Expert: Keith Patton - 3/12/2009

Question
Hey, I'm a somewhat new homebrewer, but I'm getting pretty involved.  We bought a kegerator and corny keg on craigslist and kegged our first batch of homebrew a couple of weeks ago (we've bottled a ton of batches previously, with great success).  I'm aware of some of the pros and cons of kegging vs bottling (such as not having to sanitize bottles, being able to adjust carbonation levels, being able to drink your beer sooner, etc), but as far as actual beer taste/quality/head retention/etc., do the two methods have different effects?  Thanks in advance!!

Answer
Dave:

First, some people say that kegging does change the type of head and its retention.  You can mitigate this by keg conditioning your beer just like you did in your bottles.  The sediment will come out with the first pour or two.  Using dried yeast extract gives you good fine bubbles in your head, whereas force carbonated CO2 is said to give larger coarser bubbles.  I have found that the body of the beer plays more a part.  I have made beer with added maltose dextrine and I can get a creamy Guiness like head if I have the CO2 cranked up.  It gives me the correct amount of hydraulic sheering, what the pointed tip tap does.

I caution you that kegging has its own sanitation challenges.  I had to pour out two full kegs, one a belgian ale the other an Anchor steam clone all because of sanitation.  Some bacteria got in it that turned it into a foamy skunky mess.  It was either introduced by the CO2 cylinder or the keg.

When cleaning the keg remember to remove the pin lock connectors and clean out the pick up tube.  This will hold old beer through capillary action since when the connector is closed no air can get in and the old beer is held in the tube much like putting a straw in a drink then putting your finger over the end and removing the straw.

By taking off the pin connectors (an adjustable wrench works well) your sanitizing solution can get into the tube and other hard to reach places.

Lastly, the whole reason to keg is if you plan to go through your beer quicker.  So having said that the beer should be fresher compared to the beer you have bottled.  But if you keep your bottled beer in a cool dark place, it should not age too poorly, not like commercial beer that has been pasteurized and is "dead".  Yours is a living creature with the live yeast in it.  That is why I like to brew belgian beers, they have a shelf life of 10 years and upwards and keep changing over time like a fine wine.

Keith