[travjohn92]

I have a keg which I began force carbing about 3 weeks ago.  I thought that by the time it was ready, 7-10 days, I would have finished the keg I was currently drinking on.  Well that is not the case.  I still have about 1-2 gallons left of the keg I am drinking on.

Here is my question:  Can I remove the CO2 line from the untapped keg and it keep it carbonation until I am ready to tap it?  It is currently sitting in my outside fridge.  If I can remove the Co2 do I need to keep it chilled or can I let it get back to room temperature.  I ask because I have two other kegs that have been aging and was wondering if I can go ahead and be carbing them.

[tschmidlin]

If you disconnect the gas, it will be fine.  The temp change won't matter as long as you chill it down before tapping it.  If you tap it warm, it will have a tendency to foam.

But my question - are you sure it is done carbonating?

[travjohn92]

Probably not 100% sure, but like I said it has been about 3 weeks.  I began carbing on March 2.  I haven't tasted it, but the keg temp is 38 degrees and I set it at approximately 12 lbs CO2.

[bo]

Three weeks = done. It's reached equilibrium.

[jmcamerlengo]

Another question. If the keg is fully carbed and gets warm after being chilled will it lose carbonation if its well sealed? Will this stale the beer quicker or have ill effects?

Ive been using my back porch for additional keg storage and it skyrocketed to 80 degrees here from 50 the last day or 2 and the keg warmed up significantly.

[rob_f]

When the beer warms up, Co2 comes out of solution and the headspace pressure increases.  As long as your keg didn't lose any pressure, the process will reverse when the beer is cooled.

[tschmidlin]

It will age faster at higher temps so I'd try to keep it cooler than 80F if you can.  If you can't, don't worry about it.