Secondary Fermentation in cornie keg - rootbeer smell!

[MilwaukeeGoiter]

A friend of a friend gave me his old cornie keg that I want to use as my secondary. When I opened it it visually looks clean of any debris or residue but has a strong rootbeer smell, I have it soaking in hot water and sanitizer - will this smell permiate into my beer if I use it as the secondary?

 

[periwinkle1239]

Hot water and sanitzer won't clean it and get rid of the smell. What I normally do is soak it in hot water and PBW which is an awesome cleaner. I had some rough looking corny's and that approach cleaned them up great - got rid of all the stickiness and sugary smell. In fact, after every brew, I soak my corny in the same stuff and then rinse, I've had good success. You still have to sanitize them before filling with beer, of course.

 

[chezzesteak]

I have one keg that had root beer in it and I can't get rid of it.I use it as a soda keg now.I would recommend replacing all rubber in the entire keg.

 

[MilwaukeeGoiter]

Thanks - The rubber is replaced, its almost like the aluminum is holding the smell. Will that leach into the beer?, I will try a different cleaner to see if that does the trick. Any other recommendations?

 

[chezzesteak]

Mine leached into the beer. Root beer pale Ale..still on tap.

 

[periwinkle1239]

Your keg is not aluminum, it's stainless steel. Yes, replacing all the rubber pieces (o-rings/gaskets) is a must. I'm still a believer that you should be able to get rid of the root beer taste if you clean it good.