Cleaning Beer Lines keeps your brew from tasting funky
Anyone who owns a kegerator knows the importance of keeping it sanitary. When the lines of a kegerator are used yeast and beer stones may build up and leave an insanitary surface. This surface is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and mold. At the least, this can lead to an off taste in the beer and at the worst it could cause serious problems for anyone who drinks beer that has passed through these lines.
Cleaning beer lines is a necessary task for anyone who owns a kegerator. It ensures that you and your party are drinking clean and safe beer. But many people are not entirely sure how to do this or what the process entails.
It is important to know that with any kegerator there is going to be a level of maintenance required. Fortunately, you can take care of beer line cleaning very quickly and use the opportunity to ensure other parts of your kegerator are running well and are properly cleaned. There are many different cleaning kits available for purchase, but they will almost always recommend the same cleaning schedule.
Typically, cleaning beer keg lines is recommended for every six weeks of use. However, there is no downside to cleaning the beer lines before every use if you do not use the kegerator frequently. When it comes to cleaning beer lines, they simply cannot be too clean.
The process itself is not complicated either. Once you purchase a cleaning kit, you will have everything that you need. Most cleaning kits use the process of the kegerator to clean the beer lines. A container which comes with the kit is filled with a mixture of water and a cleaning solution which also comes with the kit. The pump from the kegerator is used to move the cleaning solution through the lines and remove the buildup.
The cleaning solution should be allowed to soak per the instructions. Following the cleaning solution, water is pumped through to flush the lines. Finally, there is a step many people overlook. It is recommended to soak the other components through which beer passes, such as the faucet and tap, in the cleaning solution and clean them with a brush. If you clean only the lines, you are still passing clean beer through a dirty tap and possibly spoiling the beer.
While you have the kegerator apart for cleaning the lines, you can take the time to run some other basic maintenance as well. When you remove the lines and the pump from the kegerator you should take the opportunity to ensure that the o-rings and seals are functioning properly.
The coupling washer, friction washer and shaft seat should all be in good condition. The probe o-rings and keg coupler should also be properly coated with a food grade lubricant. This will ensure that the kegerator has enough lubricant to pump easily and that the seals are keeping the beer as fresh as possible.
If you buy a good cleaning kit and follow the proper steps, you will probably never notice the effects. But if you fail to properly clean your beer lines, you will most definitely notice the effects. You can easily avoid the embarrassment of serving rancid beer to guests and avoid possible health concerns as well. By cleaning the beer lines frequently and properly, you can ensure you have the best tasting beer possible.
