Bought a used kegerator off of craigslist

I bought a used kegerator off of craigslist and found that it had beer left in two of the kegs. Would you trust it? I'm not exactly out of beer, but I don't have much that is ready to drink.

I know I shouldn't get sick from beer as nothing can live in beer that can kill me, but I have no idea how long it has been there. How long can beer survive in a keg?

Anything else I should do right away?

AgentHubcap said:

I bought a used kegerator off of craigslist and found that it had beer left in two of the kegs. Would you trust it? I'm not exactly out of beer, but I don't have much that is ready to drink.

I know I shouldn't get sick from beer as nothing can live in beer that can kill me, but I have no idea how long it has been there. How long can beer survive in a keg?

Anything else I should do right away?

Click to expand...

How did I miss it? I've been searching PDX craigslist for kegerators for months now. Am I reading this right? You're in Hillsboro and you scored a kegerator WITH kegs? Congratulations on that deal.

It was the 6-tap one. Came with 6 kegs, too!

AgentHubcap said:

It was the 6-tap one. Came with 6 kegs, too!

Click to expand...

Right on, sounds like a good haul. I'm still bottling, just started brewing back in August but already looking forward to kegging. Craigslist is a whipping but there's definitely some treasure out there. Good luck with the new rig. Let me know if you get overwhelmed kegs!

iamperplexed said:

Right on, sounds like a good haul. I'm still bottling, just started brewing back in August but already looking forward to kegging. Craigslist is a whipping but there's definitely some treasure out there. Good luck with the new rig. Let me know if you get overwhelmed kegs!

Click to expand...

I may need help with the drinking part. Two kegs are full and I have 4 fermenters going right now :rockin:

I'm usually adventurous but I wouldn't try the beer in the kegs. If the seller didn't bother to empty them that would be a sign to me that either they forgot because its so old or there is another reason not to. I mean did you open the kegs and verify it's beer or shake them and feel liquid in there?
There is nothing in beer that has been stored properly that will harm you but beer that is spoiled and exposed to the nasty little things in our world is another story...It grows mold and bacteria just like everything else.
I'd dump them.
Hello from Vancouver, WA also.

AgentHubcap said:

I may need help with the drinking part. Two kegs are full and I have 4 fermenters going right now :rockin:

Click to expand...

Sorry, that was supposed to be "overwhelmed with kegs". Sounds like you've got some serious inventory. Always a good problem to have.

Try pouring it. Look at it. Smell it. If anything seems even remotely off, dump it.

If it smells and looks like beer, give it a try.

I recently scored a couple cases of bottles from a neighbor; her ex was a homebrewer. I thought they were going to be empty bottles, but 1 1/2 cases were full. I had no idea what I was in for, but I knew that she'd probably had them at least 18 months before I got them, as she met me shortly after I moved in and already referred to him as an "ex". So I was a bit apprehensive. Turns out they're full of a pretty decent stout. It ended up being a case and a half of decent, if not amazing, beer.

Couldn't resist.

Initial pour of the first made me think it was infected, but I figured that may have been whatever was in the line. Dumped it and went in again. Turns out it is probably an older IPA. No hop flavor, just bitter. It is ok.

Second tap I poured off a bit more. This one has a better taste, but I can't quite decide what it is. Tastes like an orange wheat beer...maybe... The wife liked it.