Can You Get Rid of Vinyl Taste in Beer Lines

I bought new beer lines yesterday they are Micromatic 3/16 id lines took everything apart taps, shanks, etc. and cleaned everything with brushes hot water and Oxyclean Free. My old lines had been in place a couple years and were neglected by me unfortunately to the point that when I ran the Oxyclean through them then beer line cleaner still some of the film on the insides just wouldn't come off so I thought I wold just go ahead and buy new lines. BTW the taps are Perlick Chrome. Ran some Starsan through my new lines (3 6' sections through keezer) and hooked everything back up and lo and behold my beer tasted like vinyl or some bad malt, or something else I just couldn't pinpoint and it wasn't there before. I only have tried taster glass sizes so far but the flavor was immediate - not after sitting in the line or anything.

I have a section of the new tubing/line I bought that I didn't use so I took a sniff through it and sucked through it and I am sure that what I inhaled and tasted from the brand new dry line is the exact same off flavor plus my good beer(s) flavors buried in the off flavors somewhere. It tastes and smells like vinyl. I am almost certain it is not an infection. It happened to all three kegs at once and the only change besides cleaning taps, shanks, etc. was the new beer tubing.

My question is what is the possibility of salvaging these Micromatic lines? I did a search and mostly found people recommending a different type of line. I'd like to avoid ordering new lines for now and see if there is something I can do. I mean can I boil them, soak them in baking soda, re-install my old lines (I have since cleaned the inside of them very well with a dip tube brush) and store my new lines and wait for them to off gas, soak them in vinegar, PBW, yogurt, gasoline, drano? Just kidding but get the point - what is the possibility of getting this off gassing out of the Micromatic lines. My old lines don't smell this way and I'll probably try putting them back on now that they are cleaned out. Maybe newly manufactured vinyl lines need to be "aged" or something before they are sold. If so I am willing to try it. Anyone ever successfully "conditioned" the smell out of their new beverage tubing? How? Can you let me know?

I've never been able to get rid of the taste. I'm starting to think a lot of it is in my head. I've bought so many different brands from expensive to cheap, and it's still there. I have resigned my self to wasting the first few ounces and living with it. That's what red solo cups are for around my house, plus they catch the drips from the faucets.

Get accuflex bevseal ultra. No plastic taste or smell, even with brand new line right out of the box, or for beer that's been sitting in the line for weeks. You can get it in 3/16" or 1/4".

Hammy I don't think it's in your head and Outside thanks for the heads up on the accuseal tubing.

"Draft beer hose that meets the brewery’s criteria has passed through a series of quality tests, which include taste and odor evaluations."

This is what Micromatic says on their website regarding their vinyl beer line. Maybe their testers like beer with that new car smell.

I may start tomorrow by boiling my left over new line and/or soaking in baking soda and water. Maybe I'll put it in a pot of baking soda and water now. Anyone beat this new car smell out of their vinyl beer lines? What did you do?

well one cup of baking soda dissolved in a half gallon of water soaked overnight didn't help. I still smell that vinyl tubing. 1. will let it keep soaking. 2. may try boiling it - maybe cut off a small piece and boil, will boiling damage the line? I remember reading that if you clean your beer lines with water that is too hot it will cause some sort of ripples inside the lines affecting flow maybe and/or ability to effectively clean later.

I would just live with it while you save up for:
http://www.birdmanbrewing.com/accuflex-bev-seal-ultra-barrier-tubing-3-16-id-100ft-free-shipping/

More Beer - SuperFlex Beverage Tubing

Or just do a Google on SuperFlex Beverage Tubing <click it.

The search will give you sources and the reasons to use it. I think it's worth the search.

P-J said:

More Beer - SuperFlex Beverage Tubing

Or just do a Google on SuperFlex Beverage Tubing <click it.

The search will give you sources and the reasons to use it. I think it's worth the search.

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Superflex is a good product as far a PVC goes, but I recommend the bev-seal. The glass liner is much more impermeable and inert.

I'm sure I'll go with the bev seal. Still soaking the Micromatic in baking soda, you know - in the name of scientific research. The irony in this situation is that I wanted to get everything tightened up before entering some beers in the NHC as I bottle out of the keg.

Completely isn't in your head. The problem is that most people don't taste it because it dilutes out in 16 ounces of beer.

Anyone with a 15-30 foot line for soda water will tell you they all taste of plastic. Even barrier ones have been bad for me.

There isn't much in a 6 foot piece, but 30 foot gives you a solid ounce+ and its noticeable in a full glass of water.

Try your beer by dispensing a quarter ounce after it has sat even a few hours... you'll taste something. If you don't, might as well go back to BMC lol.

For TheSlash have you tried the Bev Seal lines that have been recommended?

Sure sucks to go through all the process involved to produce great beer to have it ruined by the line it comes out of.

