Aging beer in Keg Question

[SevenFields]

I put a bourbon barrel porter in a keg this weekend and I do not plan on tapping it until Feb. At that point I will hook it up to CO2 and carb it.
My question is, how important is it to hit it with CO2 right now to just seal the lid? I am out of CO2 so can I just skip that step?
Will it be ok aging in the keg?

 

[jaycount]

It's pretty important to hit it with CO2 now to seal the lid and purge the oxygen. This is especially important in long-term aging.

As long as you purge then yes, long term aging in the keg is fine. Spray the lid and poppets with star-san solution after you seal and purge to make sure the keg is holding pressure.

 

[stevo155]

Is there any issue with carbing it first then aging it?

 

[audger]

i would much prefer to store a keg after it has had a little CO2, rather than just letting fermented wort sit around for several months. it doesnt have to be perfectly and correctly carbonated, just enough pressure to both maintain the seal and to drive out oxygen. let alone the oxygenation risks; CO2 prevents the growth of a lot of bacteria.

 

[solbes]

Whether or not you force carb, or naturally carb I'd hit it with CO2 first to purge. If it were me I'd get my CO2 tank filled so you minimize any exposure to oxygen.

 

[WhiskeySam]

It's pretty important to hit it with CO2 now to seal the lid and purge the oxygen. This is especially important in long-term aging.

As long as you purge then yes, long term aging in the keg is fine. Spray the lid and poppets with star-san solution after you seal and purge to make sure the keg is holding pressure.

This.

I discovered that the poppets on my lagering keg don't "seal" entirely, so even under marginal pressure (to purge o2), they'd leak over time. So I just hooked up connectors to them without pressure flowing through.

Pressurize it to seal it and purge the o2, but then do not pressurize it until the week before you want to drink it.