Draught Beer For Home Tips

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Mclarry

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Hey,

So wonder if anyone can answer some questions on tapping draught beer at home. I have a mini lady draught machine and am ready to hookup a keg.

- How long does a keg last once tapped using Co2 and not refrigerating the keg. is there a difference between say Castle light and a craft beer keg as far as the number of days it will be good for if not refrigerated.

- If refrigerated how long can one make the keg last

- Where is the best place around Gauteng / Pretoria to buy kegs wether they be SAB or Craft?

Any other tips would be great.

:D
 
SAB (Castle) will last practically forever (lets just say a few years) as its full of preservatives. The only issue is the bubbles running out, but you can just add more.

Craft beer in a keg unrefridgerated, depends on what type how it was made. How clean the brewery was etc. I wouldnt keep it unrefrigerated for more than a couple weeks. Some may tell you to never keep craft beer unrefrigerated they probably right.

You can buy SAB kegs from Makro (listed on their website) or most big bottle stores. There is a deposit on them though. Craft kegs maybe someone else can answer but you can get micro kegs at a few bottle stores (5L). Some local craft breweries may sell in kegs if you approach them directly. Try Smack Republic.
 
Ok so I work at The Tap Room and run the Cape Town branch of SA Keg rentals, so I guess I am qualified to advise here! Even SAB advises that its kegs are consumed within 7 days of connecting them up. So that's the max you can safely look at for any unrefrigerated keg once opened. Before you open them, it really depends - something like SAB or CBC etc will last many many months unrefrigerated. Something from a smaller craft brewery, probably only 4 weeks, but this also depends on the beer - strong, hoppy beers tend to survive better.

Here at work we maintain a cold chain on all of our craft beers.

TLDR: a kegerator is best for a home setup so you can keep the keg cold at all times. I've had craft beer kegs last more than a month once opened while in a kegerator.
 
BCO said:
Ok so I work at The Tap Room and run the Cape Town branch of SA Keg rentals, so I guess I am qualified to advise here! Even SAB advises that its kegs are consumed within 7 days of connecting them up. So that's the max you can safely look at for any unrefrigerated keg once opened. Before you open them, it really depends - something like SAB or CBC etc will last many many months unrefrigerated. Something from a smaller craft brewery, probably only 4 weeks, but this also depends on the beer - strong, hoppy beers tend to survive better.

Here at work we maintain a cold chain on all of our craft beers.

TLDR: a kegerator is best for a home setup so you can keep the keg cold at all times. I've had craft beer kegs last more than a month once opened while in a kegerator.
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So buying the kegerator saves money in the long term. Thanks for the advice
 
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