Is a SS line the ONLY answer?

I'll say again my old Micromatic lines at least don't taste like vinyl. If they do it's a tiny percentage of what the new ones smell and taste like - like practically undetectable if at all. They're like 2+ years old though. I think that vinyl smell/taste mellows out with time which goes back to my thought of maybe these lines need to condition similar to a beer, like left to off gas for a matter of time. But how totally bleeping impractical is that? When i drew a breath through my cleaned old lines i got the taste of well, beer and not vinyl. Maybe at the same time the beer is absorbing the vinyl taste from the new line the new line is absorbing beer taste/odor from the beer. At a certain point the scales are tipped in favor beer tastes over vinyl. Again a totally impractical way of getting your beer lines ready to drink from. I'll be able to test my thoroughly cleaned old lines later tonight. Getting off work 11 pm west coast time.

NewDecadeBrewery said:

For TheSlash have you tried the Bev Seal lines that have been recommended?

Sure sucks to go through all the process involved to produce great beer to have it ruined by the line it comes out of.

Is a SS line the ONLY answer?

I'll say again my old Micromatic lines at least don't taste like vinyl. If they do it's a tiny percentage of what the new ones smell and taste like - like practically undetectable if at all. They're like 2+ years old though. I think that vinyl smell/taste mellows out with time which goes back to my thought of maybe these lines need to condition similar to a beer, like left to off gas for a matter of time. But how totally bleeping impractical is that? When i drew a breath through my cleaned old lines i got the taste of well, beer and not vinyl. Maybe at the same time the beer is absorbing the vinyl taste from the new line the new line is absorbing beer taste/odor from the beer. At a certain point the scales are tipped in favor beer tastes over vinyl. Again a totally impractical way of getting your beer lines ready to drink from. I'll be able to test my thoroughly cleaned old lines later tonight. Getting off work 11 pm west coast time.

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I have. My most recent lines were also highly recommended for having no off flavor, but they do, and bad.

Merchant: THE CHI COMPANY
Description: SuperFlex 3/16 I.D. Beverage Hose (qty: 38)

Which at the time was over a dollar a foot!

I got tired of replacing lines, so now I just drain 1 ounce off my lines before filling my glass.

I'm pretty sensitive to the plastic taste and I've been happy with the accuflex bev-seal ultra lines. If they sit for more than a week I can still taste a little something in the first few ounces but it's minor. Less than a week between pours and I can't taste any off flavors at all. I couldn't stand the taste from the vinyl even just running through the lines, let alone sitting in them.

JuanMoore said:

I'm pretty sensitive to the plastic taste and I've been happy with the accuflex bev-seal ultra lines. If they sit for more than a week I can still taste a little something in the first few ounces but it's minor. Less than a week between pours and I can't taste any off flavors at all. I couldn't stand the taste from the vinyl even just running through the lines, let alone sitting in them.

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Same here, the vinyl flavor was very apparent to me and the accuflex lines have taken care of the issue.
http://www.farmhousebrewingsupply.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=300

Just made the purchase from Farmhouse on the accu-flex bev-seal lines. Thanks for the info.

NewDecadeBrewery said:

Just made the purchase from Farmhouse on the accu-flex bev-seal lines. Thanks for the info.

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Good decision, I think you'll be happy. Be forewarned the installation can be a PITA, as this stuff does not want to stretch over hose barbs A little boiling water to soften the tubing and a pair of needle nose pliers used in reverse to open the tubing worked wonders for me.

suds_zville said:

A little boiling water to soften the tubing and a pair of needle nose pliers used in reverse to open the tubing worked wonders for me.

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Thanks I have heard they are a slight PITA to install over the hose barbs.

NewDecadeBrewery said:

Thanks I have heard they are a slight PITA to install over the hose barbs.

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It's more than "slight", but well worth it IMO.

In addition to the above, I also boiled the barbs so that the tubing wouldn't cool when it came in contact with them. And wear gloves.

And I know you've already purchased, but in case you weren't aware you'll need longer lines than you would with vinyl since the barrier tubing has significantly less resistance.

outside92129 said:

Get accuflex bevseal ultra. No plastic taste or smell, even with brand new line right out of the box, or for beer that's been sitting in the line for weeks. You can get it in 3/16" or 1/4".

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+1 this stuff is awesome. it also comes in 5/16"

the only way to get the vinyl smell out of vinyl plastic lines would be to continuously leech the plasticizers out. leeching is accelerated by heat, so flushing them with hot water for a very long time (think hours/days) would do it. however, when you remove these plasticizers, they get brittle and hard...

the only real fix is to replace the lines with a different type of plastic, like PET or HDPE (like bevseal ultra), that doesnt have that taste.

JuanMoore said:

It's more than "slight", but well worth it IMO.

