Brewers already know that cleanliness is next to godliness; sanitation is one of the very first skills we master on the homebrewing journey. If you have never lost a batch to a lapse in cleaning or just plain bad luck, don’t get too comfortable — your time will come.

For those of us running a draft system, maintenance requires a few extra considerations beyond standard brewhouse sanitation. There is already no shortage of basic draft cleaning guides available online (like this one!), so there is no reason to repeat the introductory steps here; if you are new to kegging, start with the article linked at the end of this column. Instead of rehashing the basics, let’s dive into the core principles, practical tips, and observations gained from years of maintaining both commercial and home draft systems of every shape and size.

Cleaning Chemicals

The easiest way to clean draft systems is with a caustic solution formulated specifically for beer equipment. These solutions are typically powered by chemicals like sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. There are “eco-friendly” hydrogen peroxide alternatives; effective cleaning requires an extreme pH. It’s that chemical intensity that does the heavy lifting.  The undiluted solution is quite potent. Follow the instructions for mixing the proper solution.

Because these chemicals are so powerful, you need to treat them with respect, especially when they are undiluted. At an absolute minimum, wear safety glasses and a pair of nitrile gloves when handling.  

While bleach might be one of history’s greatest sanitation tools, keep it far away from your draft system. It rinses poorly, lacks the necessary surfactants, smells terrible, and can actually corrode your stainless steel draft equipment.  

When picking a proper beer line cleaner at home, the decision mostly comes down to price and convenience. Commercial users buy the most concentrated formulas available — though you have to do the math, as the cheapest undiluted bottle can sometimes end up costing more per ounce once mixed. For homebrewers, a single bottle lasts so long that price isn’t a massive factor. Don’t buy into the marketing hype here; this stuff is just heavy-duty soap. I can’t spot a performance difference between Brand A and Brand B, and neither will you.

A common question is whether it is okay to let line cleaner sit in your draft lines for an extended period. Is it okay? Yes and no. Short soaks are not harmful, but they don’t add much cleaning when the solution is not flowing. At best, it just gives you a bit of breathing room in a busy schedule. If the soak is too long, damage can occur depending on the materials used in the system. The best practice is to rinse, clean, rinse, and finish the project.

More importantly, leaving cleaner in the lines creates a serious safety hazard: There is always a chance someone might accidentally pour and drink a glass of toxic chemicals. That alone is a reason the risk of leaving cleaning chemicals soaking in your draft lines is a risk you should not take.

The final and most crucial step of the process is a thorough rinse. If you own a pH meter, this is another good time to use it by testing your rinse water to ensure all the caustic cleaner is completely gone. Given that pH meters must be calibrated with standards before use, which can take a little time and effort if all you want to use it for is to check the rinse water, this is a good use of the pH papers that often fall short for most uses in brewing. If you don’t have a way to check the pH, the slippery finger test is pretty effective (if what comes out still feels like cleaning solution, keep rinsing). If you aren’t checking the pH, always rinse with more water than you think you need, but a shot of beer down the drain will also help neutralize any residual cleaning solution.

Cleaning Schedule

How often you should clean your draft lines depends on several factors. The Brewers Association (BA) Draft Beer Quality Manual recommends cleaning commercial systems every two weeks. In my experience of installing and maintaining commercial draft systems, I’ve seen that newer tubing materials have improved things, and modern commercial systems with new equipment typically won’t show signs of needing a clean for about three weeks, even while moving massive volumes of beer. With the smaller amount of beer flowing through your home draft system, assuming you empty a keg after a few weeks, cleaning between kegs makes sense on the home scale. If you run your own A/B test, you might find you can stretch your schedule further. Try pouring a pint, cleaning the line, and then pouring a second pint to compare them side-by-side. Usually, you won’t notice a taste difference until around the four-week mark, but every system is different, as is every beer.  

Ultimately, time and volume dictate your cleaning protocol. Because kegged homebrew stays constantly cold, there is little chance for rogue microbes to take over, though hop resins, yeast deposits, and proteins will still accumulate. The longer you wait, the tougher it is to clean — just like neglecting a kitchen or bathroom until it becomes a major project. Furthermore, if warm beer is ever allowed to sit in the system, you are likely looking at a full overhaul. Every brewer intuitively understands why, but we will dive deeper into that later.

Along with caustic, there are acid-based line cleaners. Their necessity for homebrewers is highly debatable. Acid breaks down beer stone — a combination of oxalate, proteins, and other organics. 

While the commercial industry recommends an acid wash every three to four months, it is highly unlikely your home system has this buildup. Beer stone is a problem for commercial draft systems moving dozens or hundreds of kegs. Homebrewers simply do not see that kind of volume, and if beer stone ever does become an issue for you, your lines are already well past their useful lifespan. Homebrewers can confidently skip acid-based line cleaners entirely. Speaking of . . .

Replacing Lines

Eventually, replacing your draft lines becomes cheaper and easier than trying to clean them. When that time comes, opt for a full overhaul. While stainless steel components like the faucet, shank, and coupler can last for decades with proper care — which means disassembling, brushing, and hand-washing them every few months while replacing gaskets as needed — the lines themselves are a different story. Six feet (1.8 m) of modern thermoplastic extrusion (TPE) choker line actually costs less than a single bottle of line cleaner, and swapping it out is quick. Instead of fighting stained lines, just add a 50-foot roll of TPE to your cart the next time you stock up on brewing ingredients. I must confess, because I have an abundance of choker lying around, I find myself snipping and replacing line a bit more frequently than I probably should — but it illustrates the ease of replacing lines compared to doing a thorough cleaning of them.  

Detailing Hardware

You are going to need to disassemble and hand clean the hardware occasionally. The faucet, the keg quick disconnects (or Sanke coupler), and the shank will all need a scrub, though not as often as the lines, and the process of cleaning the lines also goes a long way towards keeping these parts sanitary. The faucet, in particular, houses some parts that are always beer-soaked, and because the faucet is in ambient conditions, this component can get really fouled if not looked after. Forward-sealing faucets, such as the Perlick Perl, offer some advantages because they have fewer internals, but nothing is immune to bacterial growth. It is an easy task: Unscrew everything that will unscrew.  Pay attention to the disassembly. Wash everything in a soapy hot water mix, rinse thoroughly, and then reassemble in reverse order. With the faucet removed, you can inspect the shank and wipe away any snot. A thin brush specifically designed for the shank is available, but so is a Q-Tip. The same goes for the quick disconnects — disassemble, inspect, and clean thoroughly, then reassemble. Keep track of the little parts as they often disappear under the refrigerator. 

In Conclusion

That is the industry scoop regarding line cleaning and draft system maintenance: Follow the instructions, be diligent without being paranoid, and respect the beer.  Your specific protocol can be tailored to meet your needs.

Before we move on, here is one final nugget. In addition to caustics and acids, there are enzyme-based cleaners on the market. These are specifically formulated to attack persistent odors and flavors — like that experimental strawberry chocolate stout that somehow still haunts every single beer you pour after it. While these enzyme cleaners can be effective, they are also expensive and unnecessary for a homebrewer. Your stainless steel hardware can be scrubbed clean with standard methods, and the lines themselves are cheap enough that you should just replace them instead. Save your money, skip the enzymes, and swap out the vinyl.