Can I keg and store for later?

This is probably a real n00b question, but I am doing AG and prefer 10g batches to make the most of my brewday. However, I can only get 2 cornys in my 5.2 cu ft refrigerator. I have a 2-tap tower and would like to have 2 different brews on tap. Anyway, can I fill a corny keg, purge with co2, and leave it under a few lbs of pressure and store it room temp for a couple of months before putting it into the fridge and tapping it?

I believe they call that conditioning.....

Yes, that's quite fine, though some of the hoppier beers you make might lose some hoppiness over time.

just slap 30PSI of CO2 on that keg, purge the O2, and throw it in the cellar. Should be fine for months.

While you are at it prime the keg with corn sugar and its will be carbed and ready when you want it

No you can not just fill a keg and leave it. You brew 10 gallons you drink 10 gallons. No room in the fridge too bad, just drink it warm and still.

I brew 10 gallons and always prurge the second keg and leave it to age until the first keg is kicked. A good way to keep from drinking all of the beer before it has had time to age properly.

i did this for the first time yesterday. Can someone explain this to me though:
I've heard that you need a few pounds of pressure to assure a true set on the keg lid, and if you put 25-30 psi of the say 60 degree uncarbed beer, won't most of that be absorbed into the beer as the beer/head space come to equilibrium pressure, and create an pressure well below 25 PSI?

While it is feasible to keg and store for later, often times it is just not possible.

Temptation is the mother of all evils and that newest beer always taste better than the one on tap.

Along these lines...I have an IPA that I want to save for the Phish shows towards the middle-end of June. Is it taboo to keg and condition in the cellar, then de-pressurize and dry hop about a week out?

Thanks for all the replies.....Well, except for this one:

Brewmasters Warehouse said:

No you can not just fill a keg and leave it. You brew 10 gallons you drink 10 gallons. No room in the fridge too bad, just drink it warm and still.

Click to expand...

I got a little tight in the chest thinking I was going to have to tell the wife I needed a larger fridge. THANKS Ed! Scared the $hit out of me for nothing!

bull8042 said:

I got a little tight in the chest thinking I was going to have to tell the wife I needed a larger fridge. THANKS Ed! Scared the $hit out of me for nothing!

Click to expand...

The Magic Chef 7.2CF chest freezer with a 6 inch colar will hold 6 cornies....... I just got mine this weekend... and it is only $200

I love that magic chef...

I didnt even collar mine. 4 cornies and the hump stores a bunch of bottled beer.

I want to add the colar for the taps, more than for 2 more kegs

Arkador said:

The Magic Chef 7.2CF chest freezer with a 6 inch colar will hold 6 cornies....... I just got mine this weekend... and it is only $200

Click to expand...

chumprock said:

I love that magic chef...

I didnt even collar mine. 4 cornies and the hump stores a bunch of bottled beer.

Click to expand...

STOP IT you two! Stop tempting me before I have to send my SWMBO over to take her "anti-brew stuff spending-anger" out on you.

Yeah, I went with towers...

chumprock said:

Yeah, I went with towers...

Click to expand...

Is it on wheels? Just seems like it'd be a PITA to pull it out so you could open the lid to fill with kegs.

Looks good tho'.

Not on wheels and (so far) I havent had any problems swapping kegs.

I just shimmy it out a few feet, open the lid and go to work.

I swear that Magic Chef 7.2 was never meant to freeze anything. They should just start selling them with a collar and temp controller attached. The 6 cornie fit is just too perfect. Or, as I have it, four tapped, one on deck and a 5 lb CO2 tank. Absolutely zero wasted space.

BrewBrain said:

I swear that Magic Chef 7.2 was never meant to freeze anything. They should just start selling them with a collar and temp controller attached. The 6 cornie fit is just too perfect. Or, as I have it, four tapped, one on deck and a 5 lb CO2 tank. Absolutely zero wasted space.

Click to expand...

Are you implying that these weren't intended to house beer?

SACRILIDGE!

I sold my old side by side fridge on craigslist, and bought the 7.2 magic chef and temprature controler, and was only out $35 all said and done with 4 kegs at 38degrees, and picnic taps for now.

bull8042 said:

STOP IT you two! Stop tempting me before I have to send my SWMBO over to take her "anti-brew stuff spending-anger" out on you.

Click to expand...

