Temperature changes bad?

[Minestien]

My kegerator only fits 2 kegs, and sometimes I have a hard time being limited to finishing what's on tap before I can change out kegs. I'm not very interested in bottling the left-overs (and a bigger kegerator isn't an option.)

So my question: If I keep a beer on tap for a while (cold) and then take it off line for a while (warm) and then put it back on tap (cold)-- are these temperature swings a bad thing? Will I "skunk" my beer?

Thanks.

 

[brewmasterpa]

Nope. Just make sure you bleed your head pressure after you remove it from the kegerator before warm storage. After you put it back in cold conditions and stabilize for 24 hours, hit it with 20 psi for another 24 hours and bleed down to tap pressure. This will stabilize your pour. i.e. keep your foam down.

 

[Rick500]

Yep, don't worry about skunking beer as long as it's in the keg. Light is the culprit.

 

[Minestien]

So why bleed CO2 off just to have to add it back in again?

I know some will come out of solution at warmer temps, but when I cool it back down, it should go back into solution, returning me to the carb level I started with, right?

 

[cscade]

So why bleed CO2 off just to have to add it back in again?

I know some will come out of solution at warmer temps, but when I cool it back down, it should go back into solution, returning me to the carb level I started with, right?

Yes. As long as the keg is leaving and returning to identical conditions, everything will be the same pressure wise. But, it will take a couple of days to stabilize again after you refrigerate.

 

[brewmasterpa]

You can do that, but I prefer to bleed and recarb when i store partially used kegs because I've had bad luck with over-foaming after a retap. You don't necessarily have to, but I do just for the sh i ts and giggles.