Keeping your keg at the proper temperature is a must.
If it is at the wrong temperature or if it fluctuates too much it will have an adverse effect on the beer.
Just about any type of beer will be negatively affected by too many temperature changes, but this is particularly true of the darker brews.
Generally 38 degrees Fahrenheit is what people aim to keep their beer at.
Kegerators should be built to bring your beer down to this temperature and keep it there.
If you build your own kegerator, make sure it can get to this temperature and stay there before you put anything into it.
If you are force carbonating beer, it is very important to keep the beer in a cooler.
This is because the lower temperature makes it easier for the liquid to absorb the gas.
This makes it lees likely for you to lose beer to foaming.
Foam can take out up to 25% of your keg, so you want to avoid this if at all possible.
Low temperatures while carbonating is key here.
Also, as the temperature goes up, more CO2 is expelled from the beer, creating foam.
If you buy a keg of beer that is room temperature, you need to refrigerate it overnight at the minimum.
If you tap it too soon, the foam will be excessive.
So it is true that the colder the beer is when it is served, the better, and there are different reasons for this.
Many people also think that beer tastes best when it is very cold.
You don't want the beer to freeze, but you want it to get as cold as possible before you serve it to anyone.
Keep in mind that it is better for the beer to be a little to cold than not quite cold enough.
Some people think that it isn't as important to maintain a very cold temperature for beer that has been pasteurized, but this is not true.
To protect the flavor and reduce foam, any beer should be chilled just right.
In order to keep your beer at the right temperature, get a proper kegerator for it.
This is the best way to make sure that there won't be very many changes in the beer.
A kegerator shouldn't be opened very often, and this constant atmosphere is the best type for the beer to be in.
Also, you should get a thermometer for your kegerator.
This makes it easier to make sure that the fridge is staying at the temperature that you need.
Some of these thermometers sit inside the kegerator, so they can only be checked on the occasions when you open the door.
Others have the temperature reader inside the fridge and the result displayed outside so you can check it anytime.
When you are buying a keg of beer, make sure that it has been chilled at least overnight.
Once you pick it up take it straight home, and have a cold kegerator waiting for it.
Temperature control is the absolute best way to keep your beer just the way you like it.