Tubing Tastes

[rooski15]

Hey folks,

I kegged a honey-blonde about a week ago. Hooked it up to my new tap system and immediately pulled my first taste, no problems. Let it sit a couple hours and came back. This taste was all metal. Smelled like metal, finished like metal. Pulled a couple more ounces and it faded.

That said, I isolated it as being in the tap system. I used spare parts to test and confirm that it was the (brand new) vinyl tubing I was using. Ran down to the local brew shop and bought some new stuff and hooked it up. Immediately better. However, letting the beer sit now leaves a plastic flavor, which I expect is due to the brand-new vinyl lines.

So here is my question: Any advice on breaking-in these new lines and disposing of the awful plastic flavor? I am not a fan of tossing 1-3oz of beer every pour, but there's really no better option at the moment.

Secondarily, I am looking into replacing the lines with some bev-seal 235 or similar product, but for the time being I just want to enjoy my beer.

Thanks!

 

[Hammy71]

Some of us are more susceptible to the plastic taste of tubing. I've tried many different brands and while my friends can't taste it. I can. Probably in my head, but hell....it's my beer and I can taste it. I always waste an ounce before every pour. Yeah, it sounds wasteful. But life is to short to drink beer that I think tastes funny.

 

[boogyman]

I notice a plastic taste from some brands of beverage line. I replaced my lines a few months ago with line from austinhomebrew and haven't noticed it since.

 

[JayDubWill]

you might want to consider Bev-Seal Ultra, it's lined tubing, no plastic taste even after beer has been sitting in the tubing for days.

 

[day_trippr]

I notice a plastic taste from some brands of beverage line. I replaced my lines a few months ago with line from austinhomebrew and haven't noticed it since.

Looks like the only beer line AHB sells is Bevlex-200, a straight PVC tubing.

Some, maybe most, will be fine with that. But as mentioned previously, genetics play a role in perception levels to pretty much every sensation, and for some only a barrier-lined tubing like Bev-Seal Ultra 235 will do...

Cheers!

 

[ArcaneXor]

Bevlex 200 is industry-standard beverage tubing. If that doesn't work for you, the BevSeal Ultra should. It's just more of a pain to work with.

 

[rooski15]

I already have some BevSeal Ultra on order, I was just looking for strategies to purge the flavor. It may have just been the batch that I purchased the vinyl line from was contaminated, or it could just be my genetics, but either way it won't be around for long.

Thanks, everyone!

 

[TallDan]

I got some odd flavors from the first pull with vinyl lines with my old kegerator, so when I built my keezer i went with the BevSeal Ultra. Be prepared, it's kind of a pain to get on barbs and is pretty stiff. I'm anxious to hear what the "Ultra Barrier Silver" is like since it sounds like it should be easier to work with.

 

[day_trippr]

Silver turns you blue...

Cheers!