How Long Does Beer Last in a Keg

[Keim]

Been homebrewing for years now, just started kegging. Got a newbie question: How long does homebrew last in a keg?

I don't drink a lot, so am concerned beer will age before I finish the keg.

 

[Pappers_]

Its got a layer of CO2 on top of the beer, so it keeps pretty well, especially if you store it in the kegerator or fridge, where the cold also helps keep it fresh. I've never personally had a keg 'go bad', but I usually empty them in a month or two (I only keep on keg tapped at a time).

 

[MagicMatt]

Provided you purge all oxygen from the keg when kegging the beer, technically the beer will never go "bad". It will definitely change with age - sometimes for the better, sometimes not. One example would be an IPA - with age, you'll lose most of the fresh hoppiness and be left with a rather subpar ale (happened to me once on a keg I forgot about for 6 months).

But as long as you keep oxygen out, the beer should never spoil.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

Personal exp, the longest ive had something in the keg was...2 maybe closer 3 months. For some of the higher ABV darker beers..and they were fine. But iv'e heard that what MagicMatt is saying is true also

 

[agrazela]

Two weeks. Three if I don't tell the wife that keg is ready.

 

[Keim]

Its got a layer of CO2 on top of the beer, so it keeps pretty well, especially if you store it in the kegerator or fridge, where the cold also helps keep it fresh. I've never personally had a keg 'go bad', but I usually empty them in a month or two (I only keep on keg tapped at a time).

It will be stored in the kegerator. I also tend towards bigger beers, where aging can be advantageous. Does beer in a keg age more quickly than bottled? Or beer that bulk ages in a carboy?

 

[MagicMatt]

The only determining factor of how quickly a beer ages that I'm aware of is temperature. Warmer temps will age faster, colder temps will slow aging to a crawl.

FWIW I usually age my stouts for at least 4 months at room temp before even thinking about tapping. The one in my keezer now is 9 months old.

 

[BeardedBrews]

A keg is just a giant bottle that you can dispense out of a little at a time. As long as you aren't putting O2 back into the keg (using a hand pump, or opening the lid), it should last as long as any bottle would.

I have heard reports of much better long term aging if you do at least a partial "bottle condition" in the keg before cooling it back down for storage. Adding some sugar when kegging generates a short ferment and should consume up any residual O2 from the transfer into the keg.

 

[kh54s10]

I have a brown ale that I brewed last August. It seemed stuck and sweet at about 1.022. I left it in the basement until a week ago while procrastinating what to do with it. I opened it and took another sample. It was down to 1.008 and tasted pretty good so I stuck it in the kegerator. Cooled, it tastes even better. I don't know how much better or worse it would have been earlier but at almost 11 months it is quite good.

I have a pale ale brewed at the same time that suffered the same problem. It tasted sweet and was about 1.018, now it was 1.008 and not quite as good as the brown, but seemed quite drinkable, so I tossed 2.15 ounces of Willamette hops in. Will try it in a couple of days.

I haven't had the stalled problem before or since. I didn't do anything different on those or since???

The longest I have worked on a bottled beer was just shy of 4 years. It was a winter warmer and seemed to peak at about 3 years and go downhill after that.

 

[Rockn_M]

I've aged kegs for 6-7 months without any problems. Like others have said if you have a good seal and has co2 on top. It will last for a very long time.

 

[Scout]

I've got a keg of commercial beer that came with the kegerator. It's six years old. Looks fine, smells fine, tastes fine. I'm going with the "as long as there is no oxygen" crowd.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

Until you pull the handle it goes "PCHCHCHCHCHSHSHSHSHFTHFTHFTHFTHFTHFTHFTH!"

 

[Keim]

Interesting. I seem to be getting 3 different opinions.
1 group has never had a keg last longer than three months
the 2nd group notices loss of hop flavor after about 6 months
the third group says no o2 means no problem indefinitely

Guess I will be finding out which group I fall into.

 

[BeardedBrews]

Interesting. I seem to be getting 3 different opinions.
1 group has never had a keg last longer than three months
the 2nd group notices loss of hop flavor after about 6 months
the third group says no o2 means no problem indefinitely

Guess I will be finding out which group I fall into.

Group 1 (myself included) is suggesting that their friends are thirsty and it's impossible to keep a keg full for more than a few months.

Group 3 would probably agree that there is a change in flavor and aroma over time, just like with bottle conditioned beer. If your beer style doesn't rely on hop aroma and flavor, then you're probably good to age this for 1-2 years before you start going bad.

 

[gnef]

I am probably an atypical brewer in that I age kegs for years. Mostly because I produce a LOT more than I can reasonably drink, and I keep 14 on tap, so no one keg goes empty quickly, as I am drinking from a number of kegs.

I have a barleywine from 07. I just recently checked on it, and it is still holding up well, though sweeter than I recall, and of course no hop presence.

