. at 30lbs, cut the pressure
to 10lbs and drink. After a week or so it gets really good. It a
month it's all gone and we can kiss that baby goodbye; the friends and
relatives that didn't get a taste can KMA. :-) !!
Happy brewing and best of luck,
Pj
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Date: 18 Aug 2006 14:52:12
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Secondary v. Kegging
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On 18 Aug 2006 09:28:29 -0400, <Don_RCB@the-leveys.us > wrote:
> When I don't sleep, I start to think, and that starts to cause me
> problems. For example, last night I started to think about the brown
> ale I have in secondary, and when I can put it in the keg.
>
> My understanding of the purpose of the secondary is to finish the
> fermenting process, to allow the yeasts to clean up after themselves,
> while getting the beer off of the majority of the trub. I've also
> been told there's some aging going on as well.
Also clearing of the beer.
> But if I'm going to put this in a keg, why can't these things happen
> there? My previous experience with kegging is that there's always
> a bit of sediment that happens (and gets decanted with the first pint).
> Is there any reason wny I want to leave my beer in secondary for two
> weeks before I keg?
As long as fermentation is complete, you can keg anytime you want (although
it's less critical than it is with bottles, it'll still mess with your
carbonation levels if you keg while the yeast are still fermenting). I like
to let it clear in the secondary first though, that way I don't end up
with the sediment in the bottom of the keg.
Regarding aging (yeast cleaning up after themselves is part of aging), that
can happen anywhere. The only difference between letting it happen in
the secondary vs keg, is that it's less tempting to start drinking the beer
early if you let it age some before kegging. It's a convenient way to force
yourself to be a little patient.
John.
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Date: 18 Aug 2006 12:07:47
From: Don Levey
Subject: Re: Secondary v. Kegging
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John 'Shaggy' Kolesar <spam@shagg.net > writes:
> On 18 Aug 2006 09:28:29 -0400, <Don_RCB@the-leveys.us> wrote:
> > When I don't sleep, I start to think, and that starts to cause me
> > problems. For example, last night I started to think about the brown
> > ale I have in secondary, and when I can put it in the keg.
> >...
>
> Regarding aging (yeast cleaning up after themselves is part of aging), that
> can happen anywhere. The only difference between letting it happen in
> the secondary vs keg, is that it's less tempting to start drinking the beer
> early if you let it age some before kegging. It's a convenient way to force
> yourself to be a little patient.
>
Ah, perhaps the most important part! That'll be tough. I'm OK taking
a glass or so of cloudy beer, if it makes the rest of the process a
little easier. And storing the keg for aging is a bit easier, too.
Thanks!
--
Don Levey $ cd /pub
Framingham, MA $ more beer
NOTE: email server uses spam filters; mail sent to salearn@the-leveys.us
will be used to tune the blocking lists.
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Date: 18 Aug 2006 13:18:59
From: Dan Logcher
Subject: Re: Secondary v. Kegging
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Don Levey wrote:
> John 'Shaggy' Kolesar <spam@shagg.net> writes:
>
>
>>On 18 Aug 2006 09:28:29 -0400, <Don_RCB@the-leveys.us> wrote:
>>
>>>When I don't sleep, I start to think, and that starts to cause me
>>>problems. For example, last night I started to think about the brown
>>>ale I have in secondary, and when I can put it in the keg.
>>>...
>>
>>Regarding aging (yeast cleaning up after themselves is part of aging), that
>>can happen anywhere. The only difference between letting it happen in
>>the secondary vs keg, is that it's less tempting to start drinking the beer
>>early if you let it age some before kegging. It's a convenient way to force
>>yourself to be a little patient.
>>
>
> Ah, perhaps the most important part! That'll be tough. I'm OK taking
> a glass or so of cloudy beer, if it makes the rest of the process a
> little easier. And storing the keg for aging is a bit easier, too.
> Thanks!
One less thing to rack to and from, one less thing to clean, but a clearer
beer that's for sure. And if you dry hop, you won't want to do that in the
keg unless you have a hopbag tied off somehow.
--
Dan
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Date: 18 Aug 2006 23:57:45
From: Scott Sellers
Subject: Re: Secondary v. Kegging
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Dan Logcher <dlogcher*xspam*@comcast.net >:
>Don Levey wrote:
>> John 'Shaggy' Kolesar <spam@shagg.net> writes:
>>
>>
>>>On 18 Aug 2006 09:28:29 -0400, <Don_RCB@the-leveys.us> wrote:
>>>
>>>>When I don't sleep, I start to think, and that starts to
>>>>cause me problems. For example, last night I started to
>>>>think about the brown ale I have in secondary, and when I can
>>>>put it in the keg. ...
>>>
>>>Regarding aging (yeast cleaning up after themselves is part of
>>>aging), that can happen anywhere. The only difference between
>>>letting it happen in the secondary vs keg, is that it's less
>>>tempting to start drinking the beer early if you let it age
>>>some before kegging. It's a convenient way to force yourself
>>>to be a little patient.
>>>
>>
>> Ah, perhaps the most important part! That'll be tough. I'm
>> OK taking a glass or so of cloudy beer, if it makes the rest
>> of the process a little easier. And storing the keg for aging
>> is a bit easier, too. Thanks!
>One less thing to rack to and from, one less thing to clean, but
>a clearer beer that's for sure. And if you dry hop, you won't
>want to do that in the keg unless you have a hopbag tied off
>somehow.
A nylon paint strainer makes a fine hop bag for use in a keg, if
you dry hop with whole hops. I just tie it off with a bit of
copper wire, and let it float. This wouldn't work with pellets;
the mesh is too coarse.
As far as yeast/trub sediment in the keg, IME it settles out
pretty hard. I usually go for a long primary, though, so that
might be a difference.
Scott S
--
Scott Sellers
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Date: 18 Aug 2006 09:20:35
From: Mark R
Subject: Re: Secondary v. Kegging
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"Don Levey" <Don_RCB@the-leveys.us > wrote in message
>
> But if I'm going to put this in a keg, why can't these things happen
> there? My previous experience with kegging is that there's always
> a bit of sediment that happens (and gets decanted with the first pint).
> Is there any reason wny I want to leave my beer in secondary for two
> weeks before I keg?
More sediment will drop out before kegging so less sediment worries in keg.
Even more so if you can chill your secondary just before kegging.
Mark R
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Date: 18 Aug 2006 10:30:57
From: Dan Logcher
Subject: Re: Secondary v. Kegging
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Don Levey wrote:
> When I don't sleep, I start to think, and that starts to cause me
> problems. For example, last night I started to think about the brown
> ale I have in secondary, and when I can put it in the keg.
>
> My understanding of the purpose of the secondary is to finish the
> fermenting process, to allow the yeasts to clean up after themselves,
> while getting the beer off of the majority of the trub. I've also
> been told there's some aging going on as well.
>
> But if I'm going to put this in a keg, why can't these things happen
> there? My previous experience with kegging is that there's always
> a bit of sediment that happens (and gets decanted with the first pint).
> Is there any reason wny I want to leave my beer in secondary for two
> weeks before I keg?
Unless you are going to transfer from the secondary keg to the serving
keg, you'll have all that settled yeast and trub coming out in the first
few glasses. Probably not too big of a deal, but I like to have clear
beer through and through. I like using glass carboy for secondary so I
can see how much gunk has formed. I also dry hop with plugs for whole
flowers which helps filter when racking to keg.
--
Dan
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