How to Clean Beer Taps: Best Practices
As exciting as the invention of beer taps was several hundreds of years ago, those fun little gadgets that make it so much easier to serve beer can also be a huge pain when they get dirty or blocked.
Thus, if you have beer taps, you are likely wondering how to clean beer taps to prevent the problems that will inevitably arise.
The Anatomy of a Beer Tap
In 1785, an English inventor named Joseph Bramah patented the first beer tap, which he called a “beer engine.”
Today, this gadget is also called a beer faucet and is broken down into three parts: the handle or lever on top, the faucet body which pours the beer, and the shank, which connects the faucet body to the beer, either directly to a barrel or, more typically, through a tap line.
There are various other small pieces of rubber ring and nuts that connect the anatomy of these four parts – handle, faucet body, shank, and tap line – these four are the ones that must be cleaned regularly.
The handle is touched frequently by the barkeep to pull and stop the flow of beer. It is connected to the faucet body.
The faucet body is a curved piece of metal that directs the flow of beer from the tap line into the glass. It has an internal mechanism that responds to the pull of the handle, which opens or closes, allowing or blocking the flow of beer. It is connected to the shank.
The shank connects the shank to the tap line or beer keg or barrel.
The tap line, or beer line, is just a tube, usually a vinyl hose, that runs from the highly pressurized beer keg to a bar top, where the beer tap is installed to allow the flow of beer.
Why You Should Clean Beer Taps
All aspects of the anatomy of a beer tap must be cleaned regularly to inhibit the growth of bacteria and yeast in the small parts of the tap.
The growth of yeast or bacteria can become invasive in your tap or line and end up making your beer taste funny, dramatically affecting the experience of your beer drinkers.
Thanks to the alcohol in your beer, you are unlikely to have contamination that can make your customers sick, but who wants a nasty tasting beer?
No one. That’s who.
How Often to Clean Beer Taps
For the best cleanliness experiences, you should aim to clean all aspects of your beer tap every two weeks.
Rest assured. It does not take long, and the process is not super involved.
How to Clean Beer Taps
Clean the Line
To clean your beer lines, close the keg and disconnect the line from the keg and the coupler.
Unscrew the beer hose.
You can either rent or buy a piece of equipment called a recirculating cleaning pump. Since you’ll be doing this every two weeks, it might make sense just to purchase it. This equipment can also help you with recirculating your mash, so it’s worth it.
Use the equipment to circulate cleaning solution through the lines, and you will get rid of any sitting material in the lines.
Pump the solution for at least 20 minutes and then run water through the lines several times.
Clean the Tap and Coupler
To clean your tap and couple, be sure to turn off your keg first.
Disconnect your tap and coupler using a tap wrench.
Disconnect your beer lines.
Soak your tap and couple in the cleaning solution overnight and then scrub off any debris the next day using a kitchen brush.
Rinse the tap and the coupler with clean water and then reconnect.
Note: you should use a cleaning solution that has sanitizing tablets or hypochlorous acid to be sure your equipment is fully sanitized.
With clean equipment, you can ensure the best possible experience for your customers, which will highlight the best qualities of all the beer you serve on tap.
Cheers!
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