Cornelius keg beer storage

[bez]

Hi. Wondering how long I can store beer in a Cornelius keg. Someone mentioned can be stored for a long time. Does anyone have specific examples of beer and times. I’ve just got four kegs. The intention being to keep ahead of my consumption. Also having conditioned in bottles I know how important the time conditioning makes. And do you store under pressure or do you emulate secondary fermentation.

 

[xozzx]

So long as you properly purge the keg of air the beer will last years (hop flavour will reduce after a few months as with bottles).
I have 10 kegs and try to keep a few dark/strong beers conditioning for a year or so, they dont normally last much longer than that (drinking, not going bad!).
I have read that bulk conditioning (larger volume of kegs over bottles) occurs quicker but not sure if this is the case or not, think you would need to do a side by side comparison to properly tell.
I pressure them up and carbonate for a few weeks before storing them, this will ensure no oxygen gets in.

I also bought a "last straw" which allows me to purge the bottles and bottle the carbonated beer from the keg. This is handy if you have a small amount of beer left in a keg and want to use the keg again or if you want a few bottles without the sediment in the bottom.

 

[obscure]

I have a couple of 9.5L kegs and quite often just prime with sugar I do add enough CO2 to ensure it is properly sealed. The longest I have kept a batch in a corny keg is about sox months and it has being fine.

Generally I keg either in corner kegs or 5L stainless steel growlers/mini kegs my session beers, but I will bottle anything above 5% or which I hope will improve if aged for an extended period.

 

[bez]

So long as you properly purge the keg of air the beer will last years (hop flavour will reduce after a few months as with bottles).
I have 10 kegs and try to keep a few dark/strong beers conditioning for a year or so, they dont normally last much longer than that (drinking, not going bad!).
I have read that bulk conditioning (larger volume of kegs over bottles) occurs quicker but not sure if this is the case or not, think you would need to do a side by side comparison to properly tell.
I pressure them up and carbonate for a few weeks before storing them, this will ensure no oxygen gets in.

I also bought a "last straw" which allows me to purge the bottles and bottle the carbonated beer from the keg. This is handy if you have a small amount of beer left in a keg and want to use the keg again or if you want a few bottles without the sediment in the bottom.

So how does that work. Last straw. I’ve got four kegs. As of today. The first batch I’m drinking now tastes a bit metallic. Could that be the keg. It’s a lager.
so you say pressure them up for a few weeks before storing them. Can you give measurements please.

 

[bez]

I have a couple of 9.5L kegs and quite often just prime with sugar I do add enough CO2 to ensure it is properly sealed. The longest I have kept a batch in a corny keg is about sox months and it has being fine.

Generally I keg either in corner kegs or 5L stainless steel growlers/mini kegs my session beers, but I will bottle anything above 5% or which I hope will improve if aged for an extended period.

HAvd you ever had a metallic taste from a keg. First time I used this recon one.

 

[Cyberjip]

HAvd you ever had a metallic taste from a keg. First time I used this recon one.

I have been using cornys for a number of years and have never had a noticeable metallic taste. However I have never had a lager in one, untill now seems fine at the moment but I'll report back if anything changes.

 

[obscure]

HAvd you ever had a metallic taste from a keg. First time I used this recon one.

Never has an issue I suspect being stainless steel instead of aluminium helps, also as mentioned I’ve never had a keg last over six months.

 

[xozzx]

So how does that work. Last straw. I’ve got four kegs. As of today. The first batch I’m drinking now tastes a bit metallic. Could that be the keg. It’s a lager.
so you say pressure them up for a few weeks before storing them. Can you give measurements please.

Last straw video - This is a pretty good description of it. It took me a while to get everything working so I didnt end up with bottles of foam but now it works well.

I set the kegs to carbonation pressure (usually around 10psi), leave for a few weeks to fully carb then remove the gas in line.

 

[bez]

Last straw video - This is a pretty good description of it. It took me a while to get everything working so I didnt end up with bottles of foam but now it works well.

I set the kegs to carbonation pressure (usually around 10psi), leave for a few weeks to fully carb then remove the gas in line.

Thanks. Fir that

 

[foxbat]

So how does that work. Last straw. I’ve got four kegs. As of today. The first batch I’m drinking now tastes a bit metallic. Could that be the keg. It’s a lager.
so you say pressure them up for a few weeks before storing them. Can you give measurements please.

Any metallic taste is not going to come from a stainless corny. You can keep beer in them for months on end and the beer only seems to get better as time passes.

If the beer is young and you burst-carbonated then you could be tasting carbonic acid from the CO2 - it has a metallic bite to it that will fade away with time. Talking of time; lager needs plenty of it. Although I cannot resist tapping my pilsners as early as 2 weeks after kegging it's only after a month or more in the cold that they become sublime. Also remember that the corny dip tube pulls from the very bottom of the corny so your first few pints are going to come from the area with most sediment and won't taste as good as the rest.

