I’m new to home brewing and kegging. I only started brewing 2 mths. ago and have one brew under my belt. It was only a 1 gallon batch so I quickly realized it was a lot of work for only 9-10 bottles of beer so I upgraded my home brew kit to the 5 gallon standard. I then realized I didn’t want to really be cleaning that many more bottles so I ended up buying a used kegerator I found online. I could go on about the great deal I got but rather than blab on I’ll just get straight to my question… What happens to the residual yeast (left at the bottom of bottles when you go that route) when you keg your home brew? I’ve done quite a bit of research on kegging and force carbonation, and read an article saying that by force carbonating it “doesn’t produce any yeast sediment”. Is this true? I would’ve thought the residual yeast would still be in the keg and that the carbonation would ultimately result in a slightly different tasting and clouded brew (cause of the yeast).
I appreciate any thoughts on my beast I mean yeast of a question.
Homebrewers have many ways of dealing with this. Personally speaking, for the last 27 years or so I have let my beers ferment out completely, cold aged them (sometimes fined with gelatin), racked bright to the kegs, and force carbonated there.
The result for me has been bright, clear beer from the very first pour to the very last (except perhaps for the last 4 ounces that gurgle out when the keg has ‘kicked’).
The way I do it definitely takes longer and requires a few extra steps, but I feel the finished beer benefits from this method since in the process it has also undergone proper aging.
But I do brew fairly often, so there is never a rush to begin consumption of any given batch.
I will admit that this method is not for brewers who are in a particular hurry (or those who like the green flavors in beer that is too fresh)…but to me the extra time and extra steps involved are well worth it.
And finished, clear, fully conditioned beer can easily be bottled from the keg if necessary.
[quote=“The Professor”]Homebrewers have many ways of dealing with this. Personally speaking, for the last 27 years or so I have let my beers ferment out completely, cold aged them (sometimes fined with gelatin), racked bright to the kegs, and force carbonated there.
The result for me has been bright, clear beer from the very first pour to the very last (except perhaps for the last 4 ounces that gurgle out when the keg has ‘kicked’).
The way I do it definitely takes longer and requires a few extra steps, but I feel the finished beer benefits from this method since in the process it has also undergone proper aging.
But I do brew fairly often, so there is never a rush to begin consumption of any given batch.
I will admit that this method is not for brewers who are in a particular hurry (or those who like the green flavors in beer that is too fresh)…but to me the extra time and extra steps involved are well worth it.
And finished, clear, fully conditioned beer can easily be bottled from the keg if necessary.[/quote]
How long are you cold aging for? The last batch I made was a Honey Porter. Here is the timeline I did. I am thinking I should have spent more time in the secondary before the cold crash and should I have cold crashed for longer.
Primary:14 days
Secondary before cold crash: 4 days
Cold crash and than keg: 9 days
Any advice would be great. I have a Maple Ale and what is called Brushfire Ale in the primaries right now that were brewed on Friday. With two kegs in the fridge, I don’t have to rush these ones.
[quote=“waxingdmoon”]I’m new to home brewing and kegging. I only started brewing 2 mths. ago and have one brew under my belt. It was only a 1 gallon batch so I quickly realized it was a lot of work for only 9-10 bottles of beer so I upgraded my home brew kit to the 5 gallon standard. I then realized I didn’t want to really be cleaning that many more bottles so I ended up buying a used kegerator I found online. I could go on about the great deal I got but rather than blab on I’ll just get straight to my question… What happens to the residual yeast (left at the bottom of bottles when you go that route) when you keg your home brew? I’ve done quite a bit of research on kegging and force carbonation, and read an article saying that by force carbonating it “doesn’t produce any yeast sediment”. Is this true? I would’ve thought the residual yeast would still be in the keg and that the carbonation would ultimately result in a slightly different tasting and clouded brew (cause of the yeast).
I appreciate any thoughts on my beast I mean yeast of a question.[/quote]
The yeast will settle out to the bottom and your first pint or two will have yeast after that your good.
Given enough time, regardless of what vessel the beer is in, the yeast will settle out and you’ll have brilliantly clear beer. When using a keg, there is no need to have active yeast to carbonate the beer, so there is no need to put yeasty beer in the keg.
If you use the professor’s method, you will let the beer ferment to completion in the primary, then transfer to a secondary for a long time until it is clear, then keg. My method is similar, except I skip the secondary and let it clear in the keg. The only difference between these is that the professor’s kegs are sediment free, while mine have a layer on the bottom that has to be “cleared” away from the intake of the beer tube. That happens automatically as I pull my first half pint, which I toss. That lost half pint is one of only two disadvantages of not using a secondary, the other being that if you transport a keg that has sediment in it, you’ll stir it up and have to let it settle back down again. The advantage is less work, and if you don’t want the beer to be aged as much, faster to the glass.
