How long to clear, ...just sitting? Options

[roscoe]

I picked up a fridge that will hold 5 kegs. I have two taps, which is plenty for me. I thought I could could keep a rotation of three kegs conditioning and two on tap at all times.

I'm wondering how long it should take for a keg to settle and clear (chill haze etc.) at 45 f if I let it sit without touching it. I've noticed that when I tap it right away without any conditioning I'm usually about 1/2 way through the keg before I start getting clear beer, and I'd prefer to not have to gel or filter. Also, once a keg settles, about how many pints O crap do you normally have to pull?

Thanks all.

This post has been edited by roscoe: Oct 31 2007, 09:01 AM

[erichonour]

I'm wondering how long it should take for a keg to settle and clear (chill haze etc.) at 45 f if I let it sit without touching it.

2-3 weeks usually does the trick, though some beers take longer.

Also, once a keg settles, about how many pints O crap do you normally have to pull?

Usually less than one. However, if you move the keg or even bump it hard after that, you'll get more junk in your first pour after the move. If you move it a lot, you may have to wait a while for everything to settle down again.

EH

[Dean Palmer]

There are lots of variables for what you are asking, and you'll get many opinions, probably none of them wrong.

All beers take a different amount of time to clear, and chill-haze is different than yeast and debris dropping out of solution. If you rack to serving kegs directly from the primary, you will get more suspended yeast and debris than if you rack to a secondary (clearing/conditioning tank) and let it sit for a few weeks and then cold-crash it before racking to a serving vessel.

Most of my beers look as if they are commercially-filtered products, but that is only due to a solid process, and letting them sit and condition before serving. I do either long primaries with careful racking, or for ultimate clarity I rack to a conditioning keg and let them sit for a while before racking to serving kegs. I find that about 2-3 weeks in conditioning gets them pretty clear, and a cold-crash at the end for a few days really helps before racking to serving kegs. Not moving the tanks before racking is a HUGE difference as well.

Even when I rack directly to serving kegs from primary, I don't find that I get more than a tiny bit of debris in the first pint, but I do find that the debris continues to settle and move a bit, and make many of the pints cloudier until near the end of the keg. This can again be reduced by either leaving the beer in primary for a longer time and cold-crashing before racking, or racking to secondary as I stated above. Either way the efffect is only visual in most cases unless you have a huge amount of suspended debris from a poor process.

Sounds like you have space for a decent rotation, so don't be afraid the take the time to perform a proper process, and let the beers finish and clear before serving.

This post has been edited by Dean Palmer: Oct 31 2007, 10:06 AM

[stangbat]

I agree with all that has been stated so far. The one thing I'll add is the colder you condition at, the quicker it will clear. It'll take longer at 45º than 35º. Kind of a double edged sword when you want to serve and clear at the same time. (IMG:style_emoticons/brewboard/devil.gif)

This post has been edited by stangbat: Oct 31 2007, 10:17 AM

[malkore]

can you not secondary in a carboy for two weeks? that tends to get most beers pretty clear (depends on yeast flocculation though).

otherwise you could secondary in the keg for 2-3 weeks, then put it on gas and dispense a couple pints worth of extra yeasty beer, and then as long as you don't jostle it too much, you should get clean pours from then on.

I secondary in carboy two weeks, and the first pint from the keg is drinkable, and I can even transport it across town without stirring up any yeasties.

[roscoe]

I do either long primaries with careful racking, or for ultimate clarity I rack to a conditioning keg and let them sit for a while before racking to serving kegs.

I have had pretty good luck so far letting my beers ferment out and sit in the primary for up to three weeks. So if a month or so in the keg at serving temps after that will settle all the chill haze and yeast up the rest of the way I'll probably do it that way.

I agree with all that has been stated so far. The one thing I'll add is the colder you condition at, the quicker it will clear. It'll take longer at 45º than 35º. Kind of a double edged sword when you want to serve and clear at the same time. (IMG:style_emoticons/brewboard/devil.gif)

It may take longer, but I'm thinking some proteins may be left in the beer with that extra 10º warmer conditioning temp, and that will help with head retention.

[Dean Palmer]

I find that some of my clearest beers, conditioned at 36f, have the best head-retention and nice lacing. Optimum storage temps for kegged beer is 36-38f per the industry, and this is of course my kegerator temp, so I condition in the kegerator out of convenience.

I doubt the slightly warmer temp has much effect. I do some warm conditioning at room-temp, but only when the kegerator is full of a dozen kegs already. Knock-on-wood, I've never had any contamination issues even with room-temp conditioning for several weeks, but my sanitation is tight to begin with.

[stangbat]

It may take longer, but I'm thinking some proteins may be left in the beer with that extra 10º warmer conditioning temp, and that will help with head retention.

I don't think there is anything to worry about. There are plenty of lagers with good head retention that have been kept near freezing for weeks.

But I have to admit that I never worry about head retention. It just isn't a thing that I think is worth emphasizing or worrying about.

[zymot]

But I have to admit that I never worry about head retention. It just isn't a thing that I think is worth emphasizing or worrying about.

*zymot pauses, then passes on the obvious cheap joke*

I agree. I am amazed at how every beer review mentions lacing and color and size of the head. Even less important (IMHO) than beer clarity.

zymot

*zymot realizes he opened a door with the "color and size of head" line*

[roscoe]

I don't think there is anything to worry about. There are plenty of lagers with good head retention that have been kept near freezing for weeks.

But I have to admit that I never worry about head retention. It just isn't a thing that I think is worth emphasizing or worrying about.

So maybe that 10 degrees doesn't matter, but a bit of foam in the glass will float into your mouth with a drink and adds to the mouthfeel. I enjoy beer more when it has a nice stable head all the way to the end. I'm also one of those folks who likes presentation...it's just one more dimension to enjoying beer IMO.

[BelgianBoy]

I am conditioning a Miabock right now. I brewed about 4 months ago and transferred to glass after two weeks. I let sit for about 2 months in glass and was going to transfer but went up north for a vacation. When I got home I was going to transfer and I noticed clear beer except fot the bottom 4 inches of the carboy had a thick cloud. It has been another month and now there is 2 inches of sediment at the bottom. I think I will give it another month or so and transfer to serving tanks. I have made lagers in the past and transferred from the secondary within 2-months but this is the first time where I noticed the sediment dropping at a slower pace. I can't wait until it is finished. I guess what I am saying the longer you condition the clearer beer you will have in the end. I hope this may help you.