As relaxing of a process bottling is, kegging is often considered a life changer by those who make the switch as it requires less time and is all around bad ass, though it does come with some small issues. Today, we discuss a few quick & easy solutions to these issues that may just make your kegging life all the simpler!
Here’s my hack: Myles is my keg whisperer. 8)
I’m kidding, obvi, but the recirculating keg cleaners (whether DIY or the pre-made ones) are a must. Same with a line cleaner. We can’t use the recirculating line cleaner since our taps are so far away from the kegs, but we do pump BLC or Penetrate through the lines as soon as a keg kicks.
Another great tool is a long handled toilet brush. If you don’t have skinny arms - like myself - it helps get a scrubby down to the bottom of the keg.
Something I wish I would have done when I set up the draft system was only use MFL fittings and not barbed fittings. We mainly use ball locks but have guest taps from time to time, some of which are pin locks. I’ve since replaced the barbs with MFLs, but it would have been nice to have the forethought.
Homebrew finds had posted these pieces that are available on brewhardware.com (they sell out quick though) where you use a chugger pump to pump the cleaning solution through the faucet and then connect together two QD’s, returning the solution to your bucket.
I picked up 2 of them so I can rig it to clean 4 lines at once, recirculating the cleaning solution through. I hope to get it setup to test it out within a couple weeks. If it works, I’ll probably pick up one more to have a complete set to do all six taps on my kegerator.
For some reason, the phrase ‘zinc plated nipples’ is my only permanent takeaway, proving that my inner 13 year old has not died. lol
I never thought of running a keg wash that way. Uses 4 times the amount of water and cleaner as my inverted washer, but that was a bit of a weekend project while this is way easier.
I thought those ball lock couplers were weird, but with Amanda K’s long draw setup, they make perfect sense.
Good job, Toby
I use a “dish brush,” but all the same, an absolute must!
I giggled too…