J2W2

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Nice Sandlot reference. That's a great movie!

jb3218

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When hooked up to co2, how long will the beer stay good? Years ago I had a tap system hooked up to a fridge and the guy at the beer distributor said that the beer should be drunk within 45 days because too much co2 will start to permeate the beer and give it a funny taste. Beer was always gone within two weeks so I never found out. Maybe he just wanted me to keep buying beer sooner.

pdxal

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Never heard that one.
Fresher beer is often better, but not for that reason.
CO2 is dissolved in the beer, the amount depends on the temperature the beer is at and the pressure of the tap system, not how long it is hooked up beyond the period needed to dissolve that carbonation level.
Maybe he was talking about O2 instead, with the "Bronco" pumps and the like where you are pumping air with a hand pump, which introduces oxygen and causes the beer to go stale?

jb3218

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That may be what he was talking about. That was about 20 years ago and my memory is not what it used to be. Just ask my wife. I have yet to keg but I do want to try it. Another question I have is if I fill a growler from a keg, is there a way to maintain the carbonation and if so, for how long? Are there special caps?

Yooper

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In a growler, carbonation may not last that long, depending on how well the caps seal. But for bottles, the carb will last just as when you buy a commercial beer that's been force carbed and then bottled.

I have a fun thing I love. I bought a "carbonator cap". You could make one, but basically it's just a keg post fitting for a soda bottle. You fill the soda bottle from the keg, add the carbonator cap and then give the soda bottle a blast of co2. You can even carb up a flat beverage that way- soda, beer, etc. I like to do it also when I keg, and have some beer left that won't fit in the keg. I put some of it in a 2L bottle, and put the carbonator cap on and carb it up! (You're not to do this with glass, as the glass may blow up!)

I take plastic soda bottles full of beer all the time, and they stay carbed up until you open them!

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Broken Leg Brewery
Giving beer a leg to stand on since 2006

Aschecte

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I believe once the co2 is in solution an the head some has a blanket AND barring a leaky keg plus leaving it at the same temperature it will stay indefinitely.

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Funky Onion Brewing est.2010
Primary-Turbid mashed Lambic
Primary-Flanders Red
Primary-Aaron's Ordinary Bitter

jb3218

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Thanks for the info. folks! I think I'll try a batch for kegging. First I want to make a couple more batches for bottling so if I screw up the keg, I'll have some home brew to fall back on.

Thegreatestgray

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You could always bottle condition or well keg condition keg 1 and force keg 2 then it will be ready when you are done with keg 2

Whippy

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Ahh, but it is IMPOSSIBLE for a keg to remain untapped until the end of time!

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Two weeks to ferment, two more in the kegs
but in just one night it was drained to the dregs

SagamoreAle

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I recently opened two cornies that had sat around for 8 years. Still carbonated.

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Ex fermentum, scientia.