Is "Ultra Barrier Silver Beer Hose" worth it?

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virgil1

virgil1

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My kegerator has a little less than 5 feet per keg(two taps) of beer line. I get a lot of foam. I was looking at replacing them with longer lines. Is the "Ultra Barrier Silver Beer Hose" worth it? I was looking at this(and the price isn't much different than morebeer.com) http://amzn.com/B0182JY6HI

Or is this line ok? (it would be $16 for 20 feet of this...about half the cost the the "Ultra Barrier Silver Beer Hose"):
http://amzn.com/B017EA5ST6
 
I had a friend use this stuff and couldn't get a soapy flavor out of his beer! changed back to regular beer line and all is well.
 
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virgil1 said:
100' for $12? I gotta try it! I could change it out 4 times! Thanks. :ban::ban::ban:
Click to expand...

I coil my lines up and lay them right on top of the kegs. I use double sided velcro strips to keep everything tidy. You can find a roll of the velcro at any hardware store.

It varies for everyone, but I use about 10 1/2 feet for 12psi at 38°. I recommend using oetiker clamps with this because the tubing wall is thin.

:mug:
 
k1ngl1ves said:
I recommend using oetiker clamps with this because the tubing wall is thin.

:mug:
Click to expand...

Changing the lines out as often as you do, wouldn't it make sense to go with the john guest fittings? The tubing you linked is the same OD as the bevseal, so the same fittings should work as well.
 
indolent said:
Changing the lines out as often as you do, wouldn't it make sense to go with the john guest fittings? The tubing you linked is the same OD as the bevseal, so the same fittings should work as well.
Click to expand...


Sure. You definitely could. I just trust oetiker clamps, and I can buy 100 for $10 or so. As long as you use the right tools, they're easy to put on and take off. I'd probably over tighten the Guest fittings and strip them...
 
Is it worth it?

I dunno, will it inspire gems like this?

(Seeing as how it seems like an analogue of those silly gold audio cables).

(No pun intended).
 
k1ngl1ves said:
I coil my lines up and lay them right on top of the kegs. I use double sided velcro strips to keep everything tidy. You can find a roll of the velcro at any hardware store.

It varies for everyone, but I use about 10 1/2 feet for 12psi at 38°. I recommend using oetiker clamps with this because the tubing wall is thin.

:mug:
Click to expand...

Worked great. No off flavors, good price. I used 12 feet. At about 14 PSI and 36°. A lot less foam/head than my previous setup. I also replaced the faucets with new Perlicks. I used small hose clamps(metal). Seems to work fine, just had to be careful tightening.:mug:
 
I use the silvers without any issues. The benefit I found, at least with my setup, I only need 6 foot lines using 10 psi @40F to balance with 630SS and only 4 foot with 650SS flow-control faucets.

Is there really any benefit to them over plain pvc? Hard to say, but since my line length is reduced, the price while still not comparable to pvc is a small insurance premium. I've had them in service since Nov 2014 with no flavor issues.
 
I'll second the recommendation for the accuflex bev seal ultra 235 tubing. For me, this is a lifelong tubing as long as you maintain it (flushing with caustic cleaner then acid rinse periodically).

I changed over to this tubing and John Guest fittings because of the plastic taint I was getting, which forced me to throw away the first 2 oz of every pour.

I am very happy with the transition to the bev seal ultra tubing, and I recommend it to everyone, especially if you are willing to use John Guest fittings.
 
k1ngl1ves said:
Buy this, and change it out every so often. Probably the best price around. Sells out quickly, so don't wait on it. I change mine about every 8-10 kegs. Basically every 6 months or so...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E6BCXQ8/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Click to expand...

This stuff does have really thin walls, and definitely needs a hot water soak to mount. If anyone is curious, here's how it looks on a barb. Can't beat the price though.

80EewP2.jpg
 
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NoIguanaForZ said:
Is it worth it?

I dunno, will it inspire gems like this?

(Seeing as how it seems like an analogue of those silly gold audio cables).

(No pun intended).
Click to expand...



Haha....Wait until it starts getting snaked related names to them, costs upwards into the hundreds for a 3m length, then you may have something.



I have the silver barrier line. I like it. To me, it seems there's no off flavors. I don't think it makes my beer taste "better", but I think it's more of not worry so much about a plastic like aftertastes and probably has more longevity to it than vinyl beer line.
 
Horseflesh said:
This stuff does have really thin walls, and definitely needs a hot water soak to mount. If anyone is curious, here's how it looks on a barb. Can't beat the price though.

80EewP2.jpg
Click to expand...

There's also this:

http://www.ritebrew.com/product-p/843535.htm


$30 for 100 ft of the thick 3/16" tubing is a great price. I just picked up a box and am going to swap out and see how long this'll last...
 
