Ageing beer in a keg

[MT2sum]

I've got some kegs, but haven't started kegging my batches yet. If I were to use one or two of them for ageing an Imperial for a while, how long would the beer last in the keg before I'd have to bottle it? Also, would it have to be refrigerated for the length of time, or could it just be kept at room temperature?
Also, which, in your opinion, would be the best way to age a beer (NOT counting oak casks!), in the bottle or in a stainless keg? Any opinions/experiences would be welcome.
TIA

 

[cosminman]

I would say that as long as everything is sanitized and the beer has alcohol in it (especially the high ABV ones) you can keep it for a few years. I have heard of a Russian Imperial Stout kept 8 years...

 

[VTX1300]

I age my stout for a few months in the keg before I bottle. I just hit them with about 10psi of co2 and keep them in my basement. Temps there are usually in the 65°F range. Just make sure you purge the keg a few times to keep O2 out. If you plan to serve from the keg you could add the priming sugar and let them naturally carb.

 

[friarsmith]

I've aged a few meads and several RIS's, Barleywines and various strong ales for a year or more in kegs. Some w/ oak cubes or staves. My basement stays between 58* & 68* depending on the season. I prefer bulk aging to bottle aging for big beers because I can take a quick sip to test progress vs. opening a whole bottle.

Perhaps consider, as others have mentioned, to add bottling sugar solution to naturally carbonate the beer. This has the added benefit of scavenging any O2 introduced during racking. You'll probably only need 3oz bottling sugar (vs the typical 5oz when bottle-carbing) as the process is more efficient in bulk. When you're ready to bottle or drink, chill the keg for a few days and you'll be good to go!

 

[kh54s10]

I bottled my Russian Imperial Stout because I didn't want to tie up a keg for over a year. I made another strong beer that peaked in smoothness at about 1.5 years and was still very good at almost 3 years when I finished the last bottle.

For keg aging you will probably have to use some co2 to seat the lid.

 

[MT2sum]

Thanx folks, with those answers, I'm going to put a couple of my 'useless' (so-far), kegs to work. I've got a couple of RIS's to make in the next week or so, and at least one of them is planned for a year or two aging (with friarsmith's "sip-tasting" in mind!).

The one thing I was most concerned about was the refrigeration ..... but now that I have an idea of the possibilities, I can dig a hole under my 'saloon' building, set a keg (or more) down there, (covered, of course), and it will age at about 55F-65F for as long as I want it to without running up the electric bill!

Appreciate the responses!
MT2sum

 

[gnef]

As a quick reminder, make sure the kegs can seal completely. If you haven't reconditioned them, I would go ahead and replace the seals as cheap insurance.

I would also recommend ensuring that the beer becomes carbed in the keg and maintains pressure. Depending on the length of time, I would try to check to ensure there is substantial head pressure at least twice a year. I have personally noticed after extended aging, that the kegs that previously were leak-free have lost significant head pressure - but we are talking 8+ years.

 

[MT2sum]

I age my stout for a few months in the keg before I bottle. I just hit them with about 10psi of co2 and keep them in my basement. Temps there are usually in the 65°F range. Just make sure you purge the keg a few times to keep O2 out. If you plan to serve from the keg you could add the priming sugar and let them naturally carb.

Purging: how do I tell if/when there is enuff CO2 in the keg to purge it completely? You say a "few times" ... is ther a certain amount of time blasting the CO2 in there to make sure or do I need to do some more research to find out more on purging? THX

 

[gnef]

There is a table floating around that shows the pressure and number of purges with the remaining percentage of O2.

What I generally recommend though, is to just fill the keg with sanitizer (I use star san), and then push it out with CO2. If you do that, you don't have to worry about O2 if you do a closed transfer, and you can worry less if you have an open transfer (O2 will diffuse in and mix with the headspace, but I just don't worry about it at that point).

 

[MT2sum]

@ friarsmith -"Perhaps consider, as others have mentioned, to add bottling sugar solution to naturally carbonate the beer. This has the added benefit of scavenging any O2 introduced during racking. You'll probably only need 3oz bottling sugar (vs the typical 5oz when bottle-carbing) as the process is more efficient in bulk. When you're ready to bottle or drink, chill the keg for a few days and you'll be good to go!"

