Jeff Flowers on February 21, 2014 24 Comments Due to a variety of beer styles and storage options for your keg, there’s no set answer to this question. Depending on who you ask or what site you read, the answer will range between 20-120 days. There are many variables that can play a role in how quickly your kegged beer starts to alter in taste, but a general rule to keep in mind is that as soon as that keg is filled at the brewery, the “freshness clock” starts. As time goes by, your beer will slowly start to taste less and less fresh. How Are You Dispensing Your Beer? To give you a better idea of how long your keg will last, let’s take a look at the two most common scenarios that one would find themselves in when they tap a keg. 1. Using a Manual Pump: Commonly found attached to the top of kegs at house parties and backyard cookouts, the manual pump — sometimes called a bronco pump or party pump — works by pumping air into the keg, pressurizing it so that it can dispense your beer. If you’ve ever poured a beer out of a keg, then you’re probably familiar with this kind of pump, as well as the multitude of problems that come along with their use, such as over-pumping and excessively foamy beer. Unfortunately, this isn’t the only problem with the manual pump. It also drastically reduces the shelf-life of the beer inside your keg. This is because it uses oxygen to pressurize the keg. Introducing oxygen to your beer is a very bad idea, as it will quickly cause the beer to become stale and the overall flavor to rapidly change. If you are using this kind of pump to dispense beer from a keg, then you will notice the taste of it start to change pretty quickly. This is especially true as more and more oxygen is pumped into the keg. Generally, you’ll have at least eight hours to finish the keg before the beer starts to taste stale. If you’re lucky, you may get a full day out of it before it goes completely stale. It all depends on the type of beer and how much oxygen was pumped into it. 2. Using a Kegerator with CO2 Unlike the manual pump above, a kegerator using CO2 to dispense your beer will keep it fresher for much longer. This is because the keg remains pressurized, but avoids oxidation. In this instance, your beer can remain fresh for months, but the overall time really depends on the beer itself. If your beer is pasteurized, then it will likely last for at least three months, maybe even six if you store it at the correct temperatures. If it is not pasteurized, then it won’t last as long even if you store it at recommended temperatures. For non-pasteurized beer, you’re looking at maybe two months, give or take. At this point, you may be asking yourself, “how do I know if it’s pasteurized or not?” This is where you would need to either contact the distributor/brewery or do some research online. If you can’t figure it out, just assume it’s non-pasteurized and treat it accordingly. Why Storage Temperature Matters Here’s where it starts to get a little bit more complicated — How you store your keg is important. No matter what kind of pump you have on your keg, if you don’t store it at the right temperature you will notice a decrease in quality. The recommended temperature to store your keg is 38°F. Try not to go too much above or below that temperature. If the temperature rises above this, your beer may become foamier as the warmer temperature liberates carbon dioxide too quickly. Not only does this cause excessive foam, but also leads to stale beer. If the temperature rises above 55°F, then it’s likely that bacteria will start to grow which will spoil the beer pretty quickly. If you keep the temperature too cold, the beer will retain its carbonation. If this happens, you won’t be able to experience the true flavor and aroma of each pour. If the temperature falls below 28°F, then your beer will likely freeze. Obviously, you want to avoid storing it at this temperature. It is recommended to store your keg of beer in your kegerator, or perhaps a converted refrigerator, so that it maintains this desired temperature at all times. The Key to Keeping Draft Beer Fresh The trick to keeping your keg of beer at its best is to keep oxygen out of the keg and keep it stored at the right temperature. If you can do these two things, you will have fresh draft beer for months. Common Kegerator Questions: List of Kegerator FAQs What is a Keg Coupler? How Do You Convert a Single Tap to Dual Tap?
