Sanitizing tap between pours?

[Old_Raspy]

I recently acquired a new 5 gal corny keg, and I have been reading some kegging tutorials, as well as watching a few videos on Youtube. I think I've got a pretty good handle on the kegging process itself, but there is something that I still wonder about. I plan on just using a picnic tap for now, but how do I keep it clean/sanitized between pours? During the week, I might only have one beer before bed. Do I need to disconnect my liquid out line and sanitize it after each use, or can I leave it attached? If I leave it attached, do I need to stick the tap into a jar of sanitizer until my next pour? What do you all do?

 

[passedpawn]

Do nothing.

 

[Old_Raspy]

Do nothing.

Seriously? Perhaps I am overthinking it. Thanks for the quick reply BTW.

 

[day_trippr]

Yup, definitely over-thinking this...

Cheers!

[edit] I do use "tap soothers" to keep critters from flying into my faucet spouts...

 

[rshortt]

I keep a spray bottle of startan solution at my kegerator and give it a spray after I pour to keep **** from growing in there and clean out the residual beer.

Edit: lol at the automatic swear word blocking

 

[passedpawn]

Don't bother sanitizing the taps. Nobody here does that. I used to use picnic taps, now I have Perlick faucets. For both, I do clean out with my starsan spray bottle every couple of weeks. Relax and enjoy your homebrew.

I keep these in my taps when not in use. BTW, my taps are outside, on my back patio.

 

[TallDan]

The liquid line has nothing but your beer in it. As long as it was properly cleaned/sanitized before you connected it, there's nothing than can grow in there. You may have a little concern on the actual tap, since beer flows out of it and it's left there exposed to air, but in practice you'll find that there isn't too much to worry about. If i know my taps won't be used for several days (going out of town for a week or something) and I'm thinking about it, I'll spray a little vodka up into them and sometimes put the plastic caps on them to make sure that they don't get funky.

 

[kh54s10]

I have never done anything.

I clean and sanitize only between kegs.

 

[patthebrewer]

Do nothing.

Yup!


I also keep a keg of BLC.....but that's just to periodically clean the lines.

 

[djt17]

How many bars sanitize between pours?

 

[rshortt]

The bars are constantly pouring, it's not the same game.

 

[djt17]

Not the bars I go to, some kegs will last a week or more. Even the fast movers will sit 12 - 16 hrs over night with out any pours. If bad things were going to grow, that is more than enough time,

 

[TallDan]

Not the bars I go to, some kegs will last a week or more. Even the fast movers will sit 12 - 16 hrs over night with out any pours. If bad things were going to grow, that is more than enough time,

I don't know about you, but even my fastest keg is around for a month, and they all regularly go 18+ hours without a pull daily. Most are around for 3-4 months and go a couple days without a pull.

 

[LordUlrich]

By the time your beer makes it to the lines it is pretty resilient. Plus the line is refrigerated and sealed. As long as you keep your lines clean you are OK. You should clean your lines regularly or it will get out of hand, and be a problem. Once per keg is probably enough.
For bars the guideline is every 2 weeks with sanitizer and every 3 months with caustic or PBW.

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