SUPPLIES
- Beer tap cleaning kit
- Beer tap detergent
- Plumbing wrench
- Wooden spoon
- Plastic bucket
- Rubber gloves
- Safety goggles
- Small bottle brush
- Dish towel
Overview
Having your own beer taps and kegs can make for a great party, but only if your beer tap assemblies are clean. Dirty taps and hoses may contain bacteria that can make you and your guests sick, and it may also affect the flavor of the beer. For best results, it is recommended that you clean each tap assembly after every keg.
Step 1
Buy a cleaning kit specially designed for cleaning beer taps. This isn't the only way to clean a beer tap, but it will make the process much faster, easier and fail-safe. It is also important to choose a detergent that is specially formulated for this process, because these detergents have unique properties to help them break down and flush away the specific type of buildup that forms inside taps and hoses. You can buy these affordable supplies anywhere tap, keg and home bar equipment are sold.
Step 2
Locate the CO2 canister in your tap and keg assembly and shut off the CO2 supply by tightening the valve.
Step 3
Unfasten the tap coupler from the top of the keg. The tap coupler is the bulky assembly in the center of the top of the keg, and it has a CO2 line coming into it and a beer line coming out of it.
Step 4
Unscrew both the beer line and the CO2 line from the coupler, then set the coupler aside.
Step 5
Use a plumbing wrench to loosen and remove the beer faucet from the top of the tap assembly. Unscrew the faucet knob from the faucet and set both pieces aside.
Step 6
Get the large canister from your cleaning kit. A lid with a pump handle may be screwed onto the top of the canister; if so, remove it for now. Put on rubber gloves and safety goggles. Scoop some of the tap detergent into the canister, making sure to follow the specific measuring instructions printed on the detergent label. Add the prescribed amount of clean water to the canister and stir well to mix. Put the lid with the pump assembly back onto the canister.
Step 7
Place a clean, empty plastic bucket next to the keg. Move the loose end of the beer line, which should be dangling from the tap assembly above, into the bucket so that cleaning solution will collect in the bucket on its way down. Put the tap coupler and the tap faucet into the bucket.
Step 8
Attach the canister full of cleaning solution to the tap faucet pipe using the hose and adapter that came with the cleaning kit.
Step 9
Refer to the detergent label for specific instructions on how quickly to pump the cleaning solution and how long to let the solution sit before rinsing. Once you've confirmed the instructions, pump the pump handle on top of the cleaning kit canister per the instructions. Cleaning solution will pump through the faucet assembly and beer line, collecting in the bucket where the faucet and tap coupler will soak in the soap.
Step 10
Allow the solution to sit and soak for the amount of time specified on the detergent label once you've finished pumping.
Step 11
Take the lid off of the cleaning kit canister and rinse the canister thoroughly with clean water. Then fill the canister completely with clean water.
Step 12
Put the lid back on the canister and pump all of the clean water through the faucet and beer line and into the bucket. This will flush all the detergent out of the beer line.
Step 13
Take the faucet and coupler out of the bucket and scrub them both inside and out with a small bottle brush. Rinse them out thoroughly and dry them.
Step 14
Pour the soapy solution out of the bucket and down a waste water drain. Rinse and dry the bucket.
Step 15
Reconnect the tap handle to the faucet, then screw the faucet back into place at the top of the tap assembly using a plumbing wrench.
Step 16
Reconnect the CO2 line and the bottom of the beer line to the coupler, then reopen the valve on the CO2 supply.
Step 17
Reattach the tap coupler to the tap on the top of the keg. You're finished!
TIPS AND WARNINGS
- TIP : If you go through kegs quickly, clean each tap after every keg to keep the system clean. If you use your taps less frequently, it is a good idea to clean them every two weeks.
- WARNING : You absolutely must flush the lines thoroughly with clean water after cleaning. Detergent residue left in the lines can make people very sick.
