How to keep things fresh between tasting sessions

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Brewer #416886

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I'm just about to start the build out of my kegerator in readiness for consumption of what will hopefully be a tasty IPA.

I've got all the kit, but one thing I wondered is how to keep it all clean while I drink the beer with friends over a few weeks (or shorter if it goes down well :)

Should I disconnect the lines from my corny keg and clean them between sittings and if so what is the best way to do that with just one keg? I'm worried about the beer sitting in the lines and introducing an infection.

Any tips much appreciated!
 
You prob dont want my reply. I flush them with hot water only between kegs , about one to one and a half months. The forum finally talked me into buying a jug of "beer line cleaner" but it remains unopened.
 
west1m said:
You prob dont want my reply. I flush them with hot water only between kegs , about one to one and a half months. The forum finally talked me into buying a jug of "beer line cleaner" but it remains unopened.
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So while you're drinking a keg, you just leave the beer in the pipe? How do you 'flush'?
 
Just flush with hot water when mt.
Hose adapter with a ball lock end on the hose. Run hot water from the sink , out the tap to a tub till clear and hot and drain. Next keg just plug in the keg pour to a glass until it looks like beer and then procede to drink the rest.
 
My kegerator is close to a sink with a hose adapter. I have a short hose for this.
 
Yeah, just keep the beer line connected.
If the line is clean when you start, how would it cause an infection?
Or oxidize?
Just consider the beet line as an extension of your keg ;)
 
Other than cleaning them with pbw and beerline cleaner once a year. I do nothing.

If the beer is not infected, it won't get that way from sitting in a clean beer line.
 
I can't imagine beer sitting in the tap and nozzle for up to a week would be very good for keeping bacteria and stuff out? Am I being too fussy?
 
How would the bacteria come in?
 
Good question. I'm not sure really I just can't imagine stale beer in the tap being good in the long term.
 
It's pressurised.
Just like the beer in your keg.

If you are really that scared, then fill a spray can with starsan and just spray the outside after use.

I've only been using kegs for a short while, but the others that replied got years and years of experience
 
Brewer #416886 said:
I can't imagine beer sitting in the tap and nozzle for up to a week would be very good for keeping bacteria and stuff out? Am I being too fussy?
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But that's not in the beer line.

Yes if you let the beer dry in the faucet(past the valve) , the sugar could grow bacteria. But it is not going anywhere.

Done it for years, never had an infected line
 
You could also run the tap for a few seconds to flush the old beer out of the line and replace it with "fresh" beer from the keg

I leave my lines connected to the keg always. Once every month or two I flush it with cleaner. Make sure to push any cleaner or water out for long term storage
 
I will add, silicon tubing for kegs is a no go for me. Silicon is very gas permeable, so co2 will leach out and the beer in the tubing will go flat and foam like mad on a first pour.

Eva barrier works much better
 
I do clean my lines fairly regularly, usually between kegs.
First I rinse with 2 liters of hot water, then fill the line with hot water / BLC mixture and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then rinse again with 2L of hot water. Lastly fill with sanitizer.
I'm trying to load a picture of how I do this, but it won't load. I will come back and try again. I use a PET pop/soda bottle and a kegland carbonation tee.
 
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