Storing in keg

So I just got the OK to buy a kegging set up, but I don't yet have a fridge to keep it in. Is it ok to just store the beer in the keg uncarbonated and at room temperature until I get a fridge? I should be able to get a fridge in about a week or two.

It's fine as long as you seal the keg with pressure first. It'd be better to keep the gas on it if you can. Room temperature won't hurt the beer but oxygen creeping in if the tank isn't pressurized will.

Soitenly, that's ok. If it's still young in the keg, the extra week or so will likely be A Good Thing anyway, but try to find the coolest place in your house to park the keg...

Cheers!

Yeah, that's perfectly fine. Just make sure you purge.

BBL_Brewer said:

Yeah, that's perfectly fine. Just make sure you purge.

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Purge the keg of atmospheric are that is...

Depending on the amount of headspace you have in the keg (how full it is) you may need to do this several times. If you put 5 gallons into a 5 gallon corny keg, you should be ok with putting it to ~10psi, then venting (ball lock kegs normally have a relief valve in the lid) before hitting it again with CO2, 5-10 times. I wouldn't go less than 5 times, but doubt you need more than 10. If the keg is a converted pin lock keg, then just use another gas QD to vent the CO2 after you've put the keg onto the gas. I say that for converted pin lock kegs, since the relief in those lids is typically sacrificial. That means if it hits enough pressure to release, it destroys the relief. Basically, it works once, at ~130psi, and that's it.

Would it be better to put it in the garage, where it is around 55 degrees?

Tubbster85 said:

Would it be better to put it in the garage, where it is around 55 degrees?

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If that was a consistent temperature, it would be great! But, in the likely event that the temperature actually fluctuates by quite a bit (like, 20-30° F) through each day, you might do better somewhere else - like a basement, or the north side of the coolest room in the house...

Cheers!

Golddiggie said:

Purge the keg of atmospheric are that is...

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Exactly....make sure you get all the are out.

How long would could you store them like this and is better to fully carb and then store the. Don't want to hijack but I have been trying to figure what to do with my APA and cider. Might just buy another keg for the cider.

So once the air is purged, what psi do you leave the keg at? And how long could you leave the keg like this at room temp?

Tubbster85 said:

So once the air is purged, what psi do you leave the keg at? And how long could you leave the keg like this at room temp?

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I would say leave it at whatever pressure corresponds to the carbonation level you want. Keep in mind that this pressure will be higher at room temperature then at serving temperature. That way it will be carbed and ready for you to drink whenever you cool it down. I would think you could leave it like that as long as you could leave it in bottles. I've not tried it though. I like to drink my beer ;-)

You don't have to carbonate it while it sits at room temp, but you can. You'll need to use a carbonation chart and set the pressure according to ambient temp. The thing is though, you'll have to set it close to 30 psi to carb at room temp. If you have keg(s) in the frige already that you are serving, you won't be able to set the pressure that high unless you have a multigauge regulator because that pressure is way too high for chilled beer. What I do is just purge the air out and then give the keg a quick shot at 20-30 psi. This seals the keg up good and it willl stay sealed until you're ready to chill and carbonate.

Sure, you can carbonize it but beer still needs some tome to maturate, so better plan is to purge it with CO2 and leave it until you"re ready for cooling and carbonation.

diS said:

Sure, you can carbonize it but beer still needs some tome to maturate, so better plan is to purge it with CO2 and leave it until you"re ready for cooling and carbonation.

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It'll mature whether its carbonated or not. You don't have to carbonate it but if you do you'll be that much closer to pulling that first pint whenever you can hook it up to the kegerator.

I think my plan will be to purge the air , then give it a shot @ 30psi and leave it. It's only going to be a week or two until I can pick up a fridge or freezer, just trying to free up the fermenter!

Oh that's right, you don't have a frige yet Go ahead and pour the gas to it. Might as well carb it up while you're waiting. Here's a carbonation chart that will tell you where to set it.

http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

So if I carb now, then put it in a keeper, won't that affect the carb levels going from warm to cold? Will carb levels go down?

Tubbster85 said:

So if I carb now, then put it in a keeper, won't that affect the carb levels going from warm to cold? Will carb levels go down?

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IF you follow the chart of desired carbonation level, temperature of the brew, and PSI needed to get there you should be ok. It's definitely easier to just carb at serving temperature though.

Tubbster85 said:

So if I carb now, then put it in a keeper, won't that affect the carb levels going from warm to cold? Will carb levels go down?

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You will need to vent the keg when you put it in the fridge. Decide what temp to keep the keg at and use the chart again to determine the correct pressure. That way you should be able to keep the same carbonation level.