How To Clean A Commercial Beer Keg

One of the things that every brewer should know is how to clean a keg. No affair what blazon of kegs yous are using, proper cleaning is a must if y'all want your beer to stay fresh, tasty and safe to drink.

The procedure of cleaning ball lock and Sanke kegs is not very complicated, and you lot can make it even easier, faster, and safer by using some of the tips and tricks from the Beverage Craft specialists. Permit's come across how it'due south done!

Sanke keg and cornelius keg

What Do I Need for Cleaning a Cornelius Keg?

The 4 main things you lot are going to need for cleaning a Cornelius keg are:

Keg cleaning solution
Hose
Bucket
Brush

Though the latter three are quite obvious, the keg cleaning solution requires a bit of explanation. In near cases, this cleaning solution is a tin can of alkaline-based cleaner like PBW (powdered brewery wash), No-Rinse cleansing pulverization or Craft Meister Keg and Carboy tablets& these solutions are dissolved in hot h2o, making the perfect compound for cleaning your kegs.

Ball lock keg cleaning no-rinse cleansing powder and craft meister keg carboy tablets

These keg cleaning chemicals feature a component that both oxidizes and helps to remove the yeast buildup or whatsoever other type of organic stains. Removing these stains is crucial not just for the taste and quality of your beer, but besides for the safety of everyone drinking it. This is why we strongly recommend cleaning your Corny keg immediately one time empty, but no less than in one case every 2 months.

In addition these keg cleaning system parts, you tin can likewise get a sanitizer like Star San to help sanitize your Cornelius keg after cleaning. Finally, you can salve yourself some time and hassle by purchasing a beer keg cleaning kit that features all of these beer keg accessories in i bundle from Potable Craft.

How to Clean a Sanke Keg?

The biggest challenge with Sanke kegs is that, different Cornelius kegs, they are much more than hard to accept apart and get inside of them to clean all the nasties out. How do we solve this problem? Well, there are two means yous can go about cleaning a commercial keg (Sanke style):

➔ Professionally

Using a specialized keg cleaning car, which cost around $ten,000, you merely load your kegs, press the button, and the automated keg washer handles the rest. These machines can even purge and pressurize kegs with CO2 to your custom preferences. Or arrive touch with your beau craft brewer, who tin practise that for you with using his prissy and shiny professional keg cleaning machine.

Needless to say, this way of cleaning a Sanke keg is not always suitable for small breweries, bars, and draught beer enthusiasts.

➔ DIY

That'southward more like it! Turns out you tin actually clean your Sanke kegs well and not spend a fortune! How? Well, you but have to remove the keg spear with a special tool and clean the insides using a keg cleaning solution. Sanke keg cleaning tools

Here are the steps forDIY keg cleaning:

Before you get-go the Sanke keg cleaning procedure, make sure you lot've got all your cleaning components ready
Depressurize the keg to let out all the remaining CO2 inside
Remove the spear from the keg using a keg spear decompression tool
Take a hose and rinse out the keg with warm water. Repeat 2-3 times
Add the required corporeality of the keg cleaning solution (or tablets) and cascade hot water into the keg. Shake the keg around a fleck to help the buildup loosen up and come up off the walls and bottom of the keg easier.
Let the solution sit in the keg for 10-12 minutes, then drain
Rinse out your keg over again and drain (2-3 times)
Fill the keg (around 10%) with your sanitizing solution, then rinse again
Reinstall the spear and purge the keg with CO2

That's the basic information you need to learn how to clean a beer keg! Don't be agape to try - hardly annihilation tin go incorrect. Just brand sure you make clean your keg regularly, at least once every two months.

buy keg cleaning tools and supplies in USA and Canada

How to Clean a Keg Tap Without a Kit?

In add-on to the regular keg cleaning that you, the keg possessor, are morally obligated to do, some attention needs to be paid to the other parts of your draft beer system, including the keg tap.

Much like with cleaning a keg, it goes better if you lot accept a pre-assembled beer line cleaning kit but you can easily do it without it also.

The tools/items you are going to demand are:

Spanner wrench
Faucet cleaning brush
A bowl filled with hot water
Beer line cleaning solution

The cleaning process is quite simple and only takes these few steps:

Disconnect the coupler from the keg and so completely disassemble information technology (add lower accordingly)
Disconnect the faucet from the beer belfry using a spanner wrench, then completely disassemble it
Mix the cleaning solution into a bowl of hot water
Put the disassembled faucet parts into the basin and permit them soak for about 30-l minutes
Using the faucet castor, clean the faucet parts of any debris that's left
Rinse the parts with clean h2o, reassemble the faucet, and reattach it to the beer tower