Which is better

I know this has probably been discussed often but just looking for opinions. With some of my beer when I need a keg I bottle what’s left in one to empty the keg. IMO beers that goes straight to bottles After fermenting seems to develop more than the kegged and bottled. Is it true and why. Should I shake the keg to get some of the tub into the bottles?

What do you mean more developed. Was the beer good in the keg but then not as good after it was bottled?

No its good in the keg and tastes the same in the bottle. Bottle conditioned beer seems to change over time especially my Belgians. Just wondering if maybe I should bottle condition all my Belgians. Maybe it’s all in my head, just picking brains here.

No I think you right, your bottle conditioned beer has more yeast present and is more “alive”. Most Belgian beers are bottle conditioned for a reason.

But there is yeast in the keg also right?

It’s worth pointing out that, although a beer may be bottle conditioned, the yeast go dormant after a while. Of course this happens faster if the beer is in cold storage.

Very slow oxidation and temperature are likely the bigger factors in how beer changes over time. When beer is in cold storage and under constant CO2, these factors are reduced.

That was what I wondered about. Shake the keg to get the yeast up and then bottle and put on the shelf at room temp. Normally when filling from the keg the yeasts are settled out.

But there is nothing left to ferment. So I guess that is the difference. I guess it was a dumb question.

I don’t think it was a dumb question. I think gdtechvw was right about bottle conditioned beer being “alive.” With what you want to do will work but I see 2 problems:

  1. when you cold crash in keg more than yeast settles to the bottom. Proteins, trub, and tannins also settle out. Not sure you would want those in the beer. Although you might.
  2. Since the beer has been cold, making the yeast dormant, it won’t reactivate unless more fermentable are added.
    Of course I could be wrong about all this… try it with a little and see. Maybe just a couple bottles that way your not wasting much if it doesn’t work.

A little leery about adding more sugar since the beer is already carbed. When I bottle from the keg the last few bottles pick up some of the sediment. I think I will label those to compare with some of the clear bottles after some time to see if I notice much difference.

You mentioned Belgians specifically. Might be worth pointing out that those likely contain yeasts and bacteria that can keep chewing on your beer. If you’re bottling from a cold keg, you’re probably only getting a little yeast. I wonder it it might start evolving again after a longer wait.

Bottled conditioned beer undergoes a fermentation in a completly sealed container. That is a process unique to bottle conditioning. Plus there is likely another “clean up” like what occurs after the main fermentation. I bottle all of my beers because I have no other choice but I do think there is something positive going on that is hard to describe.

I agree with you on bottle conditioning, I was just trying to short cut.

Be careful Brew Cat! You’re coming dangerously close to sounding like a scientist!

A mad scientist for sure