Cleaning Draft Beer systems comes with a lot of questions
You work hard to ensure that your customers have a positive experience – so make sure you’re serving the best possible draft beverages. Without regular cleaning and maintenance, bacteria and other compounds in your draft lines can affect the carbonation and taste of your beer. Clean Beer Initiative is committed to educating business owners about best practices for maintaining their draft line equipment. Learn more about draft beverage systems maintenance in this guide from Northwest Draft Technicians.
It’s best to clean out your draft lines at least every two weeks. Over time, layers of microorganisms called biofilms can naturally build up inside a draft line system. This can affect the taste, smell, and appearance of your beer. Drafts may look cloudy or taste “off.”
Tower exteriors and faucets should also be cleaned thoroughly every two weeks. To remove any buildup, remove taps from the draft tower and disassemble them completely. Clean faucets, tap handles, seals, and gaskets. A faucet brush can help you remove any deposits from the faucet threads.
Brewers Association recommends using a caustic chemical solution and a recirculating pump to move cleaner through the entire draft system for at least 15 minutes. This removes mineral deposits known as beer stone, as well as yeast, mold, and bacteria. Note that anyone working with chemical cleaners should wear the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and follow best practices for chemical storage and mixing.
Neglecting to get regular cleanings will cause off-flavoring in the beer due to certain bacterias that develop. These flavors range from things like butter to mouthwash or even sulfur.
The most common off-flavor is called Diacetyl and it tastes like butter or popcorn, with a wide scale of richness depending how bad the line is. This is the type of flavor that will keep customers from returning, or they’ll switch to drinking cans which provides far less profit to the business.
Biofilm buildup in your draft lines can quickly degrade the quality of your beer. Beyond the impact on taste, the presence of bacteria and mold might even make your customers sick. Sanitizing your draft lines is the best way to minimize health risks.
Plus, brewers spend time and effort creating the perfect balance of flavor and aroma. You want your customers to enjoy a draft the way it was intended. Keeping your equipment clean and working properly ensures customers have a positive experience and will want to return to your establishment.
Finally, yeast in your draft lines can produce excess carbon dioxide that creates too much foam. The result is wasted beer and potential profit loss.
The project started out of a desire to enjoy beer as the brewer intended, which is only possible with clean lines. Our goal is to celebrate businesses who maintain clean, quality systems and to spread awareness to beer drinkers about the importance of drinking clean beer.
If your bar or restaurant has a draft line system, you can become certified as a Clean Beer Initiative partner. To be eligible for certification, you must have your draft lines professionally cleaned every two weeks in accordance with the Brewers Association standards and maintain a log for documenting cleanings.
Visit our Partner With Us page to learn more.
Learn More from Clean Beer Initiative
The Clean Beer Initiative began as a passion project of draft line cleaners in the Pacific Northwest. Our goal is to highlight the great breweries, bars, and restaurants in Portland, Oregon, and the surrounding area. Our partner map makes it easy for beer lovers to find local businesses that are committed to serving the best-tasting beer around. For more information about Clean Beer Initiative or to become certified, contact us today.
