New Brunswick Craft Brewers Association

Brewing => Technique => Topic started by: Jake on January 28, 2016, 04:11:27 PM

Title: Cleaning Beer Lines
Post by: Jake on January 28, 2016, 04:11:27 PM: How are people cleaning their beer lines?

Is it pretty much just pressurizing a keg with oxyclean or PBW and pumping it through, then rinsing with water & sanitizer? I saw this on HBT and thought it was a pretty easy way to go about doing it without having to waste all the CO2 ... anyone taking this approach?

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=226497 (http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=226497)
Title: Re: Cleaning Beer Lines
Post by: Roger on January 28, 2016, 04:48:21 PM: I usually fill one keg with hot water and PBW and run a quarter of it through each line I have 4. Then one of hot water than abut half a keg of sanitizer. I also find if I take my time with the PBW solution like run an eighth or so wait 15 min then run the other eighth it seam to scrub the lines better.
Title: Re: Cleaning Beer Lines
Post by: robcoombs on January 28, 2016, 04:49:01 PM: Every time a keg kicks I run about a gallon of warm water and PBW followed by about a gallon of water and starsan. I leave the starsan in the line until that keg is refilled and carbed.
Title: Re: Cleaning Beer Lines
Post by: shallow on January 28, 2016, 05:47:33 PM: Quote from: robcoombs on January 28, 2016, 04:49:01 PM
Every time a keg kicks I run about a gallon of warm water and PBW followed by about a gallon of water and starsan. I leave the starsan in the line until that keg is refilled and carbed.
Same. I draw out the starsan when I pull off the yeasty first pint of the next brew.
Title: Re: Cleaning Beer Lines
Post by: Roger on January 28, 2016, 07:07:01 PM: Quote from: robcoombs on January 28, 2016, 04:49:01 PM
Every time a keg kicks I run about a gallon of warm water and PBW followed by about a gallon of water and starsan. I leave the starsan in the line until that keg is refilled and carbed.
It's probably a good idea to clean between each keg fill. But I usually only do a full cleaning of all the kegs at once about every 4 months or so.
Title: Re: Cleaning Beer Lines
Post by: mikegraham on January 28, 2016, 07:09:54 PM: maybe i should do more all i do is run hot water thro the lines than the odd time starsan
Title: Re: Cleaning Beer Lines
Post by: Two Wheeler on January 28, 2016, 07:31:05 PM: I've been eyeing up that sprayer project for a while, but haven't pulled the trigger. I clean my lines every 6 months or so, usually coinciding with a big keg cleaning day, similar to Roger's method.

I figure cold, plus alcohol prevents it from getting too grimey
Title: Re: Cleaning Beer Lines
Post by: Jake on January 29, 2016, 09:15:26 AM: My kegerator beer line was so nasty that I decided to replace it altogether ... after seeing the colour of that thing after sitting there unused for the last year, I couldn't bring myself to run any beer through it, even if I did clean it.

I would like to build one of those hand pump mechanisms though. Seems like a way better idea than having to pressurize kegs and waste all that co2.
Title: Re: Cleaning Beer Lines
Post by: Two Wheeler on January 29, 2016, 10:03:55 AM: Quote from: robcoombs on January 28, 2016, 04:49:01 PM
I leave the starsan in the line until that keg is refilled and carbed.

Any issues with starsan making the tubing slimy? My blowoff tube that sits in star san gets pretty gross when in contact with starsan for a while.
Title: Re: Cleaning Beer Lines
Post by: robcoombs on January 29, 2016, 11:05:26 AM: Not so far. It generally doesn't sit in there for long. Couple days at most while I'm waiting for keg hops to steep. Then it just gets poured out, first glass obviously goes down the drain.