plastic taste in kegged beer

[ramjam]

i just installed new beer lines, seems like my beer is tasting and smelling like plastic more every day could this be from the beer line? or infection? the beer is a hoppy pale ale it has been kegged for quite sometime now the hop flavor and aroma are starting to fade away at this point.

 

[ramjam]

i just installed new beer lines, seems like my beer is tasting and smelling like plastic more every day could this be from the beer line? or infection? the beer is a hoppy pale ale it has been kegged for quite sometime now the hop flavor and aroma are starting to fade away at this point.

my wife says she doesn’t smell/taste it btw lol

 

[day_trippr]

If you went with conventional solid PVC line (eg: the industry standard Bevlex 200) some folks are genetically disposed to picking up a plastic character that most never notice...

 

[AkTom]

You should bottle!!! Send me your trashy keg stuff and I’ll dispose of it for you...
Cheers

 

[Pappers_]

If you went with conventional solid PVC line (eg: the industry standard Bevlex 200) some folks are genetically disposed to picking up a plastic character that most never notice...

That's interesting, I wasn't aware of that

 

[Pappers_]

You didn't have this issue with the previous beer lines, correct? If not, did you install the same type/brand of lines, or different? If different, maybe go back and install some of the same that you used to use without a problem.

If you're not sure what's going on with your beer, what the off-flavor that you're detecting is, maybe give it to some local experts, fellow homebrewers, bjcp judges and, without telling them what you're tasting, ask them if they are picking up an off-flavor.

 

[gnef]

I am sensitive to plastic taint as well. There is a thread from years ago where a brewer (it may have been Kai, the guy who started the electric brewery website and guide) did a bunch of tests because he could also taste the plastic in his beer.

This was also soon after bev seal ultra 235 became somewhat available. Based on that thread, and my personal experience, I eventually decided to upgrade my lines to bev seal ultra 235 (I had to do some other upgrades to make this work, so it became pretty expensive, and I put it off for a good while due to the costs).

Bev seal ultra 235 is a barrier line that has two types of plastic, and the inner liner is super smooth and doesn't leech plastic taste into the beer, as well as has a lower oxygen permeability.

Do some searches and research about the line, and see if it can work for your particular setup. You do need additional clearance due to the rigidity of the line, and I personally recommend John Guest fittings since they simplify the installation so much.

If you have any more questions about it, just let me know, and I can go more in depth into my personal experience for you.

 

[day_trippr]

It was indeed Kal, here's that thread

Cheers!

 

[IslandLizard]

I'm with @gnef and also use the Bev-Seal Ultra 235 tubing with JG push fittings. The (almost) impervious PET inner liner makes all the difference. I use 22' per tap, coiled up on top of the kegs. The right angle adapters make manoeuvring the line a lot easier.

My picnic taps, for serving on location and tasting from loose/aging kegs, have Bevlex 200 on them, and sometimes I think I taste them, but not always. Any beer left in them for longer times surely tastes weird, probably mostly due to oxidation. Needless to say they get rinsed and cleaned often with a long draw brush. Easy to do with 6' length, not so with 12'.

 

[sicktght311]

Definitely swap the lines out. I had an issue with the first set of lines i purchased with my keezer and everything tasted like plastic. I ended up buying another brand and the plastic taste immediately went away.

A good test to determine if its your lines, is to pour a pint after the beer has been sitting for a day or so in the line, and then another pint right after that. They should have a noticeably different amount of plastic flavor between the two of them because one spent time in the line leeching the plastic flavor, and the other came right out of the keg and through the line fast

 

[ramjam]

i changed my line out today, it smelled strong like plastic, i replaced it with the anti microbial oxygen resistant stuff, it was a little more expensive but maybe my beer won’t taste like plastic anymore, the brand of the old line was perabrew pvc beer line