Horseflesh said:
This stuff does have really thin walls, and definitely needs a hot water soak to mount. If anyone is curious, here's how it looks on a barb. Can't beat the price though.

80EewP2.jpg
Click to expand...

I'm planning to order this (internationally) Does it cause any plastic off flavors when left with beer in it?
 
I haven't noticed any off flavors. I HAVE noticed that the beer held in the line loses its carbonation after a few days. For a short run this is no big deal, but I have a long coil of hose to balance a high-carb keg and I have to deal with a couple ounces of flat beer sometimes. This isn't a deal killer for me, but you should know.
 
Callacave said:
If you want the best line get

http://www.birdmanbrewing.com/accuflex-bev-seal-ultra-barrier-tubing-3-16-id-100ft-free-shipping/

Zero flavor impact, and I'll never go back to anything else. Some people don't like the rigidness, amount you actually have to use, and difficulty getting them on hose barbs, but if you use john guest fittings it makes life a lot easier
Click to expand...


Do you really need to use 12 feet of tubing per the video on the website? I currently use 6 feet of tubing with the EJ Bev tubing below (intertap faucets @ 12 PSI serving pressure) with no foaming issues. My problem with the EJ Bev tubing is that whatever I leave in the lines tastes oxidized. Want to switch to tubing that is less oxygen permeable.

https://www.morebeer.com/products/ultra-barrier-antimicrobial-pvc-free-tubing-316-foot.html
 
From user experiences I've read on HBT I'd say the prevailing range of opinions averages out to roughly 1.5' per psi.
So you'd be lucky to get away with just 12'...

Cheers!
 
Unicorn_Platypus said:
Do you really need to use 12 feet of tubing per the video on the website? I currently use 6 feet of tubing with the EJ Bev tubing below (intertap faucets @ 12 PSI serving pressure) with no foaming issues. My problem with the EJ Bev tubing is that whatever I leave in the lines tastes oxidized. Want to switch to tubing that is less oxygen permeable.

https://www.morebeer.com/products/ultra-barrier-antimicrobial-pvc-free-tubing-316-foot.html
Click to expand...

Yes you need to use 12 feet. The liner is like glass. I don't like the ultra barrier either.
 
I filed a ticket with EJ Beverage on the manufacturers site. They are going to look into the oxygen permeability issue. I'll report back

"
Thank you for your email. We, here at Eldon James, are grateful for your business through More Beer. My name is Evan Acres. I am the head of the Beverage Division within EJ, and I would be happy to assist.


I apologize for the inconvenience you are experiencing. This comes as the first complaint received in reference to potentially high oxygen permeability. When EJ first entered into the beverage market, originally starting in the medical, this was one area where we understood our products would surpass those currently on the market. Eldon James has done much testing to insure this was the case.


However, with that being said, we take claims very seriously and would like to look into this further. Would you be able to provide a picture of the tubing showing the black ink printed on the tubing?


I look forward to hearing back from you."
 
Unicorn_Platypus said:
I filed a ticket with EJ Beverage on the manufacturers site. They are going to look into the oxygen permeability issue. I'll report back
Click to expand...

I can attest that I've continued testing my lines and have not been able to detect any difference between the beer that sits in the line for days and the beer that follows. Only that first test and as mentioned that first pull had a ton of yeast murk from when I previously had shaken the hefeweizen keg then after seeing all the yeast decided to let it settle a few days (so the second pull didn't have all that yeast). I also have not had any loss of carbonation whatsoever. Hopefully they will send you replacement lines or be able to to shed some light on what's going on.


Rev.
 
Rev2010 said:
I can attest that I've continued testing my lines and have not been able to detect any difference between the beer that sits in the line for days and the beer that follows. Only that first test and as mentioned that first pull had a ton of yeast murk from when I previously had shaken the hefeweizen keg then after seeing all the yeast decided to let it settle a few days (so the second pull didn't have all that yeast). I also have not had any loss of carbonation whatsoever. Hopefully they will send you replacement lines or be able to to shed some light on what's going on.


Rev.
Click to expand...

This is a mystery. Maybe my batch of lines are bunk. Could also be my intertap faucets. The beer in the keg never tastes oxidized...so I guess I should RDWHAHB for now
 
I've finished testing my Ultrabarrier Silver lines and the results are there is indeed a problem with the EJ line. It's interesting since many tests I've tried have not yielded any difference but I think I may have figured out what was misleading. I have two beers currently on tap, a hefeweizen and a belgian wit. I have the hefeweizen carbed up to 17psi and the belgian wit to 14psi. I am thinking that the extra carbonation in the hefeweizen lead to samples that were not flat. My most recent test I pulled 2-3 oz from the belgian wit after not having touched it for about 3 days and sure enough that first pour was flat and had a rubbery taste to it that the following pull did not. The hefeweizen did not exhibit this flatness when tested right after and there was a slight variance to the taste that wasn't as good as the second pull but it just had a slight metallic note to it rather than being rubbery. I think the hefeweizen had been sitting for 2 days.

