How to Clean Beer Lines at Home: A Step-by-Step Guide
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If you serve beer from a kegerator or keg setup, your beer lines need regular cleaning. Dirty lines build up yeast, bacteria and beer residue that make even the best beer taste stale, sour or buttery, and cause fobbing (too much foam) at the tap.
How Often Should You Clean Beer Lines?
- Every time you change a keg, as a minimum
- Every couple of weeks if a keg stays on tap for a long time
- Straight away if the beer starts tasting off or pouring badly
What You Need
- A dedicated beer line cleaner such as Pipeline Original
- A spare keg or container for cleaning solution, plus clean water for flushing
- A sanitiser such as ChemSan
- Gloves and eye protection
How to Clean Beer Lines, Step by Step
- Disconnect the keg and turn off the gas to the beer line.
- Flush with clean water until it runs clear, to push out the remaining beer.
- Run cleaning solution through the line. Pipeline Original is used at 2.5% (25ml per litre of water). Fill the line and leave it for the contact time on the label.
- Check the colour. Pipeline changes colour if the line is dirty. If it stays purple, the line is clean. If it changes, run fresh solution through and repeat.
- Flush thoroughly with clean water until no cleaner remains. This step is essential: line cleaner must never end up in your beer.
- Sanitise the line and tap with a no-rinse sanitiser, then reconnect your keg.
Take the tap apart and clean it separately every so often, as residue builds up inside.
Which Cleaner to Buy
- Pipeline Original 1L – alkaline line cleaner with a colour-change indicator
- Pipeline Professional 2.5L – larger size
- Pipeline Purple 250ml or 500ml – handy smaller sizes
- Pipeline Purple Powder 50g or 100g
Setting up a draught system? See the Kegmaster Premium XL 3-Tap Kegerator.
Safety
Line cleaners are strong alkaline chemicals. Wear gloves and eye protection, never mix them with other chemicals, and always flush lines thoroughly with water before serving beer. Safety data sheets are linked on each product page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I clean my beer lines?
At every keg change as a minimum, and every couple of weeks if a keg stays on tap for a long time.
Can I use washing-up liquid to clean beer lines?
No. It can leave residue that kills beer foam and flavour. Use a dedicated beer line cleaner.
How do I know my beer lines are clean?
Pipeline has a colour-change indicator: if the solution stays purple, the line is clean.
Why does my beer taste sour or buttery from the tap?
Dirty lines are a common cause. Bacteria in the lines can produce sour or buttery off-flavours. Clean and sanitise them.
Do I need to rinse after using line cleaner?
Yes, always flush thoroughly with clean water, then sanitise before reconnecting the keg.