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Keg shelf life under worst conditions

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  • Keg shelf life under worst conditions

    I've seen the posts on keg shelf life under optimum conditions but what about less than optimal or downright nasty?

    It is the general practice here for bars to serve beer out of a room-temperature keg (it can be 90+ deg F under the bar) by flash-chilling through an ice-bank type chiller. Before the keg is tapped, it is stored by the bar at room temperature as well (presumably anywhere from 70 deg to 90 deg F depending on time of day). I have been asked what the shelf life of the beer is before being tapped as well as once it is tapped.

    Any ideas for how long abused beer lasts?

    Thanks

    David
    David Cohen
    The Dancing Camel Brewing Co. Ltd.

  • #2
    I was always taught that once unpasteurized draft beer (which the majority is unpasteurized) has hit the 50-60 F mark its a lost cause. This is for the typical beers that should be stored and served at about 35-42. So in my opinion that beer is past its shelf life the moment those bars and taverns decided that kegs don't deserve cooler space.

    Comment


    • #3
      Alternatives?

      Hi, Camel.
      I was there when your brewing system was originally commissioned in Everett, WA (Glacier Peak Brewing Co., at that time) and it was a pretty good looking system. I even did a little troubleshooting on the glycol control circuit a long while ago. Good luck.

      Straub touches on some good points.
      Unfiltered / unpastuerized beer has a real tough time at 70F - 90F. It will either re-ferment or go lactic (among other bad things).

      Are there any other unfiltered / unpasteurized microbrews in Isreal that you have tried or researched?

      Comment


      • #4
        Beyond the kegs, the beer lines always seem nastier when the kegs haven't been refrigerated. Good brewing practices should prevent lactic infection by leaving few fermentables, little yeast autolysate and few lactic bugs. Being overly cautious about oxygen and also cold aging in your cellar as long as possible will help shelflife, too.
        Kinda comes down to how desparate are the customers...

        Comment


        • #5
          Thanks for the thoughts guys. We are the first ones in Israel so we've got to build the wheel from scratch. As to production, the beer will be unfiltered and unpasteurized as Brian has guessed but of course will be stored cold prior to leaving the brewery.

          There are lots of beers being imported in kegs from Europe here which are all served the same way. I would imagine that the Belgians (Affligem, Barbar, Leffe, etc.) are not pasteurized so wouldn't they be in the same boat?

          I've been telling bar owners that once tapped, they have 3-4 days to finish a keg and that I don't want to deliver more than a one-week supply at a time. I supppose the bottom line question is, can I deliver a 2 week supply or do I stick to the one week?

          Thanks again
          David
          David Cohen
          The Dancing Camel Brewing Co. Ltd.

          Comment


          • #6
            Stick with a one week supply if you want to have some control over your product. Once it leaves your care, expect the worst!

            The beer you produce will most likely be the stable part of the process. Its just when you put it in a keg that you run into problems. Keg cleaning even in large breweries with the finest equipment available is always a sketchy operation. Look on the inside of a keg after several cycles in the trade and you will see what I mean.

            If you are going the unpasteurized route, use a quality keg cleaning machine, and sterilize each keg with steam prior to filling.

            Then keep your packaged product as cold as possible before delivery.

            Good luck,
            B

            Comment


            • #7
              That's a tough problem! You can do what the British did with their IPA beers shipped to India: brew it strong (lots of alcohol) and hop it well. The alcohol and hop acids will slow spoilage somewhat. I'd also see about storing the beer in some kind of refrigerator at the accounts, if at all possible. Maybe you could build insulated boxes that could hold one or two kegs, to leave at the accounts to keep the cold kegs in until they're needed? Heck, maybe build insulated boxes for the kegs on-tap, too!

              As far as I know, nobody pasturizes keg beer, so all of your competitors are under the same handicap!

              Good luck!

              Tim
              Last edited by tarmadilo; 07-08-2005, 04:11 PM.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by tarmadilo
                As far as I know, nobody pasturizes keg beer, so all of your competitors are under the same handicap!
                Actually, all the BIG Breweries flash pastuerize their keg product. Don't let them fool you.......that's the key to the Sankey system! Believe it or not, this was developed, proposed, and patented back in the late '50s in Britain.

                Dave, what if you altered your business plan to include an Alehouse that serves authentic beer styles as well as a Brewery? That system was designed for a Brewpub............and you would make more "jing" per keg!

                Regards,

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Diamond Knot
                  Actually, all the BIG Breweries flash pastuerize their keg product. Don't let them fool you.......that's the key to the Sankey system! Believe it or not, this was developed, proposed, and patented back in the late '50s in Britain.
                  The Largest US Brewer doesnt Flash Pasteurize their keg beer.

                  Many large brewers outside of the US do flash pasteurize.

                  Cheers,
                  B

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                  • #10
                    That would be AB, right? Coors doesn't, either.

                    I stand corrected on non-US breweries!

                    Cheers, Tim
                    Last edited by tarmadilo; 07-10-2005, 02:59 PM.

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                    • #11
                      Thanks Guys.........

                      ........I stand corrected..........I had forgotten about Coors being "cold filtered".

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I actually like the idea of bumping alcohol & IBU to help in "underbar" storage. So as a not entirely hypothetical excercise, what would be the minimum alcohol content / IBU level to buy me an extra week of shelf life? (Brian - you must have a formula for this )
                        David Cohen
                        The Dancing Camel Brewing Co. Ltd.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Diamond Knot
                          Actually, all the BIG Breweries flash pastuerize their keg product. Don't let them fool you.......that's the key to the Sankey system! Believe it or not, this was developed, proposed, and patented back in the late '50s in Britain.

                          Dave, what if you altered your business plan to include an Alehouse that serves authentic beer styles as well as a Brewery? That system was designed for a Brewpub............and you would make more "jing" per keg!

                          Regards,
                          Actually I believe it is a law that draft beer cannot be pasturized in the USA. Canned beer with draft in the name or descrioption cannot be pasturized either!
                          Doug A Moller
                          Brewmaster
                          The Moller Brew House
                          (405)226-3111

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Well if its a law then its being broken because I've seen draft beer being flash pasteurized. Its more common than you might think.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              There are no states or federal regulations that dictate whether kegged beer is pasteurized or not. Most imported keg beer is pasteurized. Some domestic draft beer is flash pasteurized, some is tunnel pasteurized, and of course most is not pasteurized.

                              Pasteurized keg beer can essentially be stored behind the bar un-refrigerated and dispensed through a cold box – a fairly common practice.

                              Beer stability, or shelf life (bottle or draft) is a function of many variables, some of which include air levels, sanitation, alcohol, IBU’s and package size – therefore the “shelf life” varies with each beer product.

                              Cheers,

                              Admin

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