Quick kegging question

[Marty_G]

I make brew for my son in-law and he loves it so much he is making himself a keg fridge rather than me bottling for him... so quick question how long after kegging will an Ale be ready to drink and when will it be at its best .. my impression is kegs do not condition as well  as bottles ...  next step is teaching him how to brew ... finally what is the best carbonation pressurisation regime and serving pressure ...  thanks

 

 

[Greenyinthewestofsydney]

Q: How long will an ale be ready to drink and when will it be at its best

A: Depends what sort of ale. If your talking a hoppy pale ale for example you can drink it as soon as ita carbed up but in my opinion at its best about the 2-3 week mark. Different styles of ales i would give you a different answer.

Q: Kegs do not condition as well as bottles. 

A: i think a keg conditions faster with the higher volume. But i dont see any difference in quality.

Q: carb methods

A: many ways to skin a cat.

fastest - rock and roll method. Did it once. Overcarbed it. Wont do it again.

Fast - 24 hours on 60 PSI i found is about right to get a nice carb in 24 hours. Have overcarbed with this method though when i got home from work a couple of hours late.

Moderate - 48 hours on 45 PSI. I use this one a bit.

Slowest and best - leave it on 12 PSI (serving temp) for a week or so. Conditions the beer and also no chance of an overcarb. I try to do this for every lager. Try being the operative word.

Natural method - put sugar in the keg and let it carb itself at room temp for a week and a bit. Use half the normal for a bottling rate. I use this for saisons and belgians if i keg them. Ocassionally a coopers type knockoff beer too.

 

[Otto Von Blotto]

Kegs condition faster and for me personally they taste better being carbonated through the gas cylinder. I usually like to leave them a couple of weeks or so before tapping them but it doesn't always work out that way. 

Carbonation can be done quickly or over a longer period of time by setting the regulator to serving pressure and leaving it for a week or two. It doesn't really matter which method you use, it ends up the same anyway. Serving pressure depends on a few factors. Line length and inner diameter, desired carbonation level, and the temperature the beer will sit at. 10-12psi usually works in most instances though.