I think I'm gonna keg this weekend

[FedoraDave]

I usually let all my beers stay in the carboy for three weeks. The Rye-Guy IPA has only been in two weeks, but I checked the gravity today, and it's right where it should be.

And I'd like to get it kegged a week earlier than planned. Then I'll be able to drink it a little sooner, and that'll help with the rotation. I was thinking I might have to bottle the next fiver I did, but I'll still keep to the 3-week brewing rotation, and that might give me enough lag time to have a keg empty by the time the King Pin IPA is ready.

We'll see.

[Beer-lord]

I routinely let me beer age in kegs at room temp for a week and sometimes as long as a month while waiting for kegerator space or to clear. But you have an IPA so get that sucker in the keg, maybe let it sit at room temps for a few days to a week then chill and carb and enjoy the crap out of it.
And you best post a picture of it too.

[FedoraDave]

Yeah, I don't know if I'll leave it at room temp. I might rock the keg while I carb it, so it's ready a little earlier, and since it's an IPA, I know it'll be good fairly young. So I guess I'll dry hop it tonight and get it in the keg on Saturday.

Thanks, Paul.

[John Sand]

I'm not going to keg the current batch, I think. I have an empty keg, a red fermenting a week, and plans for an APA then an IPA. So I'm doing keg rotation logistics. But, if I find myself ready to keg, but without an empty keg, I can always drink faster.
Or just bottle the rest of the keg.

[mashani]

I've been more on a 2 week rotation for bottling as of late. Nothing I'm making isn't done that soon since I'm pitching lots of yeast.

EDIT: I have no fear or issues leaving it for 3, even 4-5 weeks, but just haven't been doing it. Just keeping the pipeline full. I used to be on a 3 week rotation when I used LBKs.

[FedoraDave]

I've been on a 3-week rotation for a few years now. Two reasons - 1) I have three carboys, so I bottle on Saturday and brew on Sunday. 2) I felt it helped things clear up a little; not necessarily clarity as is popularly understood, but just that extra week for the yeast to clean stuff up seemed to help a bit. I'm not sure if that's as valid or as important as I once thought.

But my brew schedule has been thrown off a little, and I currently have an empty 3 gallon, with another 3 gallon working, and the fiver pretty much ready to keg. I won't be brewing another fiver until the 15th, but I'd like to have all three kegs filled and at various ready-to-tap stages. Currently, one is empty, one has the Irish Red, which I've already started to draw from, and the third has been conditioning a lager since around Christmas. It's the lager that's thrown the rotation into a cocked hat. I want to give that until mid-April before I start to tap it, so really, I've only had two kegs in rotation for my ales.

As John Sand said, keg rotation logistics. I imagine by the time the King Pin IPA is ready to keg (in about four weeks), the Irish Red should be about ready to punt the pail, and I'll also be ready to tap the lager. So things should even out by then, and I should be able to keep two taps active, and maybe even have a third keg in readiness for a smooth transition. I'd like the luxury of having two relatively full kegs drawing, and one conditioning, while another fiver is fermenting. Although something tells me I may need to buy a fourth keg to keep at room temperature, ready to hook up. Unless I slow down my brew schedule.

[John Sand]

I would definitely like a third keg. But I'm reluctant to spend the money right now.

[Gymrat]

Rocking the keg is not necessary unless you want your beer carbonated right now. The very best and most accurate way to carb it is to put it on the pressure you want it and leave it for 7 to 10 days.

[Beer-lord]

Rocking the keg is not necessary unless you want your beer carbonated right now. The very best and most accurate way to carb it is to put it on the pressure you want it and leave it for 7 to 10 days.

+1000
As an alternative, if you want it a few days earlier, go 1 day at 30, 2 days at 20 then at serving pressure.
Really, you're beer is still a bit green so waiting 7-10 days is pretty much needed to get your beer where you want it.

[FedoraDave]

Yeah, I'm on the fence as far as rocking goes. I haven't been all that pleased with the results I've had with the ones I rocked. I guess I'll just hook it up at 12 psi and leave it for 7-10 days. That's still not too long to wait. Since it's an IPA, I want to drink it fairly young (but not green). And that time period won't put a crimp in my kegging schedule, I don't think. As I said, by the time the King Pin is ready to keg, I'm assuming the Irish Red will be on its last legs, and there's no reason I can't let the King Pin sit a week longer before kegging, either. I'll have to adjust my dry hopping schedule, but I've got a pretty good handle on what I've got left of the Irish.

I did let the Irish Red sit at 12 psi for two weeks before tapping it, and I'm very pleased with it, so I'm leaning toward forgetting about rocking altogether, unless I'm in a real hurry. Right now, I think I can wait.

I'm adjusting to the learning curve. I just hate to have two taps available, but only one serving, which is what I'm facing right now. But that's because I'm impatient.

[Gymrat]

I was adding a couple ounces of sugar when kegging, then letting the keg natural carb while waiting for a spot in my kegorator. But now I just put the third keg in and put the gas line on it Sunday morning when I won't be using my kegorator until Saturday evening. Then I put the gas back on the keg I am using. By the time I am ready to tap the new keg it is charged just right.

[vicki167]

This thread actually answered something I had been wondering about the need to condition beer in kegs. I figured that it still needed the time to condition, but good to get confirmation.

If I can thread jack a bit... Does a keg of home brew have a little more shelf life than that of a commercial brew after tapping since it has not had the yeast filtered out? Or does carbing it pretty much kill the yeast activity? Thanks.

[jimjohson]

carbing don't kill the yeast

[Dawg LB Steve]

The cold puts the yeast to sleep. Pasteurizing would kill off the yeast.

[vicki167]

Thanks