Buddy ka says February 21, 2014 at 7:22 pm That’s interesting. I was just wondering about this the other day. Was thinking about getting a keg for my nieces’ graduation. Was hoping it would last longer than a day tho. Reply
WALT WILLIAMS SR says November 19, 2016 at 9:05 pm best thing i ever did is by one and they shiped it fast and i get kegs in huntsville tx lone star liquier on hy 190 oh buy a beer line cleaning kit a good one i cleen line once a week and my keg 15 1/2 gals last me 54 day and tast great from day one too the last mug this bud is for u I RAISE MY MUG OF COLD BEER TO YOU CHEERS OH THE ONLY PROBLEM I HAVE WITH IT IS I JUST HAVE TO DRAW ME A MUG WHEN I WALK BY IT Reply
doug says November 6, 2017 at 2:23 pm don’t need to clean it every week, thats insane..just clean it after each keg Reply
Jim says November 23, 2020 at 9:00 am I consider myself a heavy drinker and I get 7 to 10 days from a 1/2 barrel of rolling rock . I do have a couple friends that might stop in once a week fer a few beers but nothing excessive. Reply
Bob Paige says August 29, 2015 at 8:30 am If the floor is clean…..5 second rule; drink it like a dog!! Reply
Rick Ryan says October 4, 2020 at 2:38 pm Make sure you haven’t lost any of the rubber washers. Then, disassemble and clean the little air release valve with the ring on it that you pull to release air. If it gets dirty, it doesn’t seat correctly and beer will leak from there on the new keg. Reply
Thomas Glass says October 20, 2015 at 2:01 pm I have been a kegerator owner for more than 25 years and have found you website very informative. I was looking for information for a friend who is considering purchasing a kegerator and stumbled onto your site, glad I did. Reply
PK says February 27, 2016 at 5:07 pm The going stale statement is on a curve. When kegging a craft beer often you need to age it 3 or more months. Sampling is allowed along the way, by the way…. Reply
Mattie says March 2, 2016 at 7:52 am damn, I was hoping the keg I was planning on getting for a party would last for the whole weekend. I’ll probably still drink it anyways, Reply
Chris M says May 3, 2016 at 12:45 pm Mattie — It depends on whether you will get kegs in the future for other parties. For around $100 you can get a CO2 system that works in place of the party pump. That’s only $20 extra per party if you will do it four more times over the next couple of years. (And if you can justify the $100 up front cost, of course.) Reply
mary gant says May 15, 2016 at 6:10 pm Good article. In it Mr. Flowers says “If the temperature rises above 55°F, then it’s likely that bacteria will start to grow which will spoil the beer pretty quickly.” How quickly do you think the flavor of unpasturized beer be effected? Reply
Scott Reathaford says October 13, 2016 at 1:00 pm There are so many variables that go into this. As a home brewer, I’ve had kegs last much longer than a few months. It’s really no different than bottled beer. With a CO2 system to prevent oxidation, and an unfiltered beer that is designed to age, a brew can last much longer. I currently have a Scottish Wee Heavy on tap that was kegged 10 months ago. The taste is better now than it was in the early days, as the sweet malts have mellowed and the adjunct flavors (such as smoked peat malt) have come through. Reply
BB king says January 31, 2017 at 7:54 am Your all wrong >>>>>>> You got to have a C.F.S constant flow system. You run a IV to your main vein and have a constant flow of beer running in your veins. That way the beer don’t have time to go bad. plus no bad taste. It takes aboutaaa an 5 hour to complete That’s what I do Reply
Rob says June 2, 2017 at 12:20 pm As a brewer, I completely agree with the bronco pump and try to avoid them at all cost. These are only good for the night then just toss the rest. In a kegerator, the time is based more on style, pasteurization, filtration, temperature, and other factors. I tend to lean more toward the longer side, unless it’s a beer that’s meant to be consumed quickly, such as a low alcohol beer or hop forward brews. Lagers (if unpasteurized), malty, and high alcohol beers can last significantly longer and will even improve with extended aging. Even low alcohol and hoppy brews have good life but are not the same as the beers designed for aging (take DFH 120). I have no problem drinking kegs that are 6-12 months old, or more, if stored properly and the brewery cleans their kegs correctly. This even applies to non-pasteurized beers. Look at many of the Belgian beers that come bottle conditioned where life is years. Advantage for a keg is it’s 100% light blocking and if in good condition will never leak. Many breweries will even reserve brews through the year to do re-releases for anniversary parties. Reply
martin says December 15, 2017 at 7:53 pm do u guys increase the pressure if co2 when its not in use? or is the regular pressure around 5psi fine? Reply
Brian Deuel says October 11, 2018 at 9:06 am For Homebrew how long does the beer need to be pressurized for before pouring? Reply
Andrew says December 13, 2018 at 1:09 pm I have a keg of Guinness beer..never popped open.. still in a walk in cooler.. is this still good to drink? Been in cooler since 2017 😯 Reply
Will says August 30, 2019 at 4:25 pm I’ve have a keg on a kegerator with CO2 and wang to use it at an upcoming party where I would use a manual pump. If I keep the beer cold and don’t re-tap it with the manual tap until eight before the party, should it be fine? Reply
Kegerator.com says January 17, 2020 at 6:30 pm Hey Will, thanks for the question, You should be okay to re-tap with the manual tap, but once you do you’ll be introducing oxygen into the keg and the mixture of oxygen and CO2 will eventually cause the keg to go flat. As long as you tap it on the day of the party, however, you should be fine. Hope this helps, Cheers! Reply
Glenn Smith says February 28, 2020 at 1:41 am Wondering about english style beer then ? create an english ale and really i dont want it too cold, maybe 14 c.. whats the implications here ? Reply
mitzi says March 24, 2020 at 12:40 pm With all the worlds restaurants and bars shutting down when might we see a decrease in the price of a keg of beer do the glut Reply
