beerstone on new Keggle, how to easily get rid of it without acids?

[HausBrauerei_Harvey]

Hi guys,

I just got a used keg from my local microbrewery for cheap, it was used a while and after cutting it open to make a keggle this weekend there is a bit of beerstone about halfway up the keg in a ring.

I've been doing a PBW soak and green-scrubby scrub since yesterday afternoon but it's pesky stuff. I did a bit of reading online and don't want to get into using nasty acids, etc.

I have three questions: 1) will I get this eventually just by leaving it in PBW and hitting it with the green scrubby every day?

if not then 2) does this matter if i'm using it as a keggle? there is probably only about 5 square inches total area of beerstone, will this eventually dissolve into my batches of wort or will it grow now that it's there?

3) does anyone have any removal tips besides using nasty acids?

Thanks!
Steve

 

[charliehorse]

Stick the thing on your gas burner and fill above the beer stone with PBW and water. Heat until it's boiling. Hold a rolling boil until the beer stone is gone. Wash as normal.

 

[HausBrauerei_Harvey]

awesome, thanks!

 

[ajdelange]

The title of the thread implies that there is an easy way to get it off with acid. There isn't. Once it has taken a hold it is just damn hard to get rid of. It is a mix of calcium oxalate crystals imbedded in a matrix of protein. The usual attack is, therefore, to hit it with an oxidizing agent (nitric acid) to go after the protein and a more ordinary acid (phosphoric) to dissolve the crystals. CIP with a mix of these two acids (I use 200 mL of each in 5 gal of water) seems to keep it at bay but if you have a deposit already formed I'm afraid you will have to add several mL of elbow grease. Keep scrubbing with the acid blend and eventually you will prevail but there will be times when you will doubt that you will.

 

[bracehelton]

I don't mind using acids. Bar Keepers Friend is an oxalic acid and I use it about once every 2 brews to keep my keggle like new. The type I have is in the same packaging as comet or Ajax is but this is 100% safe for SS and after your done you have a new passive layer once it's dry.



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