Hey all! I’m new to the forum, yet not so new to brewing however it’s been a hot minute since I’ve done the deed. I’m finally getting back into the game after 2 years and a several state move from Arkansas back home to California, and while I highly disliked Arkansas, it did give me an opportunity to learn how to brew since I lived in a dry county. I’m currently brewing on a Grainfather G30 110v system, though I may be upgrading in the future to handle 220v and slightly larger batches.
Before moving though, I did brew a Pliny the Elder clone which was left partially undrank in the keg. I kept the keg in my keezer and it’s been sitting outside in the weather (think 20F in the winter to 105F in the summer) for the past two years. After finally getting a home with enough room to resume the hobby, I figure it’s time to get everything clean and ready. Upon opening the keezer, I was met with the smell not quite different from the finest vinegars outside of Italy. Considering this was supposed to be beer though, I’m pretty sure my line (with beer still in it) is the culprit.
I’ve gone ahead and ordered all new EVAbarrier lines and fittings to replace all the bev lines, however I do have some concerns maybe you all can shed light on:
although all fittings have been disconnected, would it be wise to replace gas lines before trying to throw some beer under it?
would PBW be the best cleaning option for everything, even if it may be 2 y/o gunk, or is there something else I should consider to get everything back to clean standards?
Just for fun, what’s the chance the Pliny the Elder is still good to go? I’m guessing 95% chance it’s gonna be long gone, but I’m still willing to try it out if the smell doesn’t knock my socks off.
Any other tips for getting a system ready that hasn’t been used in quite some time? First brews will be blonde and IPA kits from Morebeer just to get my feet wet again until I start making my own recipes.
Take anything plastic, rubber, etc in the system and replace it. Post gaskets, lid gaskets, tubes, etc. Don’t try to save a buck and make “ish” beer because of it!
I generally prefer craftmeister alkaline cleaner for really nasty bits of business like what you’re talking about here.
And if you’re smelling vinegar in the freezer, my guess is that your beer and the historical Pliny both share the trait of being long deceased.
I got rebuild kits for all the kegs so I’ll definitely do that. However, I’ve only used plastic fermenters, so I’m wondering if I should replace those too? They’re just old and dusty as this point, nothing of bacterial concern was left in them, but I’m just worried for worry’s sake I guess.
I’ll definitely pick up some of that cleaner for sure then.
I may just have to film the reaction of opening that keg in the event it makes me pass out hah!
Well, I figured I should update on the first brew, and the catastrophe of uncorking the keg of rot.
First brew day in 2.5 years went super well. Cleaned everything up on Saturday with copious amounts of PBW. Yesterday, I brewed a blonde ale and short of my drill taking a dirt nap, everything went off without a hitch. I ended up converting my kegerator to EVABarrier lines and fittings on the liquid side as well, which meant I had to take the old kegs out and clean those up, which leads to catastrophe…
Pulling lines and fittings off was relatively easy, except the keg that was full of 2 y/o beer. I ended up taking out that keg with the line attached as I didn’t want it spilling into my now clean kegerator. The ball fitting on the liquid side was absolutely stuck, and took a nice little pry from a screwdriver to pop off. As soon as it did pop off, I was met with an explosive fountain of the foulest smelling liquid I may have ever come across. The pin inside the spout had stuck open and the pressure inside the keg was now showering my driveway and adjacent motorcycles with what I can only describe as Morgue Juice. I ended up running into the torrent to let out the pressure from the keg lid, and that subsided the Bellagio show going on in my driveway.
At this point, I have three motorcycles and myself covered in sticky vinegared IPA. I decide the crack the keg open and the smell could have knocked a fly off an outhouse 100 yards away. I intended to take a video of it, but the previous event made that impossible. Luckily no neighbors were outside, so I dumped the remnants into the gutter and used up my remaining PBW to clean the kegs. I also found a surprise of more beer in another keg, but honestly it didn’t smell bad. I did dump it though, as I’m not taking a chance at Montezuma’s Revenge.
Everything is now clean including the bikes, good to go, and I’ve got a fermenter full of soon to be (hopefully) delicious Blonde ale. I missed my OG by .001 high, but I can’t complain about much else.
You should send that one to James at Basic Brewing Radio for his annual homebrew disaster episode.
