[beerstache]

I've got a "bad batch" of beer that I thought would get better with time, but has'nt improved much.
It has high alcohol/fusel oil off flavors that have been giving me headaches after only drinking one beer!
So I thought I could just dump this beer without cleaning the keg and put a new batch of the same type right into it after dumping the old one.  I figured it's already sanitized, why not?  I was wondering if the little amount of residual beer left in the keg would give the new beer any off flavors?  Would the extra sediment cause a problem?  Has anybody else tried this?  I only have one keg and I'm feeling a little lazy or else I wouldnt even think of this.
Thanks

[liquidbrewing]

Laziness and brewing don't mix.  Clean the keg!  Sanitation is key.  It takes me about ten minutes to clean a keg.  Just devote a few minutes to clean it and then rack your new beer, it's not like pouring a different beer into the same uncleaned glass, the beer will sit in there for x amount of days/weeks while you drink it, I'd worry about imparting undersirable flavors.

Also, I brewed a 10 gallon batch of beer that had some fusels or something going on.  No headache but hot alcohol taste.  The first 5 gallons it was very noticeable, now I"m drinking the second 5 gal, and it's not even noticeable.   

[tschmidlin]

Clean it.  Feeling a little lazy is no reason to risk a batch.  If the off flavors are from poor fermentation practices it will probably be fine, but if it is from a contaminating organism you're going to lose the second batch too.

[liquidbrewing]

Or, pony up for another keg, don't dump the "bad batch" and see if it mellows out in a month or so.  That's what I would do.

[euge]

I'm for making the time to clean it. That being said, it is acceptable to rinse out the keg and fill only if it gets chilled and carbed at once. That'll keep contamination issues at bay but won't solve them.

Those fusels are a b!tch. Only one batch (ginger beer) ever had them and it was some real popskull. I could taste it too. Nearly burnt my mouth.  


[edit] to fix bold "if" and game the nanny filter [/edit]

[Pinski]

It seems to me the risks FAR outweigh the benefit of saving 15-20 minutes to rinse and sanitize. Clean it=no worries.

[oscarvan]

Or, pony up for another keg, don't dump the "bad batch" and see if it mellows out in a month or so.  That's what I would do.

+1.

[weazletoe]

Ask anyone here, I'm the king of lazy, but I would NEVER consider doing this. Just not worth the risk.

[beerstache]

I got the message loud and clear!  No re-use without cleaning!  I did bottle some of this same batch with carb. drops and have noticed the Alcohol flavor has mellowed over time, but the keg stuff has not.  There's only a couple of gallons left so no great loss.  I dont know what happened to this batch.  I used 1 and a 1/2 packs nottingham and the ferm. temp. only got up to 68 degrees, but was a very active ferm. that needed a blow off.  Thanks for all the comments/advice!