Currently I am using a picnic tap to dispense (sitting inside of a chest freezer). Next week I’ll have my shiny new kegarator with Perlicks ;D
Either way, is there any need to ever sanitize the tap prior to pouring beers?
It’s pretty easy to add some star san to your keg to sanitize and then use CO2 to pump it all out your tap. I do this when I empty a keg each time. Easy peasy.
Sorry, I meant to sanitize the tap between pours. Maybe redundant, but considering if it takes some time to drink your keg, I imagine the tap could get gnarly.
One of the things you’ll love about your Perlick faucets is that, because of their design, they don’t stick shut with sticky 'goop’between pour days. What I do when I’ve poured the last pint is to spray the inside of the faucet opening with star san and use a faucet plug. They’re cheap and keep flies out as well.
http://www.amazon.com/San-Jamar-KLP200-Kleen-Plug/dp/B002S3Q4N4
Is there anything worth purchasing that will plug the tap between uses? Considering it’ll probably be in the garage and I don’t want our local spiders to crawl up there.
That’s where that plug I linked comes in - you insert it and leave it between pouring days.
Whoops, sorry missed that!
Just remember to remove the plug when you pour or it could end up in the glass causing a choking hazzard.
Good point…also, better check that plastic to make sure it’s BPA free and doesn’t have a CA. Prop. 65 warning on it. :
Well played
BUT WHERE DO I PUT THE PLUG WHEN I REMOVE IT??? LEFT OR RIGHT HAND???
My experience with those plugs was that they did more harm than good.
I use them to keep the fruit flies out of the faucets.
I haven’t used them, but was considering it. What harm are you referring to?
I don’t get that. All I know is no insects ever get in the tap with the plug in.
They caused my Perlicks to develop a noticeable odor of stale beer. Turns out I was better off letting them air dry between pours.
Fortunately, I don’t have an issue with fruit flies so there was no compelling reason to continue using them.
I use the faucet cap shown in the same amazon link that Hoosier posted. It stays on the outside and the reservoir tip catches the drip without trapping stale beer in the faucet.
These, along with picnic taps, need to be cleaned regularly. I’ve had some real schmutz form in a picnic tap.
I just keep a squirt bottle of Star San and hit the tap after pouring. It drains out into the drip tray and air dries clean.
Do this and there’ll be no issues.
Regarding the “stale beer” comment, I usually pour out a quarter pint of the first pour if the beer has sat in the line too long. That takes care of that. I also clean the plugs regularly with hot water. I also keep a squirt bottle of sanitizer handy on my kegerator to spray the plugs clean and spray up into the taps. Makes a huge difference.