I have a keg of Liquid Stupid (look up the recipe if you haven't heard of it) from 08 that I also just checked on, and it hasn't aged as well as I would've liked, and is showing some definite oxidation now. I have a keg of Liquid Stupid from 2010, 2013, and also two kegs from 2015 still, so I will be hopefully able to do some tests to see how well it ages, and when it is at its peak. Like I said, I like to brew a lot more than I can drink.

I have a keg of what was brewed as a Double IPA from 2007, which I haven't checked on in years, and I just checked another keg of what was a Double IPA from 2010, which is more of a barleywine now, which isn't bad at all, but it definitely isn't a Double IPA anymore.

I also have meads and ciders from 2006 still as well.

Suffice to say, take care of the beer well, and it should last any reasonable amount of time for you, though it will change over time. If you take care with oxygen exposure, the beer will last much longer without having oxidation flavors, though some styles actually improve with slight oxidation.

 

[BeardedBrews]

I am probably an atypical brewer in that I age kegs for years.

Speaking of gnef

It has been too long since you've posted a picture of your walk-in setup. Anything new in your in-house taproom?

 

[Stillraining]

I've got a keg of commercial beer that came with the kegerator. It's six years old. Looks fine, smells fine, tastes fine. I'm going with the "as long as there is no oxygen" crowd.

Crikey man...You dont even fall into a beer drinking category.

 

[gnef]

Speaking of gnef

It has been too long since you've posted a picture of your walk-in setup. Anything new in your in-house taproom?

Ha! Nothing new since I last posted pictures. After the 650ss, bev seal ultra, and John Guest fitting retrofit and the hanging glassware racks I've been very happy with the setup.

Well, I also built an electric brewery in the garage, so that was my most recent big project. I also bought a chapman 14 gallon stainless fermenter. I need to slow down with the equipment upgrades, it gets expensive really quickly!

I am trying to go through my oldest inventory and start purging the oldest kegs by either drinking them, or just dumping if they aren't good any more. I was running low on kegs, and had nearly 80 kegs in the walk-in, and I realized that there are some in there that probably aren't good any more, and I just need to pare down what I have in there a bit.

 

[tjosborne]

What thread is your walk-in on? I'm kinda interested to see this.

 

[BeardedBrews]

What thread is your walk-in on? I'm kinda interested to see this.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=284665

 

[gnef]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=284665

You are faster than I am at finding threads! I've posted even more recent pictures in the kegerator thread, but it can be daunting to try to find a single post in that thread.

I should update that thread with some newer pictures. Since the last pictures there, I've made my own 3/4" hex stainless tap handles, and mounted two glassware racks above.

 

[BeardedBrews]

You are faster than I am at finding threads! I've posted even more recent pictures in the kegerator thread, but it can be daunting to try to find a single post in that thread.

I should update that thread with some newer pictures. Since the last pictures there, I've made my own 3/4" hex stainless tap handles, and mounted two glassware racks above.

I saw the new racks, very sharp. I am still finishing up my build, but looking back at your pictures reminded me to suggest these vinyl peel-and-stick tiles that I used:

http://www.lowes.com/pd/Style-Selec...tick-Rustic-Residential-Vinyl-Plank/999957677

Dirt cheap and easy to install. I bought the extruded/wrapped plastic corner boards from the trim section which were similarly cheap and could be miter-cut with a utility knife and a little bit of sandpaper.

Between those two parts, and a gallon of white Killz paint, you could really class up your cold room in an afternoon.

 

[gnef]

that looks nice! Unfortunately with the amount of wall space I would need to cover (front and back face is 7 x 7, side wall is 14 ft long, so it would be a good chunk of change), I don't see that as a project in the near future. I actually enjoy the more industrial feel of what I have. If I do want it to look nicer, I'll definitely look in to those though!

 

[BeardedBrews]

that looks nice! Unfortunately with the amount of wall space I would need to cover (front and back face is 7 x 7, side wall is 14 ft long, so it would be a good chunk of change), I don't see that as a project in the near future. I actually enjoy the more industrial feel of what I have. If I do want it to look nicer, I'll definitely look in to those though!

Oh, I meant paint the walls with Killz. The top of the coffin box was the only part I was suggesting a nice top for.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

I generally suspend brewing in the winter because burning propane I the snow sucks. I routinely drink beer that's been n the keg a year or more. No quality issues I have noticed. I prefer low hopped beers, so the hops fade does not affect my product. I store my kegs at room temps in the cool basement under a shot of co2.

 

[gnef]

Oh, I meant paint the walls with Killz. The top of the coffin box was the only part I was suggesting a nice top for.

Ah! I see. I'll keep that in mind for future projects. I think I need to slow down for now. haha.

 

[djonesax]

I'm a little late to the party but, recently I had Yooper's Oatmeal Stout on tap for 10 months and I'd say it tasted as good or better. I also recently had commercial kegs of Dos Equis and Modelo on for over a year and they still tasted fine as well.

David