Beer Line Cleaner - What Do You Use?

[bondra76]

time to clean my beer lines...

What's the best practices/suggestions out there?

I use sanke kegs if that makes any difference in this.

 

[yorkbrew]

I just visited a restaurant supply store today and grabbed some DAC, the stronger version of BLC. I've never used it before so I was hoping to find someone who has.

In the past I've used PBW which seemed to work fine.

 

[jwesleyclark]

I have very short lines, and last time I just replaced them rather than clean them.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[grathan]

I have a few lines that are a few years old. Never been cleaned. I can't imagine how they would even be dirty. The taps maybe, lines? they stay chilled so I can't see how.

 

[day_trippr]

Oh my.

There are all kinds of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and oils in beer that find places to stick and stay - including beer line. Try never cleaning your favorite beer glass - just rinse it out - and over time you'll notice the glass is no longer clear, even if it appears "clean". Same thing is going on in the line.

I've been using BLC or LLC with the HBT popular converted pump sprayer cleaner, whenever a keg is swapped, or every couple of weeks, whichever comes first. The little cleaner makes the task easy enough that I'll actually get to it. The first time I cleaned the lines what came out looked pretty bad...

Cheers!

 

[grathan]

I doubt the porousness of glass can even be compared to plastic hose. But even still. 2 years and the old, the plastic lines are as clear as new ones.

 

[day_trippr]

Frankly, after two years that's astounding, even as a fringe outlier.

Otoh, some states have found cause to require beer lines be cleaned every seven days (see PA, for instance)...

Cheers!

 

[grathan]

I can get you the manufacturer on my next pour. I think it's bev-flex in yellow letters, pretty small ID, maybe smaller than 1/4. Very thick wall.

Morebeer even has a new anti-micro-bacterial lined beverage hose. Though not sure if that is even needed.

 

[day_trippr]

Bevlex 200 is the line I use, 3/16" ID and very thick wall. And it definitely benefits from periodic cleaning.

I saw the new line that Morebeer is carrying. A bit on the pricey side compared to what I've been happy using, and I'm a bit leery of all the antibacterial this and that permeating our lives, so I'd likely not be interested...

Cheers!

 

[wozzer]

I use a strong mixture of common household bleach mixed with lots of water. 15 minutes is enough, an hour is plenty.

Flush it with water and campden tablet.

Bleach is the mortal enemy of all molds and fungi, yeast and all the rest. It can't be beat, either for effectiveness or price. It's rather scorched-earth though. You have to cleanup after it.

 

[grathan]

Bevlex 200 is the line I use, 3/16" ID and very thick wall. And it definitely benefits from periodic cleaning.

I saw the new line that Morebeer is carrying. A bit on the pricey side compared to what I've been happy using, and I'm a bit leery of all the antibacterial this and that permeating our lives, so I'd likely not be interested...

Cheers!

When you say benefits. You mean you see some gunk come out or rather the flavor of the beer changes?

I might tray a swap to a fresh setup one time, mid-keg, just to see if there is any taste differences..

 

[LordUlrich]

Beer lines should be cleaned with an acid (like starsan) regularly, and something like pbw about every 4-6 cleanings.
Beer lines get dirty, fridge Temps don't stop microbes, just really slow them down. Everyone has different sensitivity to each off flavor. some beers mask off flavors better. You may not be able to see the Beerstone but it will accumulate, and harbor bugs that cause off flavors. The biggest issue is that I certainly it gets bad it is almost impossible to rescue a beer line.

 

[day_trippr]

When you say benefits. You mean you see some gunk come out or rather the flavor of the beer changes?

I might tray a swap to a fresh setup one time, mid-keg, just to see if there is any taste differences..

Since I started the cleaning regimen I haven't let lines go long enough that I notice a big difference after they're cleaned...

Cheers!