Keg to Carboy???

[ClarnoBrewer]

First off, I'm on a budget, and also on thin ice with SWMBO regarding this budget. So buying more kegs is not an option. Having said that, here's the skinny:
I have a fresh-hopped ale that I was ready to throw out. The short story is that in an emergency I pitched it with bread yeast and it had a nasty metallic flavor that I was sure wouldn't go. My other two kegs are full, and I have a dry Irish stout in a secondary, ready to keg. So I decided to give the FH ale one more taste, and it may be improving. However, I don't really want it sitting in this keg for another 3 months, while my Irish stout, which I'm eager to drink, sits in a secondary.

Can I transfer this ale (which is already carbed) back into a carboy and just airlock it? I know it will go flat, but then can I just re-carb it? I hate to throw away a beer that may shape up, but I want that stout!!!

And no, I absolutely can not buy another keg anytime soon. Trust me on this one...

Thanks guys!

 

[JesseRC]

why dont you bottle your irish stout? Maybe even put it in PET bottles. Or you could rig up a cheap beer gun and bottle your carbed FH and then move the stout into the keg.

 

[kanielb1]

bottle it...

 

[ClarnoBrewer]

I'd really like to have the stout on tap, so can I just bottle the FH Ale straight from the keg? It's already carbed, so how will that work? Can I just fill bottles straight from the tap and rely on the CO2 already in the beer to just take up the rest of the space in the bottle? I've bottled plenty of beers, but have never bottled an already carbed, kegged beer. Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Warped04]

I'm sure you could get it into the carboy, but it's going to be a pain...Plus I don't think that beer will improve...If you really want to get it one more taste and need to open up another keg, I'd drink one of your other kegs first, then taste the FH beer, then go from there.

 

[springer]

as long as you sanitize well there would be no ill effect by putting the beer in a carboy for extended conditioning it will just go flat but the CO2 will protect the beer during the storage . Just put some Saran wrap or tin foil on the bung hole and let her go.

 

[ClarnoBrewer]

The other two kegs are currently full and not quite ready to be tapped yet. So I may try transferring it to a carboy and letting it sit for a while. I have plenty of free carboys. Bottling is also a possibility, but one of the main reasons I started kegging was to get away from the PITA that is bottling.

The nice thing about HBT forums is that eventually someone will post the answer you've been wanting. I think that's a good thing. Then again, maybe not...

Thanks again!

 

[Scimmia]

I don't see how transferring it to a carboy would cause any harm. It should be simple to transfer, too, just pushing it with CO2.

If you decide to bottle it, check out Biermuncher's bottling method, there's a sticky on it.

 

[ClarnoBrewer]

Scinmia- Just checked out Biermuncher's method. It looks great. I may give it a shot. Thanks!