Lactobacillus contamination in regulator??

[bamnq6]

Hello all-

I pushed 5x kegs of seltzer over the weekend for my wedding. I force carbed at ~30 psi prior when carbonating at ~36 F... Several of these kegs rose in temp and pressure while waiting for serving.

There is no check valve on my regulator, so several kegs back-fed pressure into my regulator when in made connections. One batch of seltzer had a strong Lactobacillus flavor (DRAT!) so I very worried that I might have contaminated my regulator with bacteria.

I don't think there is a good way to clean the regulator... I could try to use DHMR (Dry Heat Microbial Reduction) and bake it at ~230 over night... but I don't want to mess it up.

What are my options? Add an inline sterile filter (and a check-valve)? Buy a new regulator?

Thanks for your help-

 

[Jag75]

I did same thing in my regulator and my secondary regulator. I took it apart and cleaned with hot water , let sit for a couple days to ensure it was 100% dry and they're good as new. Check valves would be nice for sure.

 

[RPh_Guy]

One batch of seltzer had a strong Lactobacillus flavor (DRAT!) so I very worried that I might have contaminated my regulator with bacteria.

You mean sourness?
For what it's worth, contamination of future beers is highly unlikely.

 

[bamnq6]

Not sourness (Brett), but dry / buttery flavor and mouthfeel (Lacto? I wouldn't think Diacetyl?). These Seltzers were made with fresh citrus, so I could easily have introduced something un-intended.

I've got a Micromatic 942B, I'll look into disassembly & cleaning.

 

[day_trippr]

Depending on how obsessed one is, most regulators are actually pretty easily disassembled - certainly removing the bonnet, diaphragm and valve (typically a small cartridge these days) can be done in five minutes or less. That will provide access to most of the regulator body internals, the rest can be reached through the IN port and by removing the gauges.

btw, the 942B looks very similar to my Chudnow regulators, which are cake to service...

Cheers!

 

[RPh_Guy]

Not sourness (Brett), but dry / buttery flavor and mouthfeel (Lacto? I wouldn't think Diacetyl?). These Seltzers were made with fresh citrus, so I could easily have introduced something un-intended.

I've got a Micromatic 942B, I'll look into disassembly & cleaning.

Brett does not cause sourness.

On the other hand, Lacto (rather, any lactic acid bacteria) growth would definitely cause sourness.

If it has dryness and diacetyl, it's most likely a wild yeast (could be any number of genera).