storing in a keg

[monty3777]

I have no real desire to have more than 2 kegs flowing at any given time. But I love to brew lots of stuff. I have half a mind to buy some more korney kegs and simply store the fully fermented beer in the keg until I'm ready to drink (anywhere from 1-5 months). Then I am planning on hooking them up to gas and enjoying. Are there any problems with this method? Would it be better to charge the kegs first then store them - without keeping them hooked up to gas - so that carbonation is already taken care of?

 

[shortyjacobs]

You can definitely do it. You want to make sure there is no oxygen in the keg, and that it's sealed.

One shot of CO2 will not carbonate it, but it will seal the keg. That CO2 will then dissipate into the beer, (but imagine an almost full keg, with maybe 0.5 gallons headspace. You charge that with 30 psi CO2. That CO2 will mostly go into solution in the beer. 0.5 gallons at 30 psi is 1.5 gallons at atmospheric, so you will get 1.5 gallons CO2 in 5 gallons beer, or 1.5/5 = 0.3 volumes carbonation. Typically you shoot for 2-2.5 volumes carbonation.

You can leave them on the gas for a week to carbonate and store them carbonated, or you can hit them with a shot of CO2 and store them flat, or you can prime them with sugar, hit them with a shot of CO2 to seal the keg, and then store them and let them naturally carbonate while they age.

All 3 work well.