Steps to clean your beer lines and change your keg
I have a kegerator, and a full half-barrel keg takes me from 1 to 3 months to drink depending on how many visitors I have. I do the cleaning below only when changing the keg. I have never had a problem with beer tasting bad. When I replace a keg with the same beer, the first glass from the new keg tastes the same as the last one from the old keg.
- Turn off red valve at end of CO2 line
- Open faucet to release pressure into clean bowl for drinking (takes a few minutes)
- Release tap (CCW) and remove keg from fridge
- Put keg in back of car and drive to local craft brewery
- Try new beers and decide
- Get large SS bowl
- Start hot water running
- Get special beer wrench
- Empty fridge
- Remove lines from coupler, look out for washers
- Remove faucet (clockwise as face nut)
- Take apart faucet
- Place coupler, washers, and faucet in bowl with brush
- Place bowl on floor and put beer line into it
- Care not to get concentrate on hands in next step
- Mix up tablespoon of green power punch in cleaner bottle with hot water ** Measure
- Connect at post
- Pump cleaner through beer line into bowl to get started
- Hold up end of line so it goes slow
- Stop with line full for 10 minutes or longer
- Clean bottom of fridge
- Let gravity pull rest of cleaner through line
- Fill bottle with fresh water and rinse beer line into bowl
- Repeat above rinsing 2 or 3 more times
- Remove drip pan and fill with cleaner in sink
- Dissemble parts and clean them in bowl with faucet brush
- Be careful not to lose black and white washers down drain
- Rinse all parts several times
- Place keg in fridge, bottom all the way back
- Take bowl full of water and parts to fridge
- Rinse ends of lines in water
- Replace faucet (no washer) and CLOSE VALVE (push back)
- Connect CO2 line (gas in) with check valve or O-ring and tighten with wrench
- Connect beer line with black washer and tighten with wrench
- Open coupler (lever down), place loosely on top of keg and blow out
- Close coupler (lever up), screw on keg, then open (lever down)
- Return stuff to fridge
- Set fridge temp to 36 (as low as it goes)
- Check that door closes
- Open CO2 valve
- Check for leaks
- Clean and replace drip pan
- Draw some beer and dispose
- Draw more beer and enjoy
- Record date and name of brew