I can't get my racking cane clean!

I'm about to rack my smoked porter, and I have sediment stuck on the inside of my racking cane, right in the middle. I've tried bleach, oxyclean, you name it, I can't get it out. Any suggestions?

I use a peice of wire with a bit of cloth on the end to poke through.

Do you have a dip tube brush? I was able to clean some gunk out of mine with that.

pipe cleaners?
soak it in oxyclean, then try a pipe cleaner.

Also, pick up some spares next time you are at American Brewmaster. Then you can just ditch nasty ones every once in a while.

Hot PBW has worked for me in the past.

Thanks everyone, I found some pipe cleaners lying around (left over from making Halloween costumes of some sort), they worked great. I'm pretty excited about this beer, it's my first go at a smoked beer.

next time clean it as soon as you're done with it and you wont have this problem.

+1 on having more then one.

post the recipe or we won't believe you.

Yeah, you, we won't believe you had the stones to make a smoked beer!

I've used a clipped and straightened out coat hanger with a dab of cloth on the end in a similar situation.

nathan said:

post the recipe or we won't believe you.

Click to expand...

+1! I want to brew a smoked porter later this summer and have been looking at various recipes. Some call for 20%-30% smoked malt and one for an Alaskan Smoked Porter clone calls for 100% smoked malt. I'm curious to see what you are doing. I have five pounds of German rauchmalt and might smoke some of my own 2-row just to have more on hand.

Professor Frink said:

I'm about to rack my smoked porter, and I have sediment stuck on the inside of my racking cane, right in the middle. I've tried bleach, oxyclean, you name it, I can't get it out. Any suggestions?

Click to expand...

A little Hopps #9 on a cleaning patch with a .22 cleaning rod should take care of that sediment right quick.

Ask and yee shall receive:

Fermentables:
2-Row 7 lb.
German smoked malt 4 lb.
Munich Malt 10 L 1 lb.
Pale Chocolate Malt 0.75 lb.
Brown Malt 0.5 lb.
Caramel 40L 0.25 lb.
Caramel 80L 0.25 lb.
Black malt 0.25 lb.

Hops:
EKG 6.2% 1 oz. 60 min
EKG 6.2 % 0.5 oz. 45 min
Tettnang 4.2% 0.5 oz. 15 min.
Tettnang 4.2% 0.5 oz. 1 min.

Yeast:
Wyeast 1098 British Ale

Mash at 154 degrees


The Alaskan smoked porter was my inspiration for this beer, I loved it when I tried it. I went with 4 lbs of rauchmalt - I wanted some decent smokiness, but not like a Rauchbier. I think I hit it right on for what I was going for.

In July I'm working on one based on Jamil's smoked robust porter. It's not a whole lot different than yours, and he mentions the alaskan in his book for this, so we may have to compare bottles. I'm not brewing it until 7/27, though, so it'll be late august or september before mine is ready (it will be bottled so I can age it and travel with it in a holiday pack that will have a chocolate cherry cordial stout and a pumpkin ale along with the smoked robust porter).

i'd just buy a new one. sounds like its time anyways