First pour = Bad taste

[brian402]

I had a problem pop up recently on two of my taps (the third one is empty at the moment..). I have to toss the first half a pint after not pouring for a day. My guess would be its something in the line giving it a bad flavor. I always flush the lines with BLC and take apart the faucets to clean in between kegs. The lines are the newer anti-microbial/non-PVC type that I changed about two years ago and the shanks are stainless. Before I order all new lines, has anyone run into this?


Thanks,
Brian

 

[FloppyKnockers]

What does it taste like? Do you flush with cold water after the BLC? How long do the lines stay vacant between kegs? Are the lines filled with liquid or air between kegs?

 

[BobBailey]

Simply flushing the lines with BLC will often just loosen most of the buildup in the lines. Run enough through to be sure the line is full and let it sit for 15 minutes. Run just a bit more through and allow to sit for another 15 minutes. Repeat until the cleaner runs clear when you first open the tap.

If you still get noticeable color when you first open the tap after three runs you need to follow up with an acid cleaning which should be done every 3 months anyway.

 

[brian402]

Hey thanks Bob. I do let it sit awhile but probably not 15 minutes. I'll give it a try. What's the acid cleaning you speak of? I haven't done that.

 

[brian402]

What does it taste like? Do you flush with cold water after the BLC? How long do the lines stay vacant between kegs? Are the lines filled with liquid or air between kegs?

I'm sipping it now trying to figure out how to describe it. Stale maybe?

I try to flush the lines with BLC after a keg runs out but that doesn't always happen. So sometimes the line will sit with the remains of the last beer until I flush prior to putting the new keg on.

 

[BirdmanBrewingCo]

Have you considered Accuflex Bev-Seal Ultra Barrier Tubing?
We sell a lot of this to cure the off taste from the lines.

 

[BobBailey]

Hey thanks Bob. I do let it sit awhile but probably not 15 minutes. I'll give it a try. What's the acid cleaning you speak of? I haven't done that.

I use either double strength Starsan solution or 2 TBSP of citric acid to a liter of water. Follow same procedure as with BLC, and flush well afterwards.

I use PBW to clean a keg and the use the kegged solution to clean the lines. Works as good as BLC and you've already got it in the keg.

If it's time for an acid cleaning I rinse the keg several times, use last rinse water to rinse the lines and then dump the citric acid mixture in the keg and pressurize.

 

[brian402]

Ultra Barrier is the line I have. Worked great for two years. I’ll give the starsan mix a try. I’ll report back.

Thanks guys.

 

[brian402]

So one of the kegs blew this afternoon and I'm busy flushing the line with the PBW mix I'm cleaning the keg with. After I shut the tap faucet off, it takes about 10 seconds and then I get another 1/4 ounce or so that comes out. It doesn't do this with beer in the line. Only cleaner. Any thoughts? Its a Perlick SS faucet with flow control. I've had this the last time I cleaned the line too.

 

[BobBailey]

After a while the fat O ring loses its resiliency and is more prone to leaks, more so with the cleaning solution or water. They will eventually get bad enough that they will leak beer too. If you can't find the seal kits locally you can find them here:
http://shop.greatfermentations.com/category/perlick-faucet-replacement-parts
I recommend keeping a set on hand. Also, when I break down the faucets every few kegs to clean them, I use keg lube on all of the seals.

 

[gnef]

Are these standard o-rings with dash numbers? If so, I'd like to just buy them in bulk if possible.

 

[gnef]

also, as for the OP, if you have a brewing pump, it is actually best to heat and circulate the BLC for maximum cleaning. What I do is use a small camping stove, and a 2.5 gallon pot that I put a valve on, and use my chugger pump to circulate the solution. On the inside, I have a manifold with John Guest fittings, and connect multiple lines at once, up to 7 at a time for me in total, so one is an input, and 6 are return lines.

I pump from the small pot with the BLC heating up (I maintain about 130F), into one of the faucets, and I have the line from that faucet connected to the manifold, and then for the other 6 lines that are connected to the manifold, I have growler fillers in those faucets that drain back to the small pot. I let it recirculate for about 15-20 minutes or so. I don't do this as often as I should though. It can be a bit difficult to get motivated when I don't have a problem, and I also have 14 faucets to clean.

 

[BobBailey]

Are these standard o-rings with dash numbers? If so, I'd like to just buy them in bulk if possible.

I found all of the others at the hardware store, but was unable to find the main seal. Since it floats in a groove it needs to have both the proper ID and OD.

 

[dx250]

I don't know the size but I know is anyone has them these guys will. They had everything to rebuild a corny in silicone including the lid o-ring and shipping was only $3. I am just a customer that found their price and service great.

http://www.oringsandmore.com/

 

[brian402]

Thanks for all the info. After running PBW and then a double strength StarSan solution, the bad taste was gone after checking the next day. I'll check it again this weekend when I get home. I do have a seal kit and will give that a try.

As far as future cleaning techniques go, I have no easy way to recirculate a solution since the keezer is in a different room from the taps. I run the cleaner, let it sit for 15 minutes in the line and then run more followed by a good water rinse. I've been using a spare corny to do this. I may try one of those pressure pots to free up a keg.

 

[BobBailey]

Once you've cleaned the keg with PBW, just hook it up to CO2 and the beer line at the keezer and use a pitcher to catch the flow at the tap, You'll have plenty in the keg to do that several times, As for the Starsan, Same routine and a liter of 2 should be more than enough. No reason to recirculate.