kegs

[norn_irn]

I had a conversation with my next door neighbour last night whose dad owns a pub and she also works in it at the weekend.
i told her that i was looking at getting a keg for my homebrew. she told not to as beer in kegs doesnt last that long once they are hooked up the tap. the reason for this was because oxygen get into the beer. she told me to stick to the bottles as they have a longer shelf life.
i said that my beer wouldnt last that long in the keg anyway lol
is she right??????

GAWA
Green and White Army

 

[blackwaterbrewer]

if your keg has a pump tap on it, it will go bad, as it uses air ( oxygen) to provide dispensing pressure. you need a keg that uses CO2 for dispensing pressure/ carbonation. many homebrewers use 5 gallon cornelius kegs which use CO2.

Cornelius Kegs (or Firestone), (FOUR PACK), 5 Gallon, Ball Lock (Pepsi Style) for Homebrew/Soda

 

[david_42]

Homebrewers either use CO2 or beer gas (CO2 and N2) to carbonate and serve, so no oxygenation occurs.

On the other hand, many homebrewers find that kegs on tap float rather quickly.

 

[rsmith179]

She was right about the kegs not lasting as long as bottles, but for the wrong reason. When using corny kegs, we pressurize the keg using CO2. Because this is a closed system, no further oxygen or air is introduced, period. And to be completely honest, I think that there is more oxygen exposure when bottling compared with kegging just due to the headspace left at the top of the bottle. When you keg, you can purge out all air from your kegs with CO2 to ensure that only CO2 is covering the top of your batch.

I say that she was right because beer goes so much quicker directly from the tap. Maybe it's the convenience factor... Just seems like I'm drinking a lot more now that there are a few different beers on tap. Haven't even touched the bottles in the basement for a while now...

 

[ChshreCat]

On the other hand, many homebrewers find that kegs on tap float rather quickly.

Exactly.

Here's my highly scientiferic explaniation...

There is some sort of thusfar undiscovered beer absorbing quality to steel. When you start kegging, the kegs absorb beer and it empties quickly. Unfortunately there is no way to get the absorbed beer out of the steel, and the steel seems to have an unending ability to absorb beer, as demonstrated to the fact that once you keg another batch it will disappear just as fast each time.

The solution is in absorbtion rate. You have to drink the beer faster so the keg has less time to absorb the beer. Therefore you have to brew more often. It becomes a race against the keg. Drink faster so it doesn't get empty as soon!

That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

 

[underwaterdan]

Great theory... I hold you right up there with Darwin and Columbus

Exactly.

Here's my highly scientiferic explaniation...

There is some sort of thusfar undiscovered beer absorbing quality to steel. When you start kegging, the kegs absorb beer and it empties quickly. Unfortunately there is no way to get the absorbed beer out of the steel, and the steel seems to have an unending ability to absorb beer, as demonstrated to the fact that once you keg another batch it will disappear just as fast each time.

The solution is in absorbtion rate. You have to drink the beer faster so the keg has less time to absorb the beer. Therefore you have to brew more often. It becomes a race against the keg. Drink faster so it doesn't get empty as soon!

That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

 

[ChshreCat]

Great theory... I hold you right up there with Darwin and Columbus

That's me. Darwumbus.

 

[Slipgate]

I don't think she knows what she is talking about because I doubt any pub would tap their beer with anything other than CO2.

 

[ifishsum]

I don't think she knows what she is talking about because I doubt any pub would tap their beer with anything other than CO2.

Unless she's talking about a cask style - in which case she would be correct (certainly a possibility in Ireland).