In addition to the above, I also boiled the barbs so that the tubing wouldn't cool when it came in contact with them. And wear gloves.

And I know you've already purchased, but in case you weren't aware you'll need longer lines than you would with vinyl since the barrier tubing has significantly less resistance.

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I bought 50' for four or 6 taps. Can I get away with 8' at about 10 psi? I can leave my kegerator as is right now and just divide the 50' by the four taps in my keezer for 12' per tap. Would 12' be better at 10 psi in keg?

Also since the line is less flexible than vinyl do I need to use clamps over the barbs? I currently do not use hose clamps with the vinyl lines and have never had a problem with leaking.

What size? I use 6'-7' of 3/16" ID at various temps in the 40s and 50s and just adjust my CO2 pressure for the right level of carbing. In the upper 40s to lower 50s that's in the 12-14 psi range and the amount of head is perfect.

When I have to lower temps (like right now since I need 38° F for curing ham) I reduce the pressure to about 8 psi and deal with the fact that my ales are below optimal serving pressure and take longer to dispense. Also, the head is reduced a bit, but is acceptable.

I think 10 or more feet of 3/16" ID tubing at only 10 psi is going to dispense pretty slowly. 1/4" ID might be OK though.

The 50' of MicroMatic hose I just bought does indeed seem to have more vinyl aroma then previous purchases of both MicroMatic and Perlick (which I always thought were damn near identical to each other). So far I can't taste any vinyl flavor coming through in an English Brown Ale, so I'm not too worried. But maybe I ought to cut the spool of line into 6' lengths and let them hang in a closet til I'm ready to use them.

SixFoFalcon said:

The 50' of MicroMatic hose I just bought does indeed seem to have more vinyl aroma then previous purchases of both MicroMatic and Perlick (which I always thought were damn near identical to each other).

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I agree. I don't remember the Micromatic line I bought last time being an issue.

NewDecadeBrewery said:

I bought 50' for four or 6 taps. Can I get away with 8' at about 10 psi? I can leave my kegerator as is right now and just divide the 50' by the four taps in my keezer for 12' per tap. Would 12' be better at 10 psi in keg?

Also since the line is less flexible than vinyl do I need to use clamps over the barbs? I currently do not use hose clamps with the vinyl lines and have never had a problem with leaking.

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Roughly 1.25 times longer than what worked well with the vinyl. At 10 psi 8' would be cutting it close using barrier line. You can try it and see, but I would guess that 10' would be about right. If it were me I'd just do the 4 taps you have now at 12' each, but YMMV.

Hose clamps are optional. I put them on because I had them, but the line fits on so tight that they're probably unnecessary.

FWIW I run 18' lines so that I can have higher carb levels at warmer temps and still get a good pour (belgians etc). Even pushing at 10 psi it isn't all that slow. I'm not running a bar where every second matters, if I have time to drink a beer, I also have an extra few seconds to wait for it to pour.

JuanMoore said:

FWIW I run 18' lines so that I can have higher carb levels at warmer temps and still get a good pour (belgians etc). Even pushing at 10 psi it isn't all that slow. I'm not running a bar where every second matters, if I have time to drink a beer, I also have an extra few seconds to wait for it to pour.

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Yeah, it's no biggie unless your kegerator is away from the TV and you don't have a DVR that you can pause.

SixFoFalcon said:

Yeah, it's no biggie unless your kegerator is away from the TV and you don't have a DVR that you can pause.

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DVR is essential in my household. LOL.

I'd recommend the Tygon B-44-3 Beverage tubing, it's what I bought and it has never leached any off flavors, not when it was brand new or now (nearly a year later). I've gone weeks between pours (I have 4 taps) and still no off flavors in any of them.

This tubing is significantly more expensive than most beverage tubing but worth IMO and all I will ever use in my system, in fact I just ordered another 50' because the price has dropped 15% on the 50' roll.

25'

50'

cranium213 said:

I'd recommend the Tygon B-44-3 Beverage tubing, it's what I bought and it has never leached any off flavors, not when it was brand new or now (nearly a year later). I've gone weeks between pours (I have 4 taps) and still no off flavors in any of them.

This tubing is significantly more expensive than most beverage tubing but worth IMO and all I will ever use in my system, in fact I just ordered another 50' because the price has dropped 15% on the 50' roll.

25'

50'

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I got some of the tygon b-44-3 and b-44-4x from us plastics and tried it out. My experience was that the off flavors were much less than with vinyl, but still not as good as the bev-seal ultra. Like I said though, I'm very sensitive to that type of off flavor. Almost tasted like the beer in the lines was oxidizing, and I've read others on here report the same thing. The tygon silver lined tubing is supposed to be a very good product without any off flavors, but I don't have any firsthand experience with it. It's also pretty pricey.