Since I prime with honey, would the same formula (about 2/3 of the priming amount) be your recommendation for using honey instead of one of the priming sugars?
THX

 

[MT2sum]

@ gnef - won't that leave a cup or two of star san in the bottom of my keg to mix with my brew? I know it is supposedly non-poisonous/toxic, but the thought of mixing in with my beer isn't too pleasant to my mind.
THX

To explain, I have read that you should cut off the bottom 3/4" of the dip tube so as not to pick up any trub, etc. that might be sitting in the bottom of the keg.

 

[gnef]

@ gnef - won't that leave a cup or two of star san in the bottom of my keg to mix with my brew? I know it is supposedly non-poisonous/toxic, but the thought of mixing in with my beer isn't too pleasant to my mind. THX

All my kegs have dip tubes that go all the way to the bottom (some have cut theirs shorter), so very little is left, at least for me. You can easily do a test on your own kegs to see if it is little enough for you to feel comfortable with the amount or not.

 

[MT2sum]

@ gnef - won't that leave a cup or two of star san in the bottom of my keg to mix with my brew? I know it is supposedly non-poisonous/toxic, but the thought of mixing in with my beer isn't too pleasant to my mind.

Also, I have bought all new seals for the kegs, so thanks for reminding me about that!

THX

To explain, I have read that you should cut off the bottom 3/4" of the dip tube so as not to pick up any trub, etc. that might be sitting in the bottom of the keg.

 

[day_trippr]

A full-length dip tube properly positioned in its bottom well will leave barely a half teaspoon of fluid behind...

Cheers!

 

[gnef]

@ gnef - won't that leave a cup or two of star san in the bottom of my keg to mix with my brew? I know it is supposedly non-poisonous/toxic, but the thought of mixing in with my beer isn't too pleasant to my mind.

Also, I have bought all new seals for the kegs, so thanks for reminding me about that!

THX

To explain, I have read that you should cut off the bottom 3/4" of the dip tube so as not to pick up any trub, etc. that might be sitting in the bottom of the keg.

Yea, if you have already tripped your dip tube, there isn't much you can do then. See if it is enough to worry about. If it is, then you can do the multiple purges if you are concerned about oxidation (I'm rarely concerned, but there are many here who swear by it and the entire Low O2 movement as of late).

 

[MT2sum]

I haven't yet cut off the dip tube (sounds like that's a good thing!), as I haven't got around to cleaning/sanitizing the kegs yet - I just kinda thought it was the normal thing to do from what I had read - thanks guys!

 

[kh54s10]

I haven't yet cut off the dip tube (sounds like that's a good thing!), as I haven't got around to cleaning/sanitizing the kegs yet - I just kinda thought it was the normal thing to do from what I had read - thanks guys!

I haven't trimmed my dip tubes and see no need. You shouldn't be transferring a beer that isn't clear. If you are transferring a lot of trub you are doing something wrong. The worst you should see is maybe two cloudy glasses when first starting on the keg.

NEIPA's may be a different case, but I don't have to worry about that yet. I have been trying commercial ones and haven't yet found one I liked at all. So I won't be brewing one in the near future.

 

[IslandLizard]

if you have already trimmed your dip tube, there isn't much you can do then

If someone trimmed their long dip tubes, you can extend them with a short piece of vinyl or silicone hose that fits tightly over the tube. A 100% stainless clamp (watch out, the worm screws themselves aren't always stainless), or simply, a piece of stainless wire twisted tightly will help secure that piece or hose if needed.

To purge that last bit of Starsan:

1. Make sure you have shortened your gas diptube ahead of time, so it's flush with the inside top of the keg.
2. After pushing all the liquid out, remove gas QD.
3. Invert pressurised keg (the posts are now pointing down).
4. Tilt and shake the keg a bit to get all Starsan in that gas post area.
5. Push an open QD on the gas post or depress the poppet with a nail-set or screwdriver. Keep tilting and shaking it a little.
6. Now it's empty of Starsan and 100% filled with CO2.
7. Ready to receive beer through a closed transfer.