keeping beer in a garage

Question

i have just had some cider fail in a co2 bulb pressurised keg. All the pressure has gone. I don't have a lot of luck with cider. The last beer brew in same equipment late September went fine but it was warmer then.

After secondary ferm I put it in the garage to keep it away from children and my own temptation. Its 5 oC here at night (UK midlands), has the low temperature likely caused a problem ? I'd like to know so I do not risk a second brew (not cider this time).

garage is watertight, dry, cool.

Answer 1

5ºC is a perfectly fine temperature to store beer at. You just need to make sure you have the right pressure (that graph is imperial but you can convert to metric).

From personal experience I have found the bulb pressured kegs (e.g. like this one) to be completely and utterly useless. I tried to store beer in a keg like this 2 times, and both times the beer went flat. The second time I used silicone grease on all fittings, I kept replacing the CO2 bulb, I stored it at a steady temperature of 12ºC, and it still failed.

I swiftly donated it to a charity shop and bought a real keg and dispense setup. I would suggest they are only useful for flat ciders or other drinks, maybe juice. I'm fairly sure that bulb pressured keg is the source of your problems.

My method was to build my own kegerator (using a damaged white-goods store for the fridge), but a cheaper option would be to buy a cornelius keg and dispense tap.

Answer 2

thanks @joe92 for that advice. I may yet buy a cornelius keg.

I tracked down the problem to a poor seal in the stopper and a small crack in the seam of the barrel. I fixed it with some silicon sealant pushed hard into the crack.