Kegging Problems, feeling sick.

OK, I am feeling pretty sick right now. I had 5 gallons of brown ale finally carbed up pretty nicely, but had been battling a leaky keg. So this afternoon with some spare time, decided to check the seals and see where the leak might be. I gassed up the keg, and sprayed some detergent/water solution around the seals. After a minute, it looked like the solution was running into the crack of the lid (ball lock corny keg). I dried i off quickly, washed it off, but I believe I got some solution into the beer. The inside of the keg smells like palmolive detergent.

I'm not sure there is any advice to give here, other than the obvious, never test a full keg. I don't think there is any reason to keep the beer at this point, but thought I'd post anyway. I wouldn't think that a little detergent would affect too much, but that smell seems pretty strong.

And on top of it all, dropped the new lid o-ring into the keg when I pulled the lid back off.

 

Unless you dumped a gallon of detergent into it I think you are overreacting. Let it carbonate and taste it. You may not notice anything when all is said and done. From my limited experience, beer is surprisingly forgiving.

 

I doubt too much soap made its way into the beer and it could be that the smell you detected was from some on the lid I think I would just wait and see if you beer tastes like soap, if it does then toss it.

 

Thanks, it's worth a shot to keep it. I thought about two other options as well since the detergent seems to be on top, maybe rack the beer to a carboy (leaving the top layer, clean the keg and refill, or try to dip some of the beer with detergent from the top.

thoughts? or better to just leave it?

 

if testing this way again, spray starsan. it will show up leaks nicely.

Prevention is the best cure though. I store my kegs sanitized and pressurized with CO2 for weeks/months till needed. If you go back to a keg later to fill it and it's not holding pressure you know you have a problem to root out.

Simple and fool-proof.

 

I went ahead and racked into a carboy, leaving a good bit in the keg. Cleaned the keg good, replaced all the o-rings and tested it, seemingly holding pressure pretty well. Racked the beer back into the keg, quick carbed it, and all seems fine. For right now, the aroma and test seem OK, I just felt better doing this, even if it was in my head.

Thanks again to everyone. And I like Gavin's idea for storing kegs. That way I know they will be fine when time to keg the next one.

 

+1 on the StarSan. NEVER use soap to test kegs with actual beer in them... heck, even when empty, there just is no rational reason to do that and we sure as heck dont do that on lines at the brewery!!!

 

One thing I should add is that I leave about 1/2 a gallon of starsan in the keg when its stored and sealed. Right before filling I swish the starsan around wetting all the surfaces inside. I then push the starsan out with CO2 through my racking cane-QD combo sanitizing it also.

I then fill the keg through the liquid out tube after releasing the PRV first (that's important to open). The lid doesn't get opened filling a keg this way. You can be in no doubt your beer-filled keg is sealed up tighter than a fishes back-side.

 

Gavin, What pressure do you store your kegs at?

 

Whatever pressure I use to push out the sanitizer minus what ever partial pressure is taken up by the 1/2 gallon of starsan that I leave in the keg till I go to fill it.

I push the starsan out of the keg at about 15psi so I'm guessing my kegs are buttoned up nicely at a hair below 15psi.

Lets call it 14psi. The figure is not critical though. The fact that I can verify the integrity of the seal is what's important.

Pushing the starsan out of the keg at 10psi would work just as well.

You could empty the keg entirely before storage. I like to leave a little in so I can rewet all the surfaces immediately before the beer goes in.

Overkill perhaps. The other bonus of doing this is that I get to push the 1/2 gallon (approx) of starsan through the syphon line before beer goes through it. Two birds with one stone.