One of the most important things for any venue is to have good quality draft beer for your customers.

To achieve the standard we expect, it is important to have a cleaning programme, an effective chemical, the right equipment to do the job, staff that are trained in the process and the knowledge of what you are actually cleaning.

Equipment also relates to OH&S requirements – cleaning chemicals are dangerous to handle and are being inserted into the beer system under pressure.

There have been numerous cases of chemical being sprayed into operator’s eyes and causing permanent damage from chemical burns. It is vital that anyone working with cleaning chemicals has a face shield and gloves.

The elements we clean out of the beer lines at least once a month for glycol cooled systems are:

Yeast – The live component of beer which will continue to develop, leaving deposits in the lines.
Protein – Commonly known as beer stone which will leave a brown film on the inside of the lines.
Bacteria – A natural element of the beer, but if left to develop will have a tainting effect on the flavour.

Lines that are not cleaned will experience some of the following problems:

Issues with taste, smell, pouring heady, increased wastage, pour head retention and ultimately yeast infections.

There are numerous beer line chemicals available in the form of powder or liquid which vary in effectiveness.

We recommend the 2-part liquid cleaners, particularly for glycol-based systems, which are cooling the beer system at approximately – 2.5 deg.

The part A of the cleaner is a caustic-based solution which does the cleaning, the part B is a sanitiser which eliminates the bacteria build up in the lines.

Our own product “Premier A1 cleaner” has been used in the industry for over 25 years and has a number of advantages.

• Easy Mixing – Parts A & B are the same quantity.
• Fast Reaction Time – Soak for 30 minutes.
• Dyed Red – Visual indicator that chemical is in the system.
• Fast Rinsing – Flush with 2 Litres of clean water / line.

PBS have a step-by-step manual on the procedure for cleaning beer lines which we offer free to all CCV members as well as our online or phone enquiry support.

Phone: 0411 556697 or email  [email protected]