beer safety

[Wyrmwood]

I ordered a keg setup, but was wondering... how do I leave it so during the day my 2 & 5 year olds can't drink my beer or spill it all over the floor? I can put the taps out the side of the fridge, up on a counter top, but my 2 year old son especially is a freaking houdini, so will probably grab something to climb on and pull these taps.

Would I purchase two separate shutoff valves for the beer lines? They sell tap locks but that seems a bit extreme...

 

[hercher]

Just disconnect the kegs. Your kids won't have the strength to reconnect them. Also, threaten them with all kinds of bloody he** if they touch them.

Or else tell them that all you make is brussel sprout ale.

In all seriousness, I've never had a problem -- my kids are 10 & 12 and I've been brewing since long before they were born. They just have always understood that kids don't drink beer. And when they were two, we tried not to leave them alone. The one time I did led to a lovely Sharpie drawing of a sailboat on my couch. It was actually a nice drawing, I just didn't care for the canvas.

 

[Wyrmwood]

Thanks hercher, I didn't realize you could just disconnect them. Yeah, they are (normally) under close supervision, but he's fast and crafty, and if he returned upstairs, I could imagine them playing for hours while I had a beer flood Especially if my wife's on facebook ;-)

 

[hercher]

I'm considering tap locks myself, as my oldest is heading into the dreaded teen years. A friend of mine invested in one as she had a nephew with a substance abuse issue come live with her. She said it worked well. I don't remember the cost.

 

[Wyrmwood]

the ones at the beverage factory are $38 and $54. Might be cheaper ($5-$10) and easier to get a fridge lock and just disconnect

 

[Special Hops]

My 4 year old can pour me a beer. If I ask her she will grab a pint glass and pull the tap and stop it in time.

Having said that. My kids don't go into the mancave unsupervised. To much **** in there for them to screw up.

I will probably be seriously consider getting locks once they get to the teenage years though.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

I think disconnecting all the time would be a bit messy and unsanitary. You always get some drips when you pull a beer line from a full/pressurized keg. If you go that route, I would make sure you clean the post when you pull the line and also rinse out the QD so that you don't get funk growing in them. It would be easier IMO, to just use picnic taps and keep them in the fridge (padlocked) until you are confident your kids won't play with the taps. On special occasions (like when friends or family come over) then hook up to the faucets if you want.