Keg shelf life before/after tapping ??

So my buddy and I have just got into using corny kegs instead of bottling. We are still naturally carbonating/priming with corn sugar which seems to work out just fine. I haven't been able to find any good info on two topics.
1) Shelf life of an untapped keg ?
2) If you tap a keg does the beer have to be consumed in on sitting ? or can you put a head of CO2 on it to keep the C02 in solution to keep it carbonated? ?


thanks in advance
Dennis

Can't really say about the shelf life.

I have some kegs that are over 1 year old and some that have only lasted a day.

Keeping a head of CO2 on them is what you really need.

No, you DO NOT have to drink it all in one day. Although last summer me and an old pal finished off 4 kegs in 5 days.:rockin:

Beer will last for months or even years if you don't let air get in. CO2 only!

I've got some barley wine going on 5 years. The oldest 'regular' is 17 months, getting a little sour.

+1 for CO2 keeping kegs fresh. DONT USE AIR! Thats why kegs at parties that use hand taps are "stale" by the next day.

How long beer keeps depends on what beer you have inside and what temperature you are keeping it at. If its something high gravity(>1.070 OG), you could probably keep it at room temp for years, but if its something low gravity (<1.040 OG) you may want to refrigerate if you plan on keeping it more that 5-6 months or so.