"Shelf Life" of Beer in a Corny

I'm sure this question has been asked in the past, but can't seem to find it in the archives....

How long does beer stay "good" in a corny when it is in a fridge (under CO2 pressure)? Macrobrew beers say 30 days but was wondering about homebrews???

uhhhhh.

I had a batch of Apricot ale I brewed LAST february and we finished it in November. Tasty as ever.

I have a barley wine that is going on four years that has never been in the fridge. I've had kegs of regular ales in the kegerator as long as 9 months without a problem. I'm much more likely to pitch the last of a batch because I want to put something else up, than because it's bad. Since light and O2 are the biggest problems, kegs are timeless. Heat can be a problem, but I just keep extra kegs in the garage in the winter and bring them into the house in the summer.

Some high gravity ciders and ales need a year just to mellow.

The macros are all about turnover today. Forty years ago they were talking about "aged to perfection".

Thanks guys, makes sense.

david_42, do you shoot some CO2 in your full kegs to lock them up while they are sittin' around and waiting for their turn in the tap line?

Mindflux, my grandma lives in Pflugerville! Parents live in Georgetown. And a sis that lives in the Big D. All of them are native St. Louisans-go figure! Guess that all belongs under the "What's up with Texas thread!!!"

I generally pressurize and purge twice before setting the keg aside. That gets rid of almost all of the O2 and ensures the keg is sealed.

Mr_Turtlehead said:

How long does beer stay "good" in a corny when it is in a fridge (under CO2 pressure)?

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When homebrew ale is chilled the aging process is halted as the yeast goes dormant. So even though there are ales that hit their flavor peak in 3 to 6 months at fermentation temps, they all last longer in the fridge.

Wild