cleaning aluminum keg
 

Hello. My neighbor gave me an old aluminum keg. It came from the Sicks Brewing Company in Salem, Oregon. That would date the keg to over 40 years old. It holds 15.5 gallons. I want to try to use it for eventual kegging, but dont know how to clean the inside. It has dirt and light oxidation inside. How can I clean it, and what chemicals will remove the oxidation?

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but you WANT a passive oxidation layer on aluminum. Caustic cleaners cannot be used.

How to Brew - By John Palmer - Appendix B - Brewing Metallurgy

Are you sure it is aluminum? I can't imagine an aluminum keg standing up to the abuse kegs get for very long.
I would use some pbw and a green scrub pad a d get the whole inside shines, rinse well with water, then boil water in it, that will reform the oxide layer.

I've seen aluminum kegs. I'd be very careful about how to clean them. I know that you don't want to soak Stainless with Bleach. Aluminum may have it's own no-nos as well.

At any rate, make sure you rinse it VERY well, and encourage an oxide layer on it again. (Oxiclean??)

15.5 gallons is an awful lot of beer. I'd prefer to have a few corneys and have 3 different brews available myself. If it were the right style, I'd probably consider making it into a BK or HLT or something.

It is aluminum. I can' t get inside to scrub it, so i will try PBW. maybe oxyclean afterwards. 15.5 is a lot of beer, but if you share, it's not that bad. :) i am also looking at buying two or three corney kegs. They look easy to clean.