Home Brew Bloggers on September 14, 2020 0 Comments If you are interested in making sure that your homebrew equipment runs as efficiently and effectively as possible, you need to maintain it properly. Similar to your HVAC system, your electrical system, and your plumbing, you need to take care of your brewing equipment. Otherwise, it might end up producing low-quality beverages or you might end up having to replace it. The first step in producing high-quality homebrews is to clean and sanitize your equipment properly. While this might sound like a lot of work, there are a few tips that you can follow to make sure that your equipment runs as well as possible. Use the Right Cleaning Products You need to use the right cleaning products when you clean your homebrew equipment. There are advanced cleaning products that have been designed to help you sanitize your equipment and are the best way to take care of your supplies. If you want to use regular household cleaning products, you need to look carefully. Some cleaning products work well for homebrew equipment while others do not. For example, if you use scented cleaning products, the smell is going to impact the taste of your beverages. Avoid Abrasive Scrubbers and Brushes When you clean your pots and pans, you probably use scrubbers that will get rid of just about everything. You might think that this is how you can get your brewing equipment as clean as possible as well, but this is not the case. Instead, you need to use non-abrasive scrubbers and brushes. If the cleaner is abrasive, this is going to lead to scratches in your homebrew equipment. These cracks are ideal places for bacteria, viruses, and wild yeast to hide. This makes it easier for your equipment to get contaminated, so you need to use non-abrasive scrubbers to prevent this problem from happening. Remove the Spigot and Clean It Regularly Before and after you bottle your beverages, you need to remove the spigot. The spigot is a common source of contamination. Sure, it takes some time to remove and clean, but the consequences of skipping this step can be significant. If you leave the spigot attached and use it for multiple bottling cycles, crud will start to buildup on the inside. When this happens, not only will liquid have trouble getting through, but it might cake to the inside as well. When it cakes to the inside, it’s harder to remove. Instead, just remove the spigot and clean it well after every use. Follow the Instructions Provided by the Manufacturer If you purchase homebrew equipment, it should come with instructions from the manufacturer. You should read and follow them. For example, if you have a kegerator, you need to flush the beer lines with cleaner on a regular basis. While you do need to clean the inside of the kegerator, you also need to clean the lines and couplers on a regular basis too. While the exact length of time between cleanings is going to vary with the manufacturer, you should flush the lines every few weeks. If you’re running a commercial operation, it should be every two weeks. If you’re using it at home, you can stretch this to every four weeks. Maintain the Proper Pressure If you want to dispense the best draft beer, then you need to maintain your CO2 pressure within acceptable ranges. When you pour a beer, the CO2 is used to push the beer out of the keg. This exchange of CO2 keeps the beer carbonated. In order to keep the pressure intact, you should keep the CO2 tank upright. Otherwise, it won’t work properly, and it might damage the kegerator. Most U.S. beers are dispensed between 10 and 12 PSI. Invest in proper maintenance for your homebrew equipment. The goal of regular maintenance when it comes to a kegerator is making sure that your equipment lasts so that you are dispensing the best tasting homebrew possible for years to come.
