18 month old keg of beer- would you drink it?

[GrumpyPaul]

Clearly I need to look at how rotate the kegs in the shed.

Today i found one left over from my sons engagement party which was in July 2012. So I must have brewed it around May...

Anyways it feel a bit under half full.

Its still under pressure so has been sealed up full of CO2 all that time.

I was going to tip it and clean the keg out, but wondered what it was like. So I chucked in the keg fridge and gave it try.

I was surpised it was still ok, poured a beautiful head and tasted alright.

How long will beer keep sealed in a keg, protected from light, and under CO2 so no risk of oxidation.

Would you drink it or tip it

 

[Dan Dan]

Never know until you tried it! When I bought my kegs and fridge, the bloke threw in another keg that he had that was filled with stout, and was about two years old. I had to try it! Wasn't the best, but definitely wasn't undrinkable either.

 

[Hippy]

If it tastes ok I'd drink it.

 

[barls]

got one thats probably closer to two years somewhere.

 

[MartinOC]

That which does not kill us makes us stronger.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Let us know when (if) you get to the end of the keg... h34r:

 

[manticle]

Of course I'd drink it.

No idea why you wouldn't.

If it tasted like arse I'd stop drinking it, then tip it but it won't hurt you. It's beer. In a keg. With CO2.

 

[Cocko]

How long will beer keep sealed in a keg, protected from light, and under CO2 so no risk of oxidation.

Would you drink it or tip it

I am unsure how kegged beer gets 'light' strike


From what I have read, and very rarely post on that basis, but 18 months is about the pinnacle of pre-danger ageing. conditions dependant.

To answer your Q - yes, I would taste it, if OK - drink that shit!

 

[carniebrew]

Just out of curiosity, do you know what style of beer it was?

 

[GrumpyPaul]

If it tastes ok I'd drink it.

This seems to be the consensus.

And Im happy to run with it.

Ill let you all know if i die from old beer posioning...but then again

 

[GrumpyPaul]

Just out of curiosity, do you know what style of beer it was?

It was a toucan.

But i cant find the recipe anywhere so apart from toucans i have no idea what was in it.

I think i migh have the recipe saved on the computer at work...will look tomorrow.

 

[HBHB]

Pulled a 22 month old cream ale and a 19 month old Czech Pils out of curiosity to see how they were. The Cream ale was great. Pils was a little lack lustre, but not a tip out.

Martin

 

[Khellendros13]

I'd drink anything once. If it is nice, bottoms up!

It wont kill you if it tastes like arse.

 

[toncils]

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2010/09/03/Worlds-oldest-drinkable-beer-salvaged/UPI-10371283541179/

You'll be fine.

 

[GrumpyPaul]

Just out of curiosity, do you know what style of beer it was?

Found it....

Twas a Toucan as mentioned before.

2 cans of Tooheys Special Draught
300 g ldme
100g choc malt
5g of Cascade at 10, 5 and 0 minutes.
Wyeast 1968 (reused the yeast cake from an all grain ESB)

From the taste I had yesterday - those late hop additions have faded away.

Its not great - (probably wasnt to start with anyway) but it's still beer and still drinkable

 

[Tim]

I have some 4 year old bottles of 'chinese hopped' pale ale and 9 year old bottles of an amber ale.
The younger beer has some autolysis, but the older one still tastes fine.

 

[Kak]

Ken oath give it a go.

Had some eight year old ginger beer not long ago. Apart from being seriously alcoholic it actually tasted pretty good

 

[lael]

I'm curious - read stories of bottles of beer being awesome after a few years, and reading up on people doing westy clones and they say it doesn't really hit it's stride till 12 - 18 months. Can kegging be used to age beer as well? or is it different somehow in a bottle?

 

[mje1980]

I think it's more a temp thing rather than keg vs bottle. I like to bottle strong beers, especially Belgians. They just seem to change and mellow so much better than the keg. I think it's because they are at room temp, so the yeasties can slowly smooth things out.

 

[lael]

So if the keg was kept for the full year at room temps... Probably condition well?

Harder to sample to see how things are progressing though...

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Coopers condition there kegs and bottles in the same room at the brewery. Should give a rough idea of how it should turn out