Clean kegs

[thirsty_monk]

I much rather eat ice cream then clean the kegs.

[tschmidlin]

@majorvices

A friend of mine who flies out to Seattle for business regularly said that ice cream is rockin’. I told him next time see if he can meet the brewer.

I’m only ever at the Phinney Ridge location, and my hours vary so it can be hard to catch me there.  Let me know next time though, and if he wants I can let him know when I’ll be around.

[kylekohlmorgen]

@majorvices

@tschmidlin

Cleaning kegs is such a PITA we have started taking them to another brewery to run them through their keg washer.  We clean them in batches and they come back clean, sanitized, pressurized, and ready to fill.  They sit like that until I fill them.

We have to deal with a couple guys like you. Damn it!

Sometimes we clean/sani/purge. Sometimes we clean/sani/purge/fill. Depends what’s going on. I much prefer the former.

You’ve already got Mobile Bottlers everywhere… a mobile keg washer may be the next big thing!

[klickitat_jim]

^ I read this reply and immediately thought retirement job! With numerous breweries within an hour of my place, hmmm. Then it took ten seconds to imagine shelling out for a pump and sprayer and two holding tanks and supplies and fuel and maintenance… and then figure in the my customers are basically starving artists. I think that might not work too well

[anthony]

The keg washer thing would only make sense if keg washers cost $100k+ and if you needed a skilled person to operate/maintain/fix one. That is why the mobile bottling/canning stuff takes off like it does. You can buy a fully automatic keg washer for $25k and pay some guy minimum wage to run it and still be ahead of what it would take a mobile keg washing outfit to charge you so that they could stay in business…

[kylekohlmorgen]

@anthony

The keg washer thing would only make sense if keg washers cost $100k+ and if you needed a skilled person to operate/maintain/fix one. That is why the mobile bottling/canning stuff takes off like it does. You can buy a fully automatic keg washer for $25k and pay some guy minimum wage to run it and still be ahead of what it would take a mobile keg washing outfit to charge you so that they could stay in business…

Just because it doesn’t make sense, doesn’t mean it won’t be attempted…

[tschmidlin]

I think it depends on the market.  There are a lot of very small breweries in the Seattle area that can not afford a decent automated keg washer.  I’m sure many of them could use a truck stopping by once a week to clean 10 or 20 kegs.  Many bars pay to have their lines cleaned for them, many fewer do it in house, and the equipment for that is much cheaper than a keg washing rig.

[james]

@tschmidlin

Many bars pay to have their lines cleaned for them, many fewer do it in house, and the equipment for that is much cheaper than a keg washing rig.

And many dont bother cleaning their lines at all

[thirsty_monk]

@james

And many dont bother cleaning their lines at all

I should be cleaning my kegs? I did not know that.

[boulderbrewer]

@thirsty_monk

@james

And many dont bother cleaning their lines at all

I should be cleaning my kegs? I did not know that.

You don’t have to you filter your beer.

[thirsty_monk]

@boulderbrewer

@thirsty_monk

@james

And many dont bother cleaning their lines at all

I should be cleaning my kegs? I did not know that.

You don’t have to you filter your beer.

Thank goodness.

[tschmidlin]

@thirsty_monk

@boulderbrewer

@thirsty_monk

@james

And many dont bother cleaning their lines at all

I should be cleaning my kegs? I did not know that.

You don’t have to you filter your beer.

Thank goodness.

You guys are kidding, right?  I can be slow at times. 

[thirsty_monk]

@tschmidlin

@thirsty_monk

@boulderbrewer

@thirsty_monk

@james

And many dont bother cleaning their lines at all

I should be cleaning my kegs? I did not know that.

You don’t have to you filter your beer.

Thank goodness.

You guys are kidding, right?  I can be slow at times. 

Yes Tom.
It was the generalize comment that made me do it.

Keep on washing your kegs even if you filter!!!

[tschmidlin]

@thirsty_monk

@tschmidlin

@thirsty_monk

@boulderbrewer

@thirsty_monk

@james

And many dont bother cleaning their lines at all

I should be cleaning my kegs? I did not know that.

You don’t have to you filter your beer.

Thank goodness.

You guys are kidding, right?  I can be slow at times. 

Yes Tom.
It was the generalize comment that made me do it.

Keep on washing your kegs even if you filter!!!

Thanks for clearing that up.  Like I said, dense at times

[klickitat_jim]

So the stuff growing inside my kegs isn’t Irish moss?

[boulderbrewer]

@klickitat_jim

So the stuff growing inside my kegs isn’t Irish moss?

That depends on your heritage.

[klickitat_jim]

American, so I guess it’s probably just algae

[thirsty_monk]

@klickitat_jim

American, so I guess it’s probably just algae

Yep Mutt algee.