Is It OK To Store Beer For A Long Time In A Corny Keg?

[davisfreeberg]

After jumping into homebrewing with both feet, I may have outdone myself and have managed to produce more beer than I can possibly drink. Currently, I've got two corny kegs tapped, two more filled and waiting and two more that I plan to put my lagers in. My question is this, since I know that it will take me a while to go through all six kegs should I be leaving the beer in the secondary fermenters until it's ready to be consumed or is it ok to store them in the corny kegs for several months to less than a year without any negative effects?

Normally, after I wait a few days for the beer to carbonate, I've noticed that the first glass is pretty much sludge, so my concern is that over a longer period of time that this could get worse and/or could impact the taste of the beer. Alternatively, keeping the beer in a secondary container for several months seems like I would be at greater risk of infection from outside bacteria.

My gut seems to tell me to keep it in the secondary several months because I want clear beers and since I've got the time to wait it will give it a chance to settle, but I've also read that it's bad to keep them in the fermenters for too long so I thought I'd poll the experts here to see what your experience has been like.

 

[DustinHickey]

I'm not quite an expert but I would think if your sanitization proecedures are good that storing a corny keg is no different then storing bottle conditioned beer: the longer it sits the more conditioned it will be. Just be sure to add a bit of pressure to the keg to make sure you have a good seal. Ive noticed that without doing so the thing never really seals right. Also, it may be better to force carb instead of adding sugar to reduce the amout of dormant yeast present at the end of pre carbonating but I like to use sugar so I dont have to take the time to force carb between tap changes. Lastly be sure to get a second opinion because like I said, I'm no expert and I am just starting to only keg instaed of bottling and kegging.

 

[TipsyDragon]

people store beer in kegs all the time. just purge the head space with CO2 and place it in a spot where the temp stays stable most of the time. it also depends on the style of beer. some are better consumed early while others benefit quite a bit from a long aging.

as long as the secondary is properly sanitized and sealed you have nothing to worry about from contamination. bacteria are not ninjas and only move down not up. i would be more worried about oxidation. depending on what you store it in it can be an issue. glass is better than plastic and metal (being opaque) is better still.

if your worried about the sludge just wait a couple weeks then draw off the sludge pint then wait another couple weeks and do it again. i'm willing to bet the second pint wont be that bad. you could also think about leaving the beer in the primary for 3 or more weeks the additional time will give more yeast time to settle out and reduce the sludge in your keg. also look into cold crashing. that may also help with the sludge.

 

[Mischief_Brewing]

Either will be fine with proper sanitary procedures and caution to reduce the risk of oxidation.

The concern that pops into my head about your situation is the viability of the beer for a longer period of time. Some beers just don't age well. I hope your beer that is stuck in queue is of the higher abv variety and not really hop-dependent...

You can always use my solution...throw a party and kill 10 gallons in a single night!

 

[david_42]

Your beer is much better off in a cornie long-term (no skunking, no airlock to keep full, etc) and you won't see an increase in the amount of trub as time goes by.

 

[steinsato]

I've had a Barley Wine stored in a keg for over 6 months now. It just keeps getting better.

 

[davisfreeberg]

Thanks for the feedback. Since I am already waiting, I thought about using sugar to carbonate the kegs, but wasn't sure if that would add more sediment to the beer. The one beer that I bottled so far (a nice stout) had a pretty thick layer at the bottom. No big deal if your serving it in a glass, but since the corny kegs suck up from the bottom, it makes me nervous to try it. I think I might spike one with sugar and the other without to see the difference. Should I use the normal amount of sugar that I'd use for bottling or do I use less when all 5 gallons are in one container?

 

[olllllo]

You can bend or shorten the tube to bypass the trub and perhaps a pint or two. Or you can transfer from keg to keg waiting for the beer to clear before you cut over.

 

[TipsyDragon]

Should I use the normal amount of sugar that I'd use for bottling or do I use less when all 5 gallons are in one container?

if you have the capability don't bother with priming sugar and just force carbonate. the sludge at the bottom is intensified by the addition of more sugar into the mix. but if you really want to go that rout add about half the amount you normally would for bottle conditioning.