 

[Andrew Elliott]

I think the first time I used my new boiler I got a metallic taste but have never had it on a keg. I put it down to maybe I needed to passivate or do a better job of cleaning. I've never had it since.

 

[bez]

Any metallic taste is not going to come from a stainless corny. You can keep beer in them for months on end and the beer only seems to get better as time passes.

If the beer is young and you burst-carbonated then you could be tasting carbonic acid from the CO2 - it has a metallic bite to it that will fade away with time. Talking of time; lager needs plenty of it. Although I cannot resist tapping my pilsners as early as 2 weeks after kegging it's only after a month or more in the cold that they become sublime. Also remember that the corny dip tube pulls from the very bottom of the corny so your first few pints are going to come from the area with most sediment and won't taste as good as the rest.

Hi. I finished mine off yesterday. It was cold and ok. So drank with a week of finishing fermenting. I have bought four kegs so e we I’ll put a few away in the garage. Just kegged the red cat. Hops were in too long as it took 17 days to finish. So good we’re in a week. Taste really hoppy and fruity. I’ll cool and carbonate and leave a month. I’m brewing a coopers Aussie pale ale which I’m reliably informed can be drunk early.

 

[Druncan]

I purge, cold crash @ 20psi and then store my 5 gallon cornies @12-15*c with 12m shelf life on them. I have been putting beer, wine, and cider in mine for over 3 years constant use. 9 months stored a couple of times and still fine but as said hops seem to go first. Does anyone re-dry hop as the original East Indian IPA process?

Never any metallic taste - was it really clean? I had a high short rod bacteria analysis that indicated beerstone. I now use a jet wash, LED inspection light then Caustic, PAA and regular beerstone remover (Nipac b) also (thanks @simon12 ) now friendlier (but slower) Cask Clean and Enzibrew.

 

[bez]

H

I purge, cold crash @ 20psi and then store my 5 gallon cornies @12-15*c with 12m shelf life on them. I have been putting beer, wine, and cider in mine for over 3 years constant use. 9 months stored a couple of times and still fine but as said hops seem to go first. Does anyone re-dry hop as the original East Indian IPA process?

Never any metallic taste - was it really clean? I had a high short rod bacteria analysis that indicated beerstone. I now use a jet wash, LED inspection light then Caustic, PAA and regular beerstone remover (Nipac b) also (thanks @simon12 ) now friendlier (but slower) Cask Clean and Enzibrew.

hi wasn’t aware of bacteria infestation. What made you aware of this. I think the metallic taste is carbonic acid through force carbonation and drinking.

 

[terrym]

CO2 dissolves in water to form a weak acid, carbonic acid, which most folks know. It tastes acidic, and the more carbonic acid (or CO2 in solution) the more acidic it will taste, and vice versa. And it doesn't lessen with time. The easiest way of finding out what it tastes like is to open a fresh bottle of soda water pour half of it, taste it then do the same a day or so later. Much less bite. Thats why flat lemonade doesn't taste too good, all you can taste is the sweetness normally masked by the CO2 bite.

 

[Druncan]

Are metallic and acidic the same flavours? I sometimes get an metallic flavour when when our chlorine levels are high. We have old pipes out here I think it affected them? I use the Organoleptic Tea test - if my cuppa smells and tastes - shyte, bang in a campden as it's high and leave liquor 24hrs before brewing. Been thinking about getting some chlorine test strips. But I also get Brewlab full beer analysis twice a year, expensive, but essential IMHO for me selling brews. They found the non-pathogenic bacteria,,, :tinhat: Gone and I'm learning though,,,

 

[Neilos1988]

So am I right in thinking you could brew a lager, after fermentation keg it and canbonate, then leave it for a few months. Once you tap the first pint do you then have a time frame to drink it within?, can you have the odd pint here and there?. I've only done kits before and then bottled looking to get a keg and setup a bar in my man cave.

 

[obscure]

So am I right in thinking you could brew a lager, after fermentation keg it and canbonate, then leave it for a few months. Once you tap the first pint do you then have a time frame to drink it within?, can you have the odd pint here and there?. I've only done kits before and then bottled looking to get a keg and setup a bar in my man cave.

I cannot comment on larger but my bitters and stouts have on occasion taken a couple of months to drink and I haven’t had any issues. I suspect with the possible exception of IPAs and similar styles most beer would keep in the keg without issue for a few months at least after being tapped.

 

[chuffer]

HAvd you ever had a metallic taste from a keg. First time I used this recon one.

I did! Mine was a recon one from brewkegtap and my first brew came out with an unmistakable metallic twang...maybe it was this carbonic acid thing but my 2nd brew has come out much better....when i received the keg i rinsed out and sanitized but it did make me wonder whether i should have done something else to prep (ive seen some people talk about degreasing kegs but not sure if that applies only to new ones)

 

[bez]

I cannot comment on larger but my bitters and stouts have on occasion taken a couple of months to drink and I haven’t had any issues. I suspect with the possible exception of IPAs and similar styles most beer would keep in the keg without issue for a few months at least after being tapped.

Thanks