subject: Clean Your Damned Draft Beer Lines [print this page] Everyone loves a little head with their draftEveryone loves a little head with their draft. Out of the gutter, tiny minds. Were talking about the foam at the top of the glass when the barkeep slides another mug your way. The predicament reaches the ball-busting point though when theres too much froth and not enough broth.
You know what causes this quandary? All the crap thats built-up in the line from the keg to the tap. Think youre the only one with stones? Beer lines can create over time tiny stones from the mold, bacteria and yeast that travels through the tubes. If you dont blow-out the things on a regular basis not only will you end up with clogging. The dirty lines will make the brew taste something just this side of crap.
Aside from all that, its simply unsanitary.
Do It
Its not going to take the better part of a day when you decide to go clean. More like a couple of minutes. You can get a kit to do it. Hand pumped or fancy-schmancy electric-powered doohickeys. A cleaning solution is required no matter which method you use. That stuff is going to merely set you back just as much as a bottle of Love Child No. 2 18 bucks.
Pump the liquid (or the water and powder mixture) through the disconnected lines. The manufacturer gives you a guide as to how long the stuff needs to set in the tubes. After that little tick of time, rinse the sucker out like crazy with fresh water until youve flushed-out any hint of the chemicals. Before you return to pumping out your fave beer, dont forget to let the faucet and the keg coupler wade for a few minutes in a shallow pool of the cleaner. Remove, give them a little brushing and rinse them with H2O.
Hey, since youve taken the works apart, why not do some maintenance on the rig? Scrutinize the coupling and friction washer, the probe o-rings, the shaft seat on the faucet. Showing any wear-or-tear? Make a list, pick-up the supplies when you surf for keg-parts buy on the Net. Once UPS, FedEx or the regular ol mail-person drops em off at your house, use some food-grade lube on the probe o-rings. That way when you untap and tap a new keg things will run smoothly.
When?
For the home unit, plan on doing this twice a month. Same goes for a pub owner, although state laws have their own suggestions. Regardless, every couple of weeks is a good habit to slip into.
The most important thing you need to etch into your brain is that you should only use cleaners that are dedicated to sprucing-up beer lines and the like. Dont just mix-up some funky concoction, believing that all the junk in the tubes will magically disappear with your home-made stuff.
The right tool for the right job, right? Right. You dont want to poison your buddies with a nice cold one before the game starts. Hospital teevees have notoriously bad reception. And nurses are not allowed to serve Bud.
