Sanitisation And Kegging

[BeerSwiller]

Hi All,

I've probably kegged about 60 brews so and have always sanitised the filter and keg with iodophor prior to filling, however due to laziness recently I have just filtered straight into the keg without sanitising and seems to be fine (taste wise).
Since the beer is chilled to about 2c in the fridge I assume that bacteria growth would be very minimal and that a keg only lasts about a month tops i shouldn't have a problem with any off flavours etc.

Just thought id check out what other peoples thoughts or experiences were.

Thanks

edit: I tried not sanitising because it was a bit of a pain trying to make sure all the iodophor was drained from the filter as that stuff tastes horrid... will be buying some starsan soon as its tasteless and won't matter if it ends up in the beer.

 

[RdeVjun]

Yes, your assumptions are quite right and backed by your experiences, while Starsan could make life a little easier and leave less to worry about. I sanitise my serving kegs though just in case there's a need to store it outside the fridge for any length of time. Rinsing a freshly- emptied keg is a must, at least it is for my unfiltered beer which always leaves some sediment.

 

[Amber Fluid]

Rinsing a freshly- emptied keg is a must, at least it is for my unfiltered beer which always leaves some sediment.

:icon_offtopic: I don't filter and I don't rinse my kegs when finished. I just leave them gased up until I am ready to use them again. Then just rinse and a bit of Starsan, never had a problem yet.

 

[mmmyummybeer]

Wow I always rinse my kegs after use then splash around hot PBW rinse again then hot starsan gas and leave with starsan. I re sanitise before use and occasionally pull apart and scrub poppets. mmm sounds a bit anal In comparisons.

 

[RdeVjun]

I don't filter and I don't rinse my kegs when finished. I just leave them gased up until I am ready to use them again. Then just rinse and a bit of Starsan, never had a problem yet.

Hardly OT at all... Anyway, that's fine, good for you AF. I know that the vast majority of my unfiltered kegs get some sediment accumulating during the conditioning and dispensing phases. If that's left too long/ to dry out it becomes very hard to shift before refilling and its not the sort of stuff I'd really like to add to subsequent beer, so I rinse it off as soon as I have the opportunity.

 

[Nick JD]

I fill mine with warm water, dump in a cap of napisan - and here's the trick - when the napisan has made it to the bottom of the keg I give the OUT poppet a fingernail push and the napisan warm water shoots up the OUT line and out a little bit.

 

[Wolfy]

... however due to laziness recently I have just filtered straight into the keg without sanitising and seems to be fine (taste wise).

I think this is the same as many things regarding cleanliness and sanitation in home brewing.
You can cut many shortcuts and have it seem fine, or mostly fine, or fine most of the time, but you still risk losing a batch of beer to unwanted infections or other issues. So it's a matter to decide if a small amount of laziness is worth that risk or not.

 

[Shifter]

I fill mine with warm water, dump in a cap of napisan - and here's the trick - when the napisan has made it to the bottom of the keg I give the OUT poppet a fingernail push and the napisan warm water shoots up the OUT line and out a little bit.

I do the same thing, and also wash and clean my fermenting bins as soon as fermentation has finished. Cleanliness is next to Godliness!!

 

[humulus]

I blast out with hose,then boiling water,connect to out post then pour through tap till keg emptys, then starsan and purge with Co2,had too many infections it's worth the effort :beer: :beer: :beer:

 

[Wimmig]

I clean with hose, then PBW or percarb, blast through posts and taps / lines then rinse with water, fill with water and blast lines again, rebuild the tap each time and leave to dry. Starsan keg prior to use and keep for the next day to prep blowoff lines, seals etc for ferment. Never had a problem.

Don't leave starsan in the kegs, they will get pitting. I don't filter, just use a siphon and whirlfloc in ferment. Good results i'd say.

 

[sim]

Don't leave starsan in the kegs, they will get pitting.

whoa, really? Can you elaborate, theory/observation etc?

