6

I have about 3 gallons worth of IPA that are sitting in bottles. I just got a new 5 gallon keg and I really want to use it. Would it be a good idea to empty my bottles into the keg or is this something I should never do?

Thanks!

Improve this question
2
  • 6
    Brew more beer. :) – Dustin Rasener Nov 16 '11 at 3:26
  • @Dustin: That should be an answer! Also, it should probably be the answer to most brewing questions :) – JoeFish Nov 18 '11 at 15:54
10

Is your IPA in the bottles any good? Is the carbonation OK? If so, then do not do this, or you risk ruining the beer.

Moving the beer from bottles to a keg introduces a great deal of oxygen into the beer, which will dramatically shorten the shelf life of the brew and possibly introduce off flavors pretty quickly.

Having said that, I actually did this exact thing 2 weeks ago. A friend of mine had a batch of pumpkin ale that never carbed in the bottle, so we carefully poured the bottles into a keg and charged it up. HOWEVER, the beer wasn't great (not sure if it was the base beer or the transfer to the keg) and I don't expect it to get any better, in fact, it will probably start getting worse.

Improve this answer
3
  • 1
    You're spot on with the oxidation comment. If you do attempt this, purge the keg of air first by hooking up your gas line to the OUT post of your keg. – Dustin Rasener Nov 16 '11 at 3:27
  • I wish I knew what jacking up my beer was. – brewchez Nov 19 '11 at 2:55
  • +1 on don't do it unless you're trying to rescue a beer. "Jack up" means "mess up", I think. – Dale Nov 19 '11 at 14:31

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.