Kegging before primary is finished

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by mikehartigan, Jun 23, 2015.

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  1. mikehartigan

    mikehartigan Maven (1,421) Apr 9, 2007 Illinois

    I generally wait three weeks after brew day to keg my beer. Never had a problem with this schedule.

    As tradition dictated, my son and I brewed ten gallons of a big a$$ IPA on Father's Day. Since the pipeline has run dry, I'm thinking of brewing a summer beer this coming weekend. Maybe a Cream, Ale, maybe a session IPA - I haven't decided, yet. The problem is that two of my carboys are tied up just now with the IPA. Summertime precludes use of the SS conical, except for maybe a Saison, which I just don't have a hankerin' for just now. I thought about racking the IPA to kegs after only one week. Is that wrong? I see no reason why it would finish any differently in the keg than it would in primary.

    Thoughts? Suggestions?
     
    #1 mikehartigan, Jun 23, 2015
  2. CDennyRun

    CDennyRun Initiate (0) Mar 2, 2014 Washington

    How big of a beer was it? Usually big beers need to sit on the yeast for a while. If they hit the gravity you're looking for, you should be fine, but that all depends on how big of a beer it was.

    I would just go buy a couple more fermentors. Sounds like you need them anyway!

    Cheers!
     
    #2 CDennyRun, Jun 24, 2015
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  3. ChrisMyhre

    ChrisMyhre Initiate (0) Sep 15, 2013 Massachusetts

    Seems ok to me, would probably be pretty full of sediment, but nothing a keg to keg jumper wouldn't clear. I know @VikeMan uses kegs for fermenting lacto sours. Maybe he has thoughts on what to do to allow O2 to escape if even needed? Maybe just vent the PRV a few times?
     
    #3 ChrisMyhre, Jun 24, 2015
  4. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    I use a keg for souring wort (but not for the main fermentation). When I sour in the keg, I have a gas gauge on the gas post, and when the pressure builds, I release most of it.
    [​IMG]
     
    #4 VikeMan, Jun 24, 2015
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  5. CDennyRun

    CDennyRun Initiate (0) Mar 2, 2014 Washington

    Just as an observation from my early kegging: I've only kegged smaller beers (1.050 and smaller) early, and I usually end up wishing I waited another week or so. It was noticeably green, and the yeast character wasn't what it should have been. Same with hop character.

    On the other hand, many people keg after 7-9 days, and are perfectly happy. Your call. Another thing you could do is taste the gravity sample, if it finished, and you're happy with the flavor, then keg on!
     
    #5 CDennyRun, Jun 24, 2015
  6. psnydez86

    psnydez86 Initiate (0) Jan 4, 2012 Pennsylvania

    @VikeMan that's an awesome setup there. How do you get the temp probe down through your liquid out post while maintaining a sealed keg??
     
    #6 psnydez86, Jun 24, 2015
  7. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Master welder @Naugled made this thermowell by welding a stainless steel slug into the business end of a liquid dip tube...
    [​IMG]
     
    #7 VikeMan, Jun 24, 2015
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  8. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    A better idea would have been to brew the session first AND THEN the IPA...hindsight is always 20/20 : ). I actually just did this and the session turned out really well and it was only really meant to be a starter for the Barleywine that followed. As far as your IPA, I'd rack it, but do a semi- sloppy job to make sure it finishes and then drink quickly. Or not. Cheers
     
    #8 GreenKrusty101, Jun 24, 2015
  9. psnydez86

    psnydez86 Initiate (0) Jan 4, 2012 Pennsylvania

    @VikeMan

    Interesting. So do you have to remove the popet of your liquid out post to get your probe to get down through the post portion??
     
    #9 psnydez86, Jun 24, 2015
  10. mikehartigan

    mikehartigan Maven (1,421) Apr 9, 2007 Illinois

    Don't misunderstand - I'm thinking of kegging the beer and letting it sit for another couple of weeks at more or less room temperature, just as it would if I had left it in the fermenter. I don't plan to carb or serve it early. I'm only interested in freeing up the carboys. I'm thinking it will finish up in the kegs just as well as if I had left it in the carboys. Any yeast that had settled at that point would not be actively cleaning anything up anyway, so that's irrelevant.
     
    #10 mikehartigan, Jun 24, 2015
  11. CurtFromHershey

    CurtFromHershey Initiate (0) Oct 4, 2012 Minnesota

    You'll be fine. A little extra sediment in the keg, but you get a free carboy.
     
    #11 CurtFromHershey, Jun 24, 2015
  12. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Yes. IIRC, on this keg it was one of the "non-removable" type poppets. But it's easy to knock out with a small screwdriver and hammer. (Though the poppet ends up bent and useless.)
     
    #12 VikeMan, Jun 24, 2015
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