Beer line cleanliness

short of asking the staff (and presuming they know / aren't lying about it,) not really.
Very dirty lines can give off flavors to the beer, especially if the beer that is on, or one previously on, was not a big seller and tended to sit for a while.
and by "have been cleaned" do you mean recently? winin the day? week? month? year?
Many responsible bars have regular line cleaning, some do not.

 

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought diacetyl was a biproduct of uncleaned lines. A buttery taste. Also I believe if the lines just don't pour well (though that can be a number of things).

 

Ask the bar. If they refuse to tell you, drink elsewhere.

FWIW, Here in IL we're required to clean every 2 weeks, and keep a log to prove it.

 

copied from another source:
Failure to routinely clean lines and draft equipment will result in glasses of beer that taste bad, smell bad, or have brown flakes floating in them. Bacterial and yeast growth can produce acidic flavors. Organism growth can lead to excessive foaming, cloudy beer, or flakes.

 

I could be wrong but to me it's one of those "you know it when you taste it" things. It can come across as funk when funk shouldn't be there, metallic or as @Givemebeer mentioned, buttery. If you are going to have something you haven't had before, ask for a quick sample of something you have had just to calibrate your expectations maybe?

 

It's something you only need to experience ONCE. Because when it happens, you will definitely know (by smell alone) if they are not clean.
What allaboutbeer has to say about the scenario. "It's an unpleasant combo of "Lactobacillus/Pediococcus While these microbes may be welcome in the context of Berliner weisse or lambic-style beers, in most other contexts, these bacteria spew a vile brew composed most often of diacetyl, plus the sweaty odor of capryllic acid (and related organic acids usually summed up as “goaty”), topped off with the yogurty tang of lactic acid. These beer spoilage bacteria commonly appear in draft beer due to poor keg cleaning, or more often dirty tap lines. Send it back!"

 

Diacetyl is a byproduct of fermentation, and has nothing to do with line cleanliness. Well, I guess if you had a diacetyl-laden beer sitting in the tap line for a month and then switched to a new beer without a proper cleaning you could end up slightly tainting the flavor of the next beer, but that's an edge case.

 

Yeah I've heard of the flakes and a certain West Asheville bar is guilty of having them present in the beers they serve from what I've heard. Let's just say the bar's name begins with a "d" and ends with an "e".

Gossip aside, I wonder, can any industry experts answer a question for me while we're on the subject: Is it imperative to let the caustic solution, or whatever sanitation liquid used, sit in the lines for a period of time (like 5 minutes or so) or can you just run the liquid through without letting it sit, then run a water rinse through and it's fine? Does it make a big difference?

 

I usually notice a flavor in the beer like drinking the liquid from a can of green beans, asparagus, cabbage or corn (DMS) but you also might get wet cardboard (oxidized) if it is stale or your favorite DIPA might all of a sudden taste like Berliner Weisse or Gueuze (goaty, acidic, tangy, wet horse blanket, barnyeard, etc.) which is the result of a bacteria or wild yeast infection. If you are suspicious, order a flight and if several of the beers all taste the same and shouldn't, get up, walk to the door and find another bar.

 

Is there a link between dirty lines and the runs? Not to be gross but there was a bar that I frequent by my gf's house and it kept happening. I thought it was the food at first but after eliminating everything I found out it was the draft beer because after ordering can/bottles every time it had never happened again.

 

Where you drinking Budweiser?

 

No way I can not afford to drink the king of beers!

It was actually always between a two beers 1.Sam Adams or 2.Lakefront IPA

 

My complete sympathy with the OP's concerns notwithstanding, it's also something that would be extremely difficult to do without being insulting. It's tantamount to asking "Do you run an honest business here?" How would you feel if someone asked that of your workplace?

I don't see any alternative to paying your money and taking your chances. If the beer turns out to be foul, I'd say you're entitled to send it back. And if you conclude the lines are dirty, you'll know to take your business elsewhere the next time.

 

I just returned from a pub crawl trip to the Tucson area, and I noticed in two breweries that they posted the date of the last beer line cleaning on the bottom of the beer menu chalk board. I asked if it was a state regulation and was told 'no' that they just want to do it to inform the knowledgeable customers. So props to them, and hopefully a few other breweries will see this and follow suit and start a trend.

 

I attended a line-cleaning seminar last fall, and one of the big things was was that diacetyl can certainly be a by-product of dirty lines. There was some off-flavor training involved in the seminar, and some of the bar owners present got these looks on their faces that just screamed "OMG, the beers in my bar taste like this!".

 

I get a bit hesitant about liquids that sit there in the stationary clean up stance when there's build up, and residuals involved. Five minutes is way too short to do a thorough job. Try 20 - 30. It's also a good idea to take things completely apart when you can, cos things that live in motion tend to collect in really funny places.

 

A quick clean is better than non at all of course, but to do it properly it takes about 40 mins from start to finish. It's been a long while since I've head the technical stuff, but I think you should be running 2 gal. per minute of cleaner through the line. Someone can chime in if I'm way off.

With that said, I will usually run a few gallons through and then let it sit for about 15 mins before flushing it with water for 20 minutes.