Old brew in keg, still safe/worth saving?

[Keevo]

So I was going hot and heavy on brewing at the beginning of the pandemic, brewing every weekend, and I got burnt out. During that time I had some electrical issues and unplugged my keezer with about a half keg of a mexican style cerveza ale on tap (Aug 2020 brew date as best I can tell), if I recall it ended up a little darker than planned.

Long story short I'm getting back into brewing again after 3.5 years and found the keg. I'm debating whether or not to dump it or give it a try and see how it held up. It was on CO2 the whole time and I'm anal retentive about sanitation. The only issue I see is that it was still hooked up to the serving line, so that may have introduced something nasty, however keg was still pressurized and co2 tank still has some left in it.

From what I've seen , i probably don't have to worrying about poisoning myself (hops, alcohol, anaerobic environment, etc) but wanted to get the community's feed back to see if there is something I'm not considering Especially with it being a lighter ale style I expect garbage but who knows. Just would rather not get my stomach pumped if i can avoid it.
One more note, tge keg remained i. The keezer in my basement so I doubt there was too much temperature fluxuation after it warmed up, maybe +/- 10-15 degrees

 

[sibelman]

Best guess: unlikely to be enjoyable even though stored in the basement.

 

[whoaru99]

Worst case it might taste bad, but by my understanding not unsafe to try it.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I would probably taste a sample of it, but most likely dump the rest. You should probably replace the line it was hooked up to as well.

 

[kevin58]

If it were kept chilled I wouldn't hesitate to drink it but being unplugged for so long I would just dump it.

 

[fluketamer]

its prolly stale but wont kill you .

 

[lumpher]

Give it a shot, but make sure you record the event. The disgusted look on your face will be priceless.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

I would pull off a few ounces to dump the dredges then pour yourself a taster. I'm betting it isn't what it tasted like before, but it may be good.

I've grabbed bottles from the bottle shop older than what you've got and the beer was still good.

 

[gaviga]

I had a similar experience when I was gone for a few months and my keezer died. My Corona clone tasted horrible after that. It was fine before.

 

[barry.hastings]

I would pull off a few ounces to dump the dredges then pour yourself a taster. I'm betting it isn't what it tasted like before, but it may be good.

I've grabbed bottles from the bottle shop older than what you've got and the beer was still good.

Gday all from Oz . The main enemies of beer are heat , light , oxygen and infection . A properly filled and cold keg keeps beer nice for years . I once gave away brewing for 8 years due to work commitments and didn’t touch a half keg of Scotch Ale for that whole period . After 8 years , the whole time under refrigeration , it was better than ever . Admittedly at 11%a/v that probably would be expected , but I often drink my 5% beers in kegs after 4 or more years without any issues at all . I have 17 full 19L corny kegs under refrigeration at all times so it is often years before I tap any individual keg .
With your beer at ambient you are in the lap of the gods I’m afraid !! I hope your beer turns out OK . Hey , if it’s no good then just dump it and brew another . Cheers and beers from Baz ..