A question about dispensing Weissbier from a corny keg

[BlackRegent]

The received wisdom when serving weissbier is to mix the yeast back into suspension before pouring into the glass.

Easy to do if the beer is packaged in bottles, less easy to do when it is in a keg.

I have replaced the fixed steel pick up tubes in my cornys with a floating pickup - the reason being that a floating pickup made it more likely to draw clear beer from the top.

But yeast is a good thing when serving weissbier.

On the basis that shaking the keg with every pour isn't really practical, do you think that going back to the fixed pick up tube, drawing beer from the bottom, will give the more yeasty finish that's desired?

Or does it not really matter and I shouldn't worry?

 

[matt76]

I've recently finished off a keg of hefeweizen, with the original fixed steel dip tube.

While it never cleared as such I did eventually find most of the yeast had settled out and the resulting beer in the glass wasn't as tasty - which is to say, IMO for this style the yeast is a necessary part of the overall flavour.

At first it wasn't necessary to disturb the keg at all. But over time (after a few weeks?) I found that agitating the keg helped get some yeast back into suspension and hence deliver a tastier beer in the glass.

But it certainly wasn't necessary to shake the keg every pour - I generally only drink at weekends so a single shake on Friday before the first glass would do for the weekend, so maybe 1-2 times a week if you're drinking more regularly.

 

[BlackRegent]

@matt76
That's useful insight. Thanks.
The problem for me is that the keg will be in a kegerator so a bigger faff to shake it. It's a 4 keg kegerator so I'll try and put it at the front as having to reorganise them all every time I wanted to rock the keg would send me insane

 

[BlackRegent]

Hmm, I'm thinking whether I could swap the ball lock connectors and blast CO2 down the liquid line to agitate the yeast as an easy way of mixing it back in without taking the keg out the fridge

 

[matt76]

Hmm, I'm thinking whether I could swap the ball lock connectors and blast CO2 down the liquid line to agitate the yeast as an easy way of mixing it back in without taking the keg out the fridge

Maybe.

When I say agitate, I think I just lifted it and swirled a bit. Certainly not a case of lifting the keg above your head and shaking like mad!

 

[Sadfield]

You could return to a standard dip tube, then put a black connector onto a feed off your gas supply, you could then rouse the yeast from the bottom with a short blast of co2. Or maybe just the grey connector will work, I can never remember which one works on both posts.

Being really clever with the correct selection of connectors, valves and a non-return valve, one could make a blow back system a permanent part of a kegorator setup. Possibly.

Or, would a long dip tube on the gas inlet work, constantly recirculating the yeast?

 

[phettebs]

Hi have a kegged weissbier on tap now. Eventually they always turn into "krystal weissbier" for me and I'm OK with that.

 

[Binkei Huckaback]

One of my first beers from a keg was a hefeweizen and I hadn't given settling a thought, but it didn't clear at all.

 

[fgoulding]

I brewed a weissbier a while back that became crystal clear within a few weeks. So I think that I just need to drink them faster :)

 

[Oneflewover]

Apologies if this is not a terribly helpful response. I've decided that anything that is relatively highly carbonated - wheat beers, most lagered beers, most Belgian beers - is best bottled. Just isn't right (in my opinion) from a corny.

 

[Sadfield]

Apologies if this is not a terribly helpful response. I've decided that anything that is relatively highly carbonated - wheat beers, most lagered beers, most Belgian beers - is best bottled. Just isn't right (in my opinion) from a corny.

Personal preference is all valid, but I guess this highlights the point of thread, what is needed to get them to work from a corny, over how most other beers are usually handled. Lager, Weizen and Trappiste beers are all widely available and accepted in keg format in a commercial setting particularly in Germany and Belgium, so should work from corny keg.

 

[MickDundee]

I’ve had 2 lots of both Hefeweizen and Witbier in kegs with mixed results re: clearing.

Hefe with the MJ wheatbeer yeast cleared in the keg, but the one made with WLP yeast didn’t. I had the opposite experience with my witbier - the MJ M21 beer never cleared and looked a lot like a NEIPA, but the WLP400 cleared in the keg.

 

[MickDundee]

Apologies if this is not a terribly helpful response. I've decided that anything that is relatively highly carbonated - wheat beers, most lagered beers, most Belgian beers - is best bottled. Just isn't right (in my opinion) from a corny.

My lagers jumped in quality significantly when I started kegging. Part of it might have been my brewing improving but they are clearer and crisper than the lagers I bottled.