This is totally a noob question, but how do you clean your kegs/lines between refills?
I have sanitizer, PBW, ALC, and I know there are a ton of other products out there for cleaning draft systems - but I can’t find any solid recommendations on routine cleaning between batches.
Also, once primary fermentation is complete (about 2 weeks), do you usually keg, refrigerate, and carbonate immediately, or is it better to rack and let it age at room temperature(for an ale)?
Most people just run some sort of cleaner/sanitizer through the lines after the keg has kicked. I normally fill it 1/4 with a star san solution, shake the crap out of it, the run that through the lines.
For you second question, it really depends on the type of beer in the keg.
Rinse keg. Disassemble. Hot PBW or Oxyclean soak. reassemble. Run this solution through lines. Dissassemble, thorough Rinse, reassemble. Run water through lines. Star San keg. Run star san through lines. Blow out with CO2. Connect beer.
You only need to run about a quart of each solution through a typical beer line (5-10 ft) not the whole keg.
so a lot of you guys aren’t even disassembling your kegs(poppets and tubes, etc) and cleaning between each use you just run cleaner/sanitizer through them and then refill them and go?
I don’t disassemble my kegs everytime either. I use PBW for cleaning the kegs.
StarSan flush between kegs, clean faucets twice a year, replace lines once a year.