I'm still surprised since I had used EJ lines for 2 straight years with no issues but now I am also starting to think the type of beer might make a lot of difference. I'm thinking in an amber to dark styled beer the blend of 2oz in a full pint might be for the most part unnoticeable whereas for lighter beers it's pretty distinct. But I've always made lot's of hefe's and wit's without any issue so who knows? So, I've went ahead and ordered the Accuflex tubing, a 50' roll for my two taps. Should I just cut it in half and use 25' per tap or should I go with 20'? Right now my EJ lines are 13' and I often do hefeweizens that are carbed up 17-18psi.


Rev.
 
Unicorn_Platypus said:
ok, so everyone agrees on the EJ lines now.

I'll come back when I hear from the manufacturer
Click to expand...

I am currently shopping for line and would also like to know if the problem has been addressed. If I order now, am I going to get the bad batch of line? Trying to decide between Bev-seal and EJ.
 
JustusLiebig said:
I am currently shopping for line and would also like to know if the problem has been addressed. If I order now, am I going to get the bad batch of line? Trying to decide between Bev-seal and EJ.
Click to expand...


I switched to the accuflex and my oxidation issues have gone away. Do not buy the EJ lines. Definitely go with the accuflex. I'd also suggest buying the John Guest fittings that the below site suggests for them. Super easy to connect and disconnect from shanks and QDs.

The accuflex lines have less resistance. I run 12feet @ 12 PSI and no foaming issues, but definately plan to run longer lines than you would with more flexible tubing. I've heard people needing to run longer depending on their system.

https://www.birdmanbrewing.com/accuflex-bev-seal-ultra-barrier-tubing-3-16-id-50ft-free-shipping/

https://www.birdmanbrewing.com/shank-connector-for-accuflex-bev-seal/

https://www.birdmanbrewing.com/1-4-mfl-connector-for-accuflex-bev-seal/
 
Thanks for the advice. Do they sell a bent John Guest fitting? Would the Accuflex be flexible enough for a T-tower that is 5" deep?
 
Sadly, JG doesn't list a 5/16 OD-5/8 BSP female in a 90° model, that would be the bomb for sure.
I'm disinclined to force the PET liner over a barb, so I'm hoping someone has bt/dt as I have a 6 faucet t-tower that I want to reline with Ultra 235 and face the same bend radius question using the typical PI451015FS fittings on the shanks. The two closest shanks wouldn't have much room to make that turn down the column...

Cheers!
 
day_trippr said:
Sadly, JG doesn't list a 5/16 OD-5/8 BSP female in a 90° model, that would be the bomb for sure.
I'm disinclined to force the PET liner over a barb, so I'm hoping someone has bt/dt as I have a 6 faucet t-tower that I want to reline with Ultra 235 and face the same bend radius question using the typical PI451015FS fittings on the shanks. The two closest shanks wouldn't have much room to make that turn down the column...

Cheers!
Click to expand...
In case you didn't catch this in the other thread. They sell a JG bent adapter over on ritebrew:
http://www.ritebrew.com/product-p/843485.htm
Cheers!
 
Unicorn_Platypus said:
The tubing is definitely very rigid, but looks like you figured it out. The birdman brewing folks could probably point you in the right direction if you email em too
Click to expand...
I checked their website. Unfortunately, they don't carry these nor do they carry a good short stainless steel shank without a barb.
 
Horseflesh said:
I haven't noticed any off flavors. I HAVE noticed that the beer held in the line loses its carbonation after a few days. For a short run this is no big deal, but I have a long coil of hose to balance a high-carb keg and I have to deal with a couple ounces of flat beer sometimes. This isn't a deal killer for me, but you should know.
Click to expand...
I was about to place an order. Still no off flavors? Any change in the loss of carb?
 
Philip1993 said:
I was about to place an order. Still no off flavors? Any change in the loss of carb?
Click to expand...
Well, mine arrived and so far I'm not so sure.

Pour: First three glasses have been 50% foam. First pour was immediately after install, foam expected. Second was it 2 hours, same. Third at 5 hours, same.

Taste: All three tasted metallic. Similar to Becks, actually.

Setup: Sweetwater 420 1/6bbl, sanke tap. 10psi, 12 feet of 3/16 line, perlick tap, 6in shank, 41deg temp.
 

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