The Importance of Beer Line cleaning

Cleaning beer lines is a chore, no doubt about it, but is something that every pub landlord must undertake on a regular basis. The brewery may take up to several months to brew and finish a keg of beer and yet it can be ruined in few seconds it takes to travel from the keg to the tap if the beer lines are not cleaned and have become infected with yeasts or mould.

A number of things can affect the quality of beer, and one of those is yeasts. This may be small amount of yeast that is left over from the brewing process, or it could be wild yeasts that float in the air around us. Yeasts are usually found on parts of the system which are exposed to the air such as taps, keg couplers, and drains.

Moulds are also found on the parts of the system exposed to air, and they may also grow on cellar walls. These are usually brown or black in colour and produce an off-taste in the beer.


Bacteria can be another problem and may grow on the inside of the beer lines. They will produce a cloudy appearance in the beer, and can make it taste sour or like vinegar, and may produce a smell of rotten eggs.

Beer stone is another issue and are deposits of calcium oxalate on the beer lines. They are produced from the barley and water which are used to make the beer and contain calcium. The hops contain oxalic acid and it is the combination of these which produces beer stone which affects the taste.

This is why regular use of beer line cleaner is essential. Beer line cleaning should be done when the bar is closed because there will be no danger to customers from beer line cleaner, and it takes the pressure off having to get the line back into service fast.

Whichever beer line cleaner you are using, it is essential to follow the manufacturer’s instructions to the letter. You must also ensure that all cleaner is removed from the beer lines before refilling with beer.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Importance of Keeping a Pub Cellar at the Correct Temperature

Image
Keeping your pub cellar temperature at the right level is critical to the dispense of your beers. Your beer should be stored at 12°C (53.6°F). It is OK to go a degree or so either way, but above 13°C your cask beer will spoil. This is because the yeast required to cause secondary fermentation in the conditioning process will metabolise the sugars far too quickly causing a sour taste like vinegar, and very bitter flavour. It will also reduce the shelf life of the beer in much the same way as it would if you left a bottle of milk outside the fridge in the kitchen. As far as keg beers are concerned, it will increase the risk of fobbing which makes it harder to pour and is very wasteful. Your pub cellar temperature must not be too cold either. Too cold a temperature can cause the yeast to slow down or become inactive, slowing down the secondary fermentation and taking longer to develop the right flavours, if you get there at all. In both cask and keg beers it can
Read more

The Use Of Hydrogen Peroxide For Cleaning Beer Lines

Image
Most people these days think about the environment and protecting it in as many ways as we can, such as the campaign by a national newspaper which has resulted in a huge reduction in the number of plastic bags used by supermarkets. If you run a pub and have to clean your beer lines, you may wonder about environmentally friendly line cleaning , because many of the cleaners that are available are caustic.  However, there is one type of cleaner which is not, and that is stabilised hydrogen peroxide (the same material used to bleach hair). It makes for extremely environmentally friendly line cleaning, and in addition is fully bio-degradable and non-toxic.  Chemically known as H2O2, hydrogen peroxide uses an oxidation reaction to kill bacteria through destroying the walls on contact, and can take as little as a minute, depending on the concentration used. When it has encountered bacteria it immediately breaks down into water and oxygen, so it leaves no harmful res
Read more

Some of the Things Which Can Taint Beer and Cost You Money

Image
When you run a pub or bar that dispenses beer, one of the most essential tasks is keeping the beer lines clean. There are quite a number of things that can taint your beer and will lead to loss of customers and therefore loss of sales. One of the most important of these is yeast build-up in the pipe lines. Yeast build-up can occur as a result of yeasts left over from the brewing process. Yeast build-up can also be a result of natural yeasts that float around in the air. Yeasts are usually found on things like the couplers, spouts, sparklers, and drains. If wild yeasts are on the couplers there is a good chance that they can get into the beer lines during keg/cask changes and cause an infection.   Another problem is moulds. These love to live in cool, damp places, and can get into the dispense system and form bio-film colonies. This should not happen with regular line cleaning. It can also occur if you pour slops back into the cask at the end of a session, a
Read more