Land Shark Arrives at 62 Degrees

[Severian]

Just picked up a sixtel of Land Shark last night. I had it in the kegerator and tapped about 15-20 minutes after leaving the store. It was warm. I poured off a couple pints just to try again and the liquid temp was 62 degrees.

I'm guessing Land Shark being essentially an AB product is not pasteurized. Do you guys think I should take this keg back or is that kind of temp safe? I've read mixed opinions.

Thanks.

[psychodad]

How did it taste? I'm betting it is fine.

[nicktoney]

they sell cases of the beer warm too sooooo im guessing itd be fine?

[psychodad]

they sell cases of the beer warm too sooooo im guessing itd be fine?

Not quite. Bottled and canned beer are typically pastuerized where kegs most often are not. However I still take it this keg simply warmed up during transport and is fine. Were it stored warm for a period that would be different.

[81david]

I am with Psychodad on this one, the beer more than likely warmed up during transport and once you get it down to proper temp it will be fine. Why did you tap so soon? I would suggest waiting at least 24hrs to let the keg get acclimated to your unit and down to proper temp. After that you should be fine and the beer will taste normal. I have had kegs at partys that the ice melted, they got pretty warm, but once we got the keg back down to proper temp everything was fine.

[Severian]

It was definitely stored at about that temperature, I'm just wondering for how long. I checked the temp again after sitting in the kegerator (33 degrees) for 3 or 4 hours and it was still only 51 degrees.

The only reason I tapped it so early was because I had a feeling it might be too warm and wanted to get a liquid temp. The last sixtel I picked up had to be transported for an hour and it was still cold when I got it home.

This one was definitely stored warm. There are two date stickers on the side from the brewery - one says July 25th and one says July 27th. I'm guessing that's when it was filled / shipped? So, it's not too old at least. It doesn't taste horrible, but it's my first Land Shark keg and I have no basis for comparison. I'm basically just concerned if it's safe to drink or not.

[cubby_swans]

If it wasn't safe to drink, it would taste foul. When beer goes bad due to bacteria or wild yeast growth, it will taste noticeably sour. I wouldn't be concerned about it, if it tastes fine.

I'm not sure where this stigmatism comes from that a keg absolutely has to be kept cold or it will go bad. I've never seen it happen. Sure, I guess it can happen, but the odds are pretty slim of a beer going foul when stored at room temperatures for a few days or, IMO. I home brew. When you brew beer, it sits at room temperature for up to several weeks while fermenting and dry hopping (if applicable). There's no difference between the bucket my fermenting beer sits in and the keg I put it in. I know people who store/age kegs of beer for years, and they're kept at basement temps of around 60F-65F. Just a few weeks ago we had a beer tasting at a friends house and one of the guys that came brought and tapped a keg of Cantillon unblended Lambic that was brewed in 1997 and kegged in 2000. It was stored in his basement for 10 years and it tasted absolutely fantastic. As long as the beer was kegged properly into a sanitized keg, there really should be no problem with a keg stored for a few days or whatever at cellar temperature. AB's quality control is second to none, and they are likely sanitizing their kegging equipment as well as can be done. I wouldn't fret over a keg of theirs stored at 60 or so for a few weeks.

[cubby_swans]

To further my point that beer doesn't go bad so easily, MOST craft brewers do not pasteurize their bottled beers at all. While most beers are meant to be consumed fresh, many of these beers are excellent with a few years age on them. The aging is done at cellar temps of 55-65F. An unpasteurized bottled beer would have just as much chance of 'going bad' as an unpasteurized keg of beer. Occasionally they can go bad. It happened with Avery Black Tot and Deschutes The Abyss, but those two going bad is the exception, and not the rule. A few months ago I had a bottle of 1995 Thomas Hardy's Ale which was awesome, and a few weeks ago I opened a bottle of 1997 Sam Adams Triple Bock. The triple bock was terrible, but not because it went bad. It was terrible because that's the way it was made.

Beer simply doesn't 'go bad' as easily as some think. The flavor profiles certainly change with age, but they don't get infected commonly.

[Severian]

Thanks for a couple helpful posts Cubby. It's going to have to be good and cold when I get home from work today. It was hard to tell what it really tastes like when it was over 50 degrees and that style beer. I'll get a buddy over for a second opinion and down a few. If it tastes alright and we're not running to the crapper after an hour or so, I guess it's good... hehe.

Thanks All,
Sev

[shuggy]

Cubby.

You are seriously going to compare extended aging and cellaring of a spontaneously fermented unblended lambic, barleywines, and imperial stouts to industrial adjunct lager? There are lots of beer styles that benefit from aging or being served at cellar temps but industrial adjunct lager sure as hell isn't one of them. BTW Black Tot and Abyss went sour due to infections that were incurred at the brewery. Stored at cellar temps or not those beers were doomed. Although SA Triple Bock didn't taste like soy sauce in 1997, it wasn't any good then either.

Severian.

I would take the keg back regardless of how it tastes now just on principal. The place you bought it from doesn't know d i c k about storing beer and thus doesn't deserve your business.

[psychodad]

I too store my home brewed ales for weeks or even months at room temperature. However I wouldn't want a keg of Bud Light or Coors stored at that temperature for very long and I don't think that this is how the brewers want it stored either. It may be OK, but it just seems like not a good idea.

However I still feel that as the OP goes, if it tastes fine it is likely going to be fine. If this store has a problem with how they are storing the product find another one for the next keg.

[81david]

Cubby,

Great posts, I enjoyed reading them!

To the original poster, it must sit for more than just 3-4hrs to truly get acclimated temp wise. A good 24hrs in the box should do it as long as you are not opening and closing the door a lot. If you are not getting down to a liquid temp of 38 after 24hrs then there might be a problem with your unit be it gasket, compressor, or something else. My recommendation is to buy a six pack of landshark and compare the flavor to a glass from your unit. The carbonation will be different in the bottle versus draft but the flavor should be the same. If all tastes good then you are fine. I still do not think there will be a problem with the beer being warm for a short period of time in my own opinion.

[cubby_swans]

Cubby.

You are seriously going to compare extended aging and cellaring of a spontaneously fermented unblended lambic, barleywines, and imperial stouts to industrial adjunct lager? There are lots of beer styles that benefit from aging or being served at cellar temps but industrial adjunct lager sure as hell isn't one of them. BTW Black Tot and Abyss went sour due to infections that were incurred at the brewery. Stored at cellar temps or not those beers were doomed. Although SA Triple Bock didn't taste like soy sauce in 1997, it wasn't any good then either.

Severian.

I would take the keg back regardless of how it tastes now just on principal. The place you bought it from doesn't know d i c k about storing beer and thus doesn't deserve your business.

In no way did I suggest that aging an adjunct lager was a good idea, or that it would benefit the beer. I simply pointed out that the beer was not likely to go bad/get infected as so many people think will happen by having a keg at room tempertures for short periods of time.

[pvs6]

For me if I was the OP the issue wouldn't be so much a worry about spoilage as I would suspect that likelyhood to be small, but I have a real problem with a retailer who sold me 62 F degree beer at full price. I would be on the phone right away to the retailer requesting an accounting of how what could happen. If it turned outs that that is their storage practice I would politely inform them that we will no longer be doing business.

[Sketch]

Just to add fuel to the fire, in Oklahoma - where I live, liquor stores are not allowed to sell cold alcohol. That being said, every keg I have bought locally has been stored at room temp. Even distribution trucks that deliver the beer to the stores are unrefrigerated. Never once have I had a spoiled keg.