NewDecadeBrewery
Well-Known Member
I bought new beer lines yesterday they are Micromatic 3/16 id lines took everything apart taps, shanks, etc. and cleaned everything with brushes hot water and Oxyclean Free. My old lines had been in place a couple years and were neglected by me unfortunately to the point that when I ran the Oxyclean through them then beer line cleaner still some of the film on the insides just wouldn't come off so I thought I wold just go ahead and buy new lines. BTW the taps are Perlick Chrome. Ran some Starsan through my new lines (3 6' sections through keezer) and hooked everything back up and lo and behold my beer tasted like vinyl or some bad malt, or something else I just couldn't pinpoint and it wasn't there before. I only have tried taster glass sizes so far but the flavor was immediate - not after sitting in the line or anything.
I have a section of the new tubing/line I bought that I didn't use so I took a sniff through it and sucked through it and I am sure that what I inhaled and tasted from the brand new dry line is the exact same off flavor plus my good beer(s) flavors buried in the off flavors somewhere. It tastes and smells like vinyl. I am almost certain it is not an infection. It happened to all three kegs at once and the only change besides cleaning taps, shanks, etc. was the new beer tubing.
My question is what is the possibility of salvaging these Micromatic lines? I did a search and mostly found people recommending a different type of line. I'd like to avoid ordering new lines for now and see if there is something I can do. I mean can I boil them, soak them in baking soda, re-install my old lines (I have since cleaned the inside of them very well with a dip tube brush) and store my new lines and wait for them to off gas, soak them in vinegar, PBW, yogurt, gasoline, drano? Just kidding but get the point - what is the possibility of getting this off gassing out of the Micromatic lines. My old lines don't smell this way and I'll probably try putting them back on now that they are cleaned out. Maybe newly manufactured vinyl lines need to be "aged" or something before they are sold. If so I am willing to try it. Anyone ever successfully "conditioned" the smell out of their new beverage tubing? How? Can you let me know?
I have a section of the new tubing/line I bought that I didn't use so I took a sniff through it and sucked through it and I am sure that what I inhaled and tasted from the brand new dry line is the exact same off flavor plus my good beer(s) flavors buried in the off flavors somewhere. It tastes and smells like vinyl. I am almost certain it is not an infection. It happened to all three kegs at once and the only change besides cleaning taps, shanks, etc. was the new beer tubing.
My question is what is the possibility of salvaging these Micromatic lines? I did a search and mostly found people recommending a different type of line. I'd like to avoid ordering new lines for now and see if there is something I can do. I mean can I boil them, soak them in baking soda, re-install my old lines (I have since cleaned the inside of them very well with a dip tube brush) and store my new lines and wait for them to off gas, soak them in vinegar, PBW, yogurt, gasoline, drano? Just kidding but get the point - what is the possibility of getting this off gassing out of the Micromatic lines. My old lines don't smell this way and I'll probably try putting them back on now that they are cleaned out. Maybe newly manufactured vinyl lines need to be "aged" or something before they are sold. If so I am willing to try it. Anyone ever successfully "conditioned" the smell out of their new beverage tubing? How? Can you let me know?