How long to kegs last?

[schurchill39]

My buddy had a little party the last week of november before finals started and because he works at the GW brewery here he got a keg for free.

There is a little over half left and I am thinking of having a end of finals gathering on monday, would the beer still be good?

[Shlade]

pretty sure its good for a month

its got an expiry date on the keg

[Supa Dexta]

few months if kept cold.. not very long if you cool/heat/cool/.. Sitting around warm, a month..

[calepeters]

both answers are wrong
firstly - depends what you tapped it with either a c02 tap or a party pump

if you just used a party pump or a pump that is powered by air will only last about eight to 12 hours, no matter what temperature it is kept at. Air (specifically oxygen) is an enemy of fresh beer, and once it has been exposed to it, deterioration immediately begins to set in

if you used a c02 and that keg is kept at the proper temperature, a nonpasteurized beer should last about 20 to 30 days before it loses its fresh taste.

btw proper temp would be below 7 degrees celcius or 45f

[Supa Dexta]

What do you do?^ My answers aren't wrong, but yes they weren't clear on what gasses were used... And beer temps aim to be kept around 36* ideally...

[colt22]

variable.

[HyperZell]

I just had a tour at the Wild Rose brewery where the guy talked about this. As soon as a keg is tapped, it's on a short lifespan, because as calepeters said, oxygen is the enemy of beer.

Apparently they have special kegs out there (Wild Rose has a "party pig") that will keep it for weeks, although I know that doesn't help you now, OP =)

[Supa Dexta]

Obviously bars dont use a system where the keg is only good for a night... co2 ain't great either.. Nitrogen blend is what works best.

[dexlargo]

^ Nitrogen or "bar gas" is the best, but it's expensensive - I wouldn't drink beer after a week on CO2. Dump that beer.

[Supa Dexta]

Beer gas, aligal.. whatever you want to call it is a nitrogen blend.

[Gart]

Originally posted by schurchill39
My buddy had a little party the last week

Originally posted by calepeters

firstly - depends what you tapped it with either a c02 tap or a party pump

if you just used a party pump or a pump that is powered by air will only last about eight to 12 hours, no matter what temperature it is kept at.

Although all the info provided so far is helpful, this ^^ is the most likely answer here.


So, drink the beer quick, or dump it. You should be able to tell already if it's (skunking?).
And yes, dumping it sucks - you may cry a little.