How long can I leave beer in carboy?

[jdphillips73]

I just started kegging and currently have more beer in my pipeline than I can drink.

I have two carboys of Pale Ale that were ready to keg on Feb. 24. but no empty kegs, so I just decided to cold crash the carboys and hold them there until room opens up. How long can I hold them there? They are currently been held in a keezer at 38 degrees.

 

[Yooper]

I just started kegging and currently have more beer in my pipeline than I can drink.

I have two carboys of Pale Ale that were ready to keg on Feb. 24. but no empty kegs, so I just decided to cold crash the carboys and hold them there until room opens up. How long can I hold them there? They are currently been held in a keezer at 38 degrees.

You could hold them there for years, but they will be better fresher. Pale ales should maintain their hoppy flavor for quite a while at fridge temperatures.

 

[TheBlindBeastBrewery]

Your enemies are oxidation, yeast autolysis and potential grassy flavors from long term hop exposure. At 38 degrees I wouldn't worry about too many yeast cells dying. However, the longer you leave these beers exposed to air the more oxidized they will become. The best answer is to keg them as soon as possible - but they may hold up a few weeks. Depends on your threshold for oxidation flavors.

 

[oceanic_brew]

Sounds like you need a RIS, Lambic, or wee heavy to help alleviate this problem


It's the recommendation I give to many

 

[jdphillips73]

being that they are still in unopened carboys. I would think that the blanket of c02 is still sitting on top of the beer. Is this true?

 

[Yooper]

being that they are still in unopened carboys. I would think that the blanket of c02 is still sitting on top of the beer. Is this true?

While being opened does help quite a lot, the whole "c02 blanket" is a myth. During fermentation, there is more c02 being produced and that does have a great protective effect, but once fermentation stops, the protective effect dissipates.

If you have the carboys with very little headspace, they will be ok for a long time. If there is a lot of headspace, they will be ok for a shorter time. For the amount of time you're talking about, they will be fine.

 

[C38368]

While being opened does help quite a lot, the whole "c02 blanket" is a myth. During fermentation, there is more c02 being produced and that does have a great protective effect, but once fermentation stops, the protective effect dissipates.

For those of us that left--would this be a chemistry or physics question?--behind in high school, I pose this question: during fermentation, large amounts of carbon dioxide are produced by yeast, generating pressure in the fermenting vessel, which is bubbled out through some kind of an airlock. Presumably, other gasses are created as well, either by the yeast, or other chemical processes within the wort and/or beer.

Ignoring, for a moment, gas interchange due to vessel permeability... what happens to that CO2 over time?

Is it broken down? Overwhelmed by production of other gasses that continue after fermentation has basically ended?

Just curious, as I've never actually considered this as an issue until I read your response.

 

[Yooper]

For those of us that left--would this be a chemistry or physics question?--behind in high school, I pose this question: during fermentation, large amounts of carbon dioxide are produced by yeast, generating pressure in the fermenting vessel, which is bubbled out through some kind of an airlock. Presumably, other gasses are created as well, either by the yeast, or other chemical processes within the wort and/or beer.

Ignoring, for a moment, gas interchange due to vessel permeability... what happens to that CO2 over time?

Is it broken down? Overwhelmed by production of other gasses that continue after fermentation has basically ended?

Just curious, as I've never actually considered this as an issue until I read your response.

The biology question (fermentation by the yeast, as it creates c02 and ethanol as by- products) changes over to the laws of physics, where gasses seek equilibrium.

The c02 dissipates through the airlock with time. Oxygen comes in through any cracks in the plastic airlock, and even diffuses through the water in the airlock, as does all the room air. That's one reason winemakers use campden tablets, as antioxidants to bind with the wine so oxygen can't, as well as top up their carboys to the tippy top, to allow no headspace. Micro-oxidation still occurs, but very very slowly and the sulfites keep the oxygen from binding if used properly.

Short term, the wine/beer is fine but these processes need to be kept in mind. Sometimes, age and a little oxidation is a great thing in wines and in some beers like a huge barleywine when the sherry notes and brandy-like flavors becomes part of the profile. In a pale ale, oxidation is to be avoided so the idea is to minimize the aging if possible.

 

[C38368]

The c02 dissipates through the airlock with time. Oxygen comes in through any cracks in the plastic airlock, and even diffuses through the water in the airlock, as does all the room air.

So it's essentially a question of exchange through permeable or soluble barriers? Following that, it wouldn't really affect (at least, as far as we as home brewers are concerned) sealed and pressurized storage, such as a keg?

A little off topic, but not the most intuitive thing ever. Or maybe I'm just dense.

 

[Gonefishin]

I left a porter in my primary for 8-weeks and got some very unsavory "yeasty" flavors in the beer. The temp was mid 50's. I wonder if lower temps would have helped. I left it in the keg for 4 or 5 weeks before trying it again and they dissipated quite a bit and the beer is now pretty tasty. I would recommend transferring to a secondary vessel. The beer will clarify and it can stay in your secondary for a very long time. Just purge with CO2 prior to xfer and try not to splash too much.

 

[kristiismean]

to the OP,
Depending on the style (yes, you said pale ale) I might dry hop it with the hops used in the boil since some of the hop forwardness is going to dissipate if exceeding 6 weeks.

You either need more kegs or more friends. ps. more kegs helps with more friends..

 

[Yooper]

So it's essentially a question of exchange through permeable or soluble barriers? Following that, it wouldn't really affect (at least, as far as we as home brewers are concerned) sealed and pressurized storage, such as a keg?

A little off topic, but not the most intuitive thing ever. Or maybe I'm just dense.

Correct- a keg is a perfect aging vessel.

However, while it will prevent oxygen pick up, it won't "erase" the oxygen pick up it may have received during racking/packing/etc. So there still will be some oxidative changes long term, unless the beer was always pushed with c02, and not in contact with oxygen during/post fermentation and so on.

Breweries take extraordinary measure to prevent oxygen contact with beer, including flushing lines with treated (low dissolved oxygen) water, keeping closed vessels, pushing with c02, etc. And still, the beers have a "use by" or "best by" date, and will get staling and other oxygen reactions with time.