Keg question

[Bruinpilot]

I am considering getting into kegging. I was curious how long a beer will last in a keg. Some beers go quick, but I don't drink a big Russian imperial stout or a sour very quickly. It is not uncommon for a 5 gallon batch of a big beer to last me 2 years in bottles. Will beer stay fresh that long in a keg? Thanks for the info.

 

[jrowland74]

Yes, you can age in a keg. Just make sure you have a good seal and purge all of the oxygen. If you plan to drink it periodically or sample it along the way, keep it on the gas. Otherwise just purge and hide it away for a while. Some say this is even better than bottle aging, as there is zero exposure to sunlight.

 

[SeeMont]

Dito what 74 said. I age all my dark beer in kegs for at least 3 months. I have barley wine that has been kegged for over two years. I make it a point to hit them with a blast of CO2 about once a month at least. I also keep my kegs at a very cool temp, about 50 degrees in a basement. Having four kegs on tap, I will rotate them in and out to add to variety and haven't ruined one yet. I figured out that the beer always tasted better toward the bottom of the keg. Good Luck

 

[Natdavis777]

I only keg and some beers stay on tap for a few months. Most beers hit their stride after a week or two. Im sipping on an IPA just about 2 months old and still tastes awesome. I wouldnt worry about the beers going south on you. I had a lambic on tap for 8 months that still tasted great.

 

[Bruinpilot]

Thanks for the good info. That is encouraging. Does anyone have any info on bottling from a keg? Many of my big or older beers I like to give away as presents, but I am not giving away the whole keg! I'm not that generous. Does the beer age well once transferred to a bottle as well when dispensed from a keg? Thanks.

 

[jrowland74]

Thanks for the good info. That is encouraging. Does anyone have any info on bottling from a keg? Many of my big or older beers I like to give away as presents, but I am not giving away the whole keg! I'm not that generous. Does the beer age well once transferred to a bottle as well when dispensed from a keg? Thanks.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=24678

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

To me honestly, I wouldn't get it into the expense of keggin if your bottles can last you up to 2 years if you bottle them. That is a long time to keep a beer kegged, I went to kegging b/c a 5 gallon batch can last me as little as one week. I have a lot of guests and everyone enjoys drinking my home brew. Also when I don't have any home brew I go and purchase kegs to put in there to save money (cheaper than buying bottled beer). But I would of never went to keggin if I knew it would take two years to empty one keg... Makes no since financially unless you just want the wow factor of having beer on draft at the house (people think its pretty cool). But then you have to think about the space it will take in your house or garage for it not really being used very often and the wife might also think its an eye sore.

 

[SeeMont]

I myself hate the hassle of bottling, cleaning, storing etc been there done that. But I still bottle a few from my keg system. What bottles I tend is use are plastic soda bottles, 1 and 2 liter. For filling I went ahead and purchased the Beer Gun from Blichmann, pretty easy and works well, alot of folks build or buy the counter pressure systems. Brewing is an investment, I enjoy the process just as much as the product and really not to save money, probably cheaper in the long run to buy beer rather than the expense of the equipment money trap.