 

[DustinHickey]

if you have the capability don't bother with priming sugar and just force carbonate. the sludge at the bottom is intensified by the addition of more sugar into the mix. but if you really want to go that rout add about half the amount you normally would for bottle conditioning.

Correct, using priming sugar will add "sludge" to the bottom the same way it forms from priming in bottles". I just like doing it because then there is no reason to get a secondary regulator for force carbing while you have another keg going. As far as priming sugar is concerned, you should try to fill corny kegs with 5 gallons and use priming sugar calculator or calculation to determine volumes of co2 for desired style of beer. Just google "priming sugar calculator".

 

[homebrewer_99]

Some of my kegged beer is over 2 years old.

As mentioned earlier "hop dependent" brews like IPAs lose some of it's pep, but you can always re-dry hop a keg using a hop sock.

 

[SweetSounds]

It is better to keep beer in corny's for long term storage.
It sounds like your lagers will be there the longest, and they will only get better with age.

I like a clear beer too, so this is what I do - And it has resulted in keg after keg of crystal clear beer (Without finings!)

After primary fermentation, I rack to a corny. I don't worry much about the trub. I try to avoid as much as possible, but I try to get as much as I can out of the fermenter. The trub you suck into the keg will just settle anyway.
Then it sits (And this is the important part) where it won't move. Ever. I put them in a utility room right now that holds 68 degrees like it has a thermostat on it.
When I'm ready to serve it, the fun begins.
Sanitize a new "Serving" keg.
Make an "Out to Out" jumper (Black "Out" QD's on both ends)
Release any pressure on the aging keg, and purge the "Serving" keg with CO2.
Connect the "Out" posts of the two kegs together with the jumper, and hit the "Aging" keg with about 3 PSI
Open the release on the "Serving" keg, and the beer will begin to transfer. This takes about 5 minutes or so.
Do NOT in any of this even move the "Aging" keg. You want the settled sediment to stay right where it is.
Lift the "Serving" keg as it fills to tell when it's about done. You'll get a feel for what "Full" feels like after a few times...
When it's close, be ready to pull the "Out" QD from the "Aging" keg right when it blows to avoid the last shot of sediment that will try to transfer.

Then cold crash, and carb.

If you get your timing right, and if you don't disturb the aging keg, you'll get clear beer. Every time (For me anyways...)

 

[mkorpal]

This seems like a good place to ask. Why would a naturally carbed beer have more trub than a force carbed beer. Shouldn't you technically have the exact same amount of yeast in suspension when you put it into the keg?

 

[Special Hops]

This seems like a good place to ask. Why would a naturally carbed beer have more trub than a force carbed beer. Shouldn't you technically have the exact same amount of yeast in suspension when you put it into the keg?

Yes - but when you naturally carb you add priming sugar, which will arose the yeas for one last go at it.

 

[DGibb]

I plan on kegging for the first time (because I am sick of bottling, especially in today's 100 degree heat). I would be kegging into a ball-lock keg ($24.99, not bad) and naturally carbing with priming sugar, and conditioning in my basement (which rests at 68-72 degrees).

1. Approximately how long will it take to carb by priming? Will it take the standard 3-4 weeks like bottles (or longer)?
2. Once primed and filled, do I have to purge the headspace with CO2? If I don't have any setup, how should I do this?
3. Once carbed, how do I serve it? I don't have a keezer set up (yet), but I plan on working toward that end.
4. Once tapped (with CO2), how long should it last/does it go bad if not refrigerated lower than the basement temp?
5. Can I bottle/fill growlers from the keg?

I'm on a shoestring budget here, so please help a brewer out!

 

[John Spiegel]

I don't have a basement and my kegerator is a stand up fridge that has limited capacity. I was planning on storing in a keg in my garage. It's cool right now (springtime), so I'd imagine it will be fine for another month or two, but what are your thoughts on storage in the garage during the summer months? It doesn't get up to 90 or anything in there, but it can definitely get warm when the garage door's open all day.