Plastic sanke kegs

A friend of mine owns a restaurant. He had a plastic sanke keg from a couple of years ago that the brewery wouldn't take back (the brewery was bought by Budweiser while he had the keg, and Budweiser didn't want it back). I said I would take it off his hands and he gave it to me.

Is it safe to re-use? What's the best way to clean it (keep in mind it's 2 years old and presumably wasn't cleaned). Is it worthwhile to try to use it for homebrew?

 

Interesting question, but forget that for now. How do I start a brewery that will be purchased by Budweiser?

 

Well, first you have to start a pro brewery. That seems like the hardest (or at least most expensive) part.

 

To answer your question, yes, you should be able to reuse it safely. There have been occasions where they have ruptured (I am sure you will find posts/articles about it with a quick search) due to improper cleaning techniques (pressurized CIP). Just pull the spear, inspect the inside for scratching, etc, and thoroughly clean/rinse/sanitize. Just treat it like any other plastic in your brewery.

Remember though the downside to plastic. Once its scratched its hard to sanatize properly.

 

There's a local brewery that uses these. They have a cleaning 'hut' that's basically a large plywood box. When they clean the kegs they keep them in the box in case they explode. Apparently it happens frequently. Again, it's probably due to a CIP process.