Pyreneesmountain wrote:
[color=blue]
> What a great gift to a homebrewer! Lucky Guy. I am inclined to think like
> your homebrew guy,, hook them up, chill in the fridge for a week or so, and
> draw off a pint. I suspect you will tell intantly if you want to try
> tasting it! I have kept some Trappist style ales for 4 or 5 years and they
> still were fine, better in fact. Force carbonated beer I suspect will be
> much less likely to be viable, but what the heck, you are going to have to
> open them up to clean them, why not give it a shot![/color]

No doubt that. Sooner or later I'm going to have to do whatever's
necessary to empty and clean the kegs so they can be used. I've got
some 5 liter "kegs" that use a CO2 cartridge tap I sometimes use, but
mostly I bottle my brews. I've never used a full on kegging system,
It'll be a new experience for me.
[color=blue]
>
> Then again,, if your homebrew guy said a bulging bottom is OK,, perhaps he
> may not be the most reliable source for advice. Bulging bottoms are one of
> the classic signs of age,, and deterioration of the liquid. You man be
> lucky and make a good batch, but you may be wasting your other ingredients
> in the process. I personally value my brewing time and prefer to use
> ingredients I know are fresh and are not going to disappoint me in the end.
> I might give it a try if I was snowed in and had noting else to brew with
> and the driveway was shoveled. Again,,, when you open the can and get a
> wiff,, you'll know if you want to use it,, cause if you smell someting,, you
> beer will smell like that same sonething.[/color]

I'm not only a homebrewer but also a home canner...buldging cans
give me the willies. Not too sure what I'm going to do with the
beer kits. I've never made wheat beer, it would be an interesting
new experience.

Rich