After reading on this forum and others, I was thinking about storing my beer in kegs only and uncarbed until I am ready for them… Short term and long term. My question is will a varying temp range of 40 to 60 affect the storage of my beer long term? Sometimes I will be cold crashing and sometimes lagering thus the wide temp range depending on what process is going on.
Thanks!
Go for it. An airtight, purged keg is pretty much the perfect storage vessel. A little variation in temp is fine.
I store mine like that but I do keep adding enough co2 to keep the lid sealed. I’m a little worried about not using co2 since the lid is only air tight with some positive pressure in the keg.
Paul
Cold is better - the colder you keep it, the longer it will stay good. But I store my beer in kegs at ambient and generally have had few problems.
Why store it uncarbed?
Unless you filter the yeast out, there will be some form of fermentation going on, even minimal, which will give you some added CO2…… sneezles61 :cheers:
[quote=“rebuiltcellars”]Cold is better - the colder you keep it, the longer it will stay good. But I store my beer in kegs at ambient and generally have had few problems.
Why store it uncarbed?[/quote]
Because it’s too hard to force carb then store given that my CO2 tank is in my fridge. It’s easier to just purge the air off then store. Is there an advantage to carbing then storage?
[quote=“brentconn”][quote=“rebuiltcellars”]Cold is better - the colder you keep it, the longer it will stay good. But I store my beer in kegs at ambient and generally have had few problems.
Why store it uncarbed?[/quote]
Because it’s too hard to force carb then store given that my CO2 tank is in my fridge. It’s easier to just purge the air off then store. Is there an advantage to carbing then storage?[/quote]
Only that the time it takes for the CO2 to integrate itself fully happens while you are storing, not when you put it onto the tap. It takes a week or so before the CO2 will loose its rough edge after you carb. But only an issue if you force carb. If you use the “set and forget” method for carbing, no advantage at all.
If you are going to store it in a keg and your only CO2 is at work in the fridge, why not prime the keg just like you would bottles? When the on tap runs out the stored keg could be ready to serve.
I also suggest giving the keg a shot of CO2 to make sure the lid is sealed.
[quote=“HD4Mark”]If you are going to store it in a keg and your only CO2 is at work in the fridge, why not prime the keg just like you would bottles? When the on tap runs out the stored keg could be ready to serve.
I also suggest giving the keg a shot of CO2 to make sure the lid is sealed.[/quote]
That’s a good point but I was thinking it was always better to force carb into the beer rather than adding sugar. I honestly don’t know if there is a difference in taste one way or the other. I do know most people on this forum force carb rather than adding corn sugar. I would really like to know more about the pros and cons of both.
I do what HD4Mark suggested – I prime with 1/4 c. table sugar that I boil, cool, and add to the keg before transfer. When transfer is complete I purge the headspace and then pressurize to 20 psi with a shake to set the O-ring. Then I leave in the garage at ambient San Francisco temp (usually 60-65F). If it’s winter and I’m using an English strain I leave it inside at closer to 68F for a week or so before moving it outside. It’s worked well for me, as I don’t have a lot of fridge space except the tap.
Timely thread. If stored at room temp for months at a time under some CO2, will this be about the same as bottle conditioning? I’m considering doing this with some hoppy and/or strong beers. Instant refrigeration seems to give me that unconditioned vibe.
[quote=“brentconn”][quote=“HD4Mark”]If you are going to store it in a keg and your only CO2 is at work in the fridge, why not prime the keg just like you would bottles? When the on tap runs out the stored keg could be ready to serve.
I also suggest giving the keg a shot of CO2 to make sure the lid is sealed.[/quote]
That’s a good point but I was thinking it was always better to force carb into the beer rather than adding sugar. I honestly don’t know if there is a difference in taste one way or the other. I do know most people on this forum force carb rather than adding corn sugar. I would really like to know more about the pros and cons of both.[/quote]
Not necessarily better one way or the other. Adding sugar allows you to carb without taking up space in your serving fridge, but you do have to keep the keg warm for 2-3 weeks. And you get a bit more sediment in the keg that way. Force cabing allows you to literally dial in the exact level you want, but you need to have a gas line available to do it, which might shut down a tap in the meantime.
As far as quality of the finished beer though, absolutely no difference.
