[HELP] I'm having a problem with how to empty the beer lines in my bar

@billandsuz will be here to rescue you. My guess would be Star San.

 

Thanks @DougC123

My company cleans lines and we are getting this question. MicroMatic has provided a good summary available here
https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/3931...gy9a5THz_qcWs5BjU-iA-_rVpBYrnA&_hsmi=85049957

The recommendations are self explanatory and I will add that you have CO2 and it can be used to blow out all of the water. Hook up a coupler to an empty cleaning can and open the faucet. Disconnect the coupler, leave the faucet open and wait 5 minutes for any remaining water to trickle into low spots then blow it out again. Otherwise you will be leaving little pockets of water in the line.

Glycol is usually set to below freezing. Beer does not freeze at the set temp but water of course will, so raise the TStat to 40 or so and you won't freeze the lines.

Keg beer is unpasteurized and will go sour if stored warm. The warmer the storage the faster the spoilage. Better to have stale beer, that is old and dull, instead of sour beer. Soured beer will definitely screw up your lines, especially anything vinyl.

Mr. @IceAce also has good industry knowledge to develop a good Pandemic Draft Beer Line Cleaning program. A PDFLC protocol.

Good luck.

 

Thanks @billandsuz

We are entering our third week of mandatory quarantine here in Southern California and as a result, I’ve put over 20 beer systems to sleep. I guess this is as good a place as any to post my protocol.

IceAce’s Five Star Draught System Hibernation

A). Disconnect all couplers from kegs

B). Prepare a triple-strength sanitizing solution. I use an Ecolab Manual Bar Glass Sanitizer (10269) packet designed to make three gallons, but dilute with one gallon of hot water in a bucket

C). Disconnect all faucets and soak in sanitized solution. Scrub all shanks with a brush and spray the inside of the threaded collar with sanitizer. Disassemble, detail, reassemble and dip faucet in sanitizer before reattaching to shank

D). Wipe down entire tower with sanitizing solution

E). Prepare line cleaning solution. I use premixed LW 401 and Draftec Blue (ratio 50/50) Line Cleaner diluted to 4% in my cleaning pots

F). Run line cleaner through each line and close faucet to soak for 30 minutes (150% of recommended time)

G). After all lines are charged, dip all couplers in sanitizing solution and vigorously scrub. Finish with a final dip in sanitizer and do not set on floor or soiled area

H). Rinse cleaning pots and fill with cold water. When soak time is completed, rinse each line until cold, clear water flows from faucet. Repeat with each line

I). Immediately follow the previous sequence with empty cleaning pots to blow each line empty with CO2 ensuring all water is removed from each line

J). Shut off CO2 and N2 tanks

K). Wipe the barnsneck on the keg with a sanitized towel and spray with Isopropyl Alcohol (50% Alcohol - 50% Water) and reattach cover if possible

L). Raise Glycol temperature to 40*. For non-digital t-stats, mark original setting with a Sharpie (if necessary). The cooler must remain on and at its original temperature to maintain keg quality.


The entire system is now sanitary and in hibernation. For the account to reopen, all that needs to be done is tap the kegs and readjust the glycol temperature.

 

Excellent advice guys, as always. Bookmarked this one for sure. Thanks!