 

[tallie]

Don't leave starsan in the kegs, they will get pitting.

whoa, really? Can you elaborate, theory/observation etc?

At ANHC 2010, Jon Herskovits from Five Star Chemicals recommended against the long-term storage of Starsan in stainless vessels. From what I recall it was due to a corrosion potential at the liquid/air boundary on the inside of the keg. His recommendation was to let them drain dry for long-term storage.

Unfortunately I can't find any reputable online references at the moment, but I'm sure they'd have a canned email response for it if you contacted them.

Cheers,
tallie

 

[Wimmig]

Sorry, clarification;

It may be people using incorrect concentrations, it may be bad condition kegs or it may be total speculation. Though, i've seen what i think was starsan pitting in a keg which had the solution left in it for months. Though, it may have been from it's previous life as a soda keg, both solutions are acidic after all.

If your kegs are clean, and dried properly though why the need to pump them full of starsan solution for storage? Is the pH being monitored during this time? Kind of defeat the purpose if it was let to go.

 

[Wolfy]

How To Brew explains Stainless pitting in regard to cleaning/soaking with chlorine (Bleach), I assume that with extended contact, Starsan or most any other water-based-liquid would do the same.

 

[Helles]

i pour in a kettle of boiling water after rinsing
Steams and adds a bit of pressure

 

[kelbygreen]

i pour in a kettle of boiling water after rinsing
Steams and adds a bit of pressure

Same I usually filling my kegs as soon as they get empty or within a day or 2 so jet blast it with water add boiling water and flush the beer lines then fill and cool then force carb. I do clean them every 3rd or so refill. I try to strip all the posts and stuff off to but depends on the time limit I have.

 

[brentice]

I fill mine with warm water, dump in a cap of napisan - and here's the trick - when the napisan has made it to the bottom of the keg I give the OUT poppet a fingernail push and the napisan warm water shoots up the OUT line and out a little bit.

Yep, pretty much the same principle except i lashed out and paid about 12 cents for a 3 inch bullet head nail which does the same job.

Hot water, Napisan, purge out both the lines and then let it soak for a couple of days. Then, come brew day rinse, sanitise with starsan and bobs your aunty

 

[sim]

At ANHC 2010, Jon Herskovits from Five Star Chemicals recommended against the long-term storage of Starsan in stainless vessels.

hmm. for one reason and another i've had a keg full of starsan for a while now, however many months i ditched the idea though and have just about used it up so i'll have a look out for any signs of degradation.

I've just been following the approach of acid follows alkaline. If you've ever noticed a white powdery looking coating on a dried surface after cleaning with an alkaline chemical, I assumed this was sort of neutralised with acid, and so i try to always clean and sanitise rather than ever only cleaning.

For the OP, incidentally im more in the habit of leaving a keg pressurised and with its beer residue till i need it, then clean and sanitise. As far as laziness goes i dont find it too hard to dump in some starsan, shake it around, then blow it out the dip tube.

 

[Kiwimike]

Hi All,

a keg only lasts about a month tops

How do you manage to make a keg last a month???? - and not a week or two!

 

[nardcooker]

My kegs don't last long once they are on the tap. I tend to keep the empty keg in the fridge full of gas until I have a brew to go into it. When I've got one ready to go I rinse the keg with hot tap water (big time) and then give it a good dose of the aldi Di-San Plus & half fill with hot tap water and shake, run that through the tap, rinse the keg again, quarter fill with hot water and run that through tap. I've done more than a few kegs like this and haven't had issues. It's been ages since I've used sanitiser on my kegs and I haven't had an issue. I worry more about infection in the fermentation / pre-fermentation phase. Maybe they go so quick I don't give them time to get infected (or properly conditioned). Either way no complaints. I may be living in a dreamland or maybe very lucky to have no infections doing this but not sanitising my kegs seems to have worked for me. I am however trying to start conditioning my ales in the keg and not drinking it within a week of kegging may become a factor. Any thoughts?