Help with Diacetyl in Kegerator

[jmmarvel]

I recently dumped out 3/4 of a keg of a Sam Adams Summer clone that clearly had a diacetyl problem. After doing some reading I am assuming the issue may have stemmed from my berliner weisse that was in the kegerator previously. I would like some advice on making sure I eliminate all diacetyl from my kegging system. Here is my plan:

1. Replace my keg lines (they aren't that old but beer sat in there for a good long while).
2. Disassemble my keg and clean it to the best of my ability (already ran near boiling water through and PBW is sitting in there now).
3. Soak my ball lock connectors and keg tap in PBW and then Star San
4. Replace my O rings. I got a few replacement sets for X mas and now have a reason to use one of them.

What are your thoughts? Is any of this a waste of time? Is it enough? A friend insisted that PBW and Star San wouldnt be harsh enough to get rid of the diacetyl problem.

 

[solbes]

Maybe I'm missing something here but diacetyl is something formed during fermentation and has a buttery or butterscotch type taste. Usually created during primary lager fermentations but can be greatly reduced by the "diacetyl" rest where the beer is warmed and held for about 48 hours prior to lagering.

I don't think its something that has to be removed from beer lines/keg lines. Just a std clean and sanitize. Its a chemical byproduct, not a wild yeast or bacteria.

But with your Berliner Weisse you may have lacto (and possibly brett). Is that your concern? If so a standard shock and awe campaign with bleach would likely do the trick. 1 table spoon of bleach per 1 gallon of cool water. Allow for 30 minutes of contact in all surfaces, then dump and rinse repeatedly with very hot water. A std starsan after that will likely kill anything remaining. Things made out of plastic are a little more of a liability than stainless or glass, so keep that in mind.

 

[LLBeanJ]

Diacetyl can certainly be the result of infection. Not sure it would result from the lacto from a a Berliner Weisse, though. More likely, keg tubing and the disconnects can get contaminated with beer over time and this leads to various bacteria forming, which leads to diacetyl and other problems.

OP, sounds like a good plan. Be sure to completely disassemble the disconnects. They can get pretty nasty inside and should be periodically cleaned.

 

[jmmarvel]

Thanks for the response. I realize that diacetyl is a chemical byproduct, but is it possible that it would exist in my lines or anywhere else plastic and impart flavor onto my next beer?

The Lacto I used for my BW could have produced the diacetyl and I am worried that its flavors will persist in future beers that I run through my lines. A friend that works at a local brewery seemed to think that just a normal clean and sanitize might not get rid of the problem.

I guess I have been lucky and this is my first significant run in with diacetyl. I am not too well read on the subject.