BeerBorg

Beerlabelman wrote:So Kealia can I leave a keg at room temp for say 2 weeks (a little conditioning) then chill, then force carb? Or, do you force carb first then let it sit?

Brewer's Choice(TM)

You can leave at room temp without carbing, then chill and carb (make sure to purge CO2 as described above).
You can leave at room temp and carb at same time
- Either with priming sugar or CO2
You can chill without carbing
You can chill and carb at same time

If you are normally conditioning your bottles for a while or the beer is big, you may want to condition it. But also realize that part of bottle conditioning, IMO, is to allow for carbing (mini fermentation) and the subsequent clean up from that. If you are going to use CO2 to carb then you bypass that mini fermentation and clean up process so you *may* choose to drink sooner. I've been going to drinking phase quicker this past year because of my ability to control temps closely and pitching the right amount of yeast.

I'm of the mindset that if you don't create off flavors up front, you need less (or no) time to clean them up post-fermentation. Of course the standard rules apply for adjuncts, higher ABV brews, etc.

Not sure if I'm helping now or just providing too many options.

To sum it up, put the beer in the keg and put it aside for a while.
I have read that if you do plan on letting the keg sit for extended periods, it's better to naturally carb it. Of course, you don't use the same amount of sugar as you do for batch priming bottles. I don't know how long you plan on letting it sit but, unless it's in high heat, I don't think you need to worry to much about it.

Does it take less time to carb a 2.5 Gallon Corny than a 5 gallon? I have my 2.5 on for 1 Day at 15lbs. Now, starting day 2, I backed it down to 13lbs. I'm not in a rush.
Thanks fellas.

Set and forget done Saturday. First keg I've done.