Send her on over, my wife will streighten her out for you! We figure that the magic chef will save us about $80-$120 in the first year because it is more energy efficient than a side by side fridge that would only hold 2 kegs.

bull8042 said:

THANKS Ed! Scared the $hit out of me for nothing!

Click to expand...

No problem that's what I am here for. I currently only have 2 taps, in an old fridge I converted a long time ago. I am going to be moving the 20lb CO2 tank outside, and upgrade to 5 taps on the fridge. You can always look around CL for something cheap you could put some more kegs into.

Arkador said:

.....Send her on over, my wife will streighten her out for you! We figure that the magic chef will save us about $80-$120 in the first year because it is more energy efficient than a side by side fridge that would only hold 2 kegs.

Click to expand...

I don't think that would be a valid argument in my case because I have a 6 month old 5.2 cu ft that I bought with kegging in mind. If I told her now that I needed something bigger not even having filled my first keg.... Well, let's say it wouldn't fair so well with me. It is so hard to sleep with a knife in your chest!

Brewmasters Warehouse said:

No problem that's what I am here for. I currently only have 2 taps, in an old fridge I converted a long time ago. I am going to be moving the 20lb CO2 tank outside, and upgrade to 5 taps on the fridge. You can always look around CL for something cheap you could put some more kegs into.

Click to expand...

I went with a 10 lb tank, which I still think was the best size for me. Only downside is that it won't fit in the fridge with the dual-regulator. Only means popping 2 small holes in the back for the gas lines though. I think I can live with that for now.

back to on topic.....

You can definatley keg condition outside of the fridge. You can either naturally carb it, and have it ready to chill, or just seal the keg with 30PSI and force carb it whenever you are ready to move it to the fridge. Most brews would be fine for 6 or more months conditioning.

Arkador said:

back to on topic.....

You can definatley keg condition outside of the fridge. You can either naturally carb it, and have it ready to chill, or just seal the keg with 30PSI and force carb it whenever you are ready to move it to the fridge. Most brews would be fine for 6 or more months conditioning.

Click to expand...

That is exactly what I was looking for. I didn't really want to naturally carb it simply because I don't want sediment issues.
Thanks a million......

Just keep your eyes on craigslist and you should be able to get one cheap. But the thing is...once you have it you'll fill it and then you'll need something else! I have a 3 kegs in a lager fridge (it's full) and a couple of kegs sitting at room temp waiting to go into the keezer (it's full)...plus two ales in the primary ready soon...and I ain't stoppin'!

$40 7.2 cu ft. Magic Chef w/ 6" collar:

Good idea. Plan on buying many extra cornies. I only make a barleywine when the older one runs out, the 2003 is almost gone, which means the 2005 will be tapped and I'll make a 2009.

Don't let really hoppy beers sit more than 6 months or so, without dry hopping just before tapping.

My main recipe book "Beer Captured" Includes a Best Between date range, and how long before you want to see it gone. It varies quite a bit based on the style of beer.

Arkador said:

My main recipe book "Beer Captured" Includes a Best Between date range, and how long before you want to see it gone. It varies quite a bit based on the style of beer.

Click to expand...

How good is that book? I keep looking for a resource that talks about aging beers

RC0032 said:

How good is that book? I keep looking for a resource that talks about aging beers

Click to expand...

I get 90% of my recipes from it.

It includes 2 yeast recomendations for most beers. Recipes are included in three formats, extract, mini-mash and all grain, appealing to all level of brewers. With each recipe helpful hints are provided, along with aging, serving glass, temperature and food suggestions. Charts provided are: mash guidelines, beer style and famous beer region mineral,water modification, beer style guidelines, hop chart and reference guide, grain, malt, sugar, adjunct, and yeast chart and reference guide. There is also a cooking with beer chapter titled "The Marriage of Food and Beer".
Amazon.com: Beer Captured: Tess Szamatulski, Mark Szamatulski: Books

SpanishCastleAle said:

Click to expand...

Is it just me or are those different sized kegs? Are they 10 and 5's or something diff?

jcdillin said:

Is it just me or are those different sized kegs? Are they 10 and 5's or something diff?

Click to expand...

the Magic Chef 7.2CF chest freezer has room for 4 kegs on the floor, and 2 on the hump, so the 2 kegs on the right are sitting about 6 inches higher than the other four. They are all the same size.

Ahh ok, whew I was gonna say

Optical illusion, but the ones on the right appear to be a larger diameter too.