Keg room temperature?

[pokerloict]

Hello,
I'm thinking of buying kegs, because I'm tired of bottling. I am planning to buy a Kegerators with enough space for 2 keg. I was wondering if I can leave the other kegs at room temperature and make the change when one of the refrigerated kegs is empty.

Thank you

 

[bruteforce]

Hello,
I'm thinking of buying kegs, because I'm tired of bottling. I am planning to buy a Kegerators with enough space for 2 keg. I was wondering if I can leave the other kegs at room temperature and make the change when one of the refrigerated kegs is empty.

Thank you

That shouldn't be a problem. Many of the people I know who keg keep extras at room temp until there's space to put them on tap.

 

[NitrogenWidget]

I regularly brew 10 gallons of my standard brews so I have a back up and know when its time to brew more.

 

[pokerloict]

@NitrogenWidget So I can let it at room tempurateure or? im really beginner

 

[NitrogenWidget]

@NitrogenWidget So I can let it at room tempurateure or? im really beginner

I keep it in the basement. it's about 67 degrees normally in summer. no issues.

 

[day_trippr]

A kegged beer - assuming gas tight - is basically a big bottle. And lots of beer is shipped warm.
That said, most chemical reactions accelerate with temperature, so the downside of warm storage is shorter shelf life...

Cheers!

 

[LittleRiver]

If you want, you can use the "room temperature" phase to carbonate the keg, either by priming, kegging with the appropriate amount of fermentation points remaining, or force carbonating with bottled CO2 (if you have a dual pressure regulator or a separate CO2 setup for this purpose, and use an appropriate pressure for carbonating at room temp). That way the keg is keg pre-carbonated before it goes on serving pressure.

I've done it by priming and force carbing at a higher pressure (due to the warmer temp). They both work.

If you don't have a dual pressure regulator or a separate CO2 rig, then you can just prime the keg with dextrose or your preferred priming sugar.

If you don't want to do any of that, just letting the beer sit in the keg at room temp is not the end of the world. Many styles get better with a little time on them.

 

[MikeCo]

For hoppy beers, it's best to keep them cold and consume fresh so you don't lose hop flavor and aroma.

 

[gnef]

There is often a difference between ideal and acceptable. It isn't ideal to store the kegs at room temperature, but it is acceptable as long as you are willing to deal with any downsides (shorter shelf-life as stated earlier, accelerated growth of infections, etc.)

I did it for many years before building the walk-in cooler because I had no other choice. Work and buy as you are able. You can always adjust and modify later on down the road.

 

[Jefe Waizen]

Don't leave them in a hot garage. Malolactic fermentation, etc all gets exacerbated at temps higher than the 70's...Depends on style of beer,etc. Lowly hopped beers will do better, saisons too. Wouldn't not leave a double IPA or a lager in the heat for too long.

 

[bracconiere]

If you don't have a dual pressure regulator or a separate CO2 rig, then you can just prime the keg with dextrose or your preferred priming sugar.

just had a thought about that, be a good idea to over prime a bit and vent a few times at first to purge the o2....? not sure, never done it.....

edit: maybe something like this: Ball Lock QD Adjustable Pressure Valve with Gauge | BeverageFactory.com

it was 15 years ago, so i don't remember that clearly.....but before i had a dedicated fridge i think i just drank my beer warm from the kegs....(for a few months or so)

 

[Redpappy]

I could be way off base here, but I think of my keg as a big beer bottle. Store in dark cool place. I would carb it up though. Either by force or priming sugar. If you use sugar, it will be less than what you would use for your bottles.

 

[bruce_the_loon]

Most of the pubs in my area store their kegs, both unused and active, in a cool space and the chilling to serving temp is done by chiller plate or heat exchanger coil between the keg and the tap.

If you can avoid storing in high temperatures, above 20 degrees Celcius, you should be fine. If you can store below 16 degrees Celcius, you are moving into lagering temperatures and that should be even better.

 

[brm0811]

I have stored kegs at room temp a couple times in the past couple of years and never have had any problems. More often than that if I am waiting on a tap to open up I usually just keep the beer in the primary.

 

[Redpappy]

I have stored kegs at room temp a couple times in the past couple of years and never have had any problems. More often than that if I am waiting on a tap to open up I usually just keep the beer in the primary.

Out of curiosity, what is the longest time that you have left your beer in your primary? I"m trying to look ahead, since i am actually filling up all of my kegs...

If you can avoid storing in high temperatures, above 20 degrees Celcius, you should be fine. If you can store below 16 degrees Celcius, you are moving into lagering temperatures and that should be even better.

Why do you say 20C is the highest you should go for storing beer? I'm just being curious, as well as education. When i bottle, i only store a few in my keezer and the rest I leave sitting out at room temp (in my old house)- sometimes temp gets up to 79F (26C)(now, they sit in my basement, which gets up to 70f/20c).

 

[SFC Rudy]

I store my kegs at room temp until I have space for them. When I do I add half the amount of priming sugar needed for bottling and let them carb themselves.

 

[brm0811]

Out of curiosity, what is the longest time that you have left your beer in your primary? I"m trying to look ahead, since i am actually filling up all of my kegs...

The longest was probably around 2 months. I have never had any problems leaving the beer on the yeast cake for a long time. I actually prefer it for some styles.

 

[LittleRiver]

just had a thought about that, be a good idea to over prime a bit and vent a few times at first to purge the o2....? ...

I let fermentation gas purge my keg, then do a (gravity powered) closed transfer from fermenter to keg.

 

[bracconiere]

I let fermentation gas purge my keg, then do a (gravity powered) closed transfer from fermenter to keg.

i think this is getting off topic....i just drop a racking cane in my bucket, and suck....lol, i guess that means i suck at brewing!

(hell i don't even rinse my mouth out with mouthwash to sanitize it first...lol)

 

[bruce_the_loon]

...
Why do you say 20C is the highest you should go for storing beer? I'm just being curious, as well as education. When i bottle, i only store a few in my keezer and the rest I leave sitting out at room temp (in my old house)- sometimes temp gets up to 79F (26C)(now, they sit in my basement, which gets up to 70f/20c).

Anecdotal evidence mostly, the large beer warehouse I visited on a SA Breweries tour was held at 20C, as are the keg storages at the pubs I was mentioning. It could just be the most economical setting for the aircon units, or that Castle Lager is bad enough beer that it rots easily.