Sanitation during kegging

I know sanitation is of great importance after the boil till fermentation but when racking to your Corning keg how important is it to use sanitizer?  I clean my kegs before every batch is kegged. Just asking if sanitation is necessary.

I just rinse out empty kegs with (god forbid) non-RV hose water & turn upside down lid off til ready to refill.  You have to rinse again before refill so why not throw in a ounce of starsan.  I bet it wouldnt make a difference post-fermentation but why take a chance.  Cheap insurance.

I certainly would.  Not only is StarSan cheap, but your batch of beer, your time and labor included, are not. 

  I keep my kegs "in waiting" with a gallon or so of PBW and CO2 pressure.  I know the kegs are clean, sanitized & hold pressure.  I can always use the PBW mix to clean other items or at the very least rinse out my pitchers & glasses to assure a detergent free pour.

Yes, sanitize.

Beer can still get infected post fermentation. I clean then sanitize my kegs right away. Time between sanitizing and filling is usually less than a day. I just give it another swish before draining the starsan and filling with beer.

I clean them with PBW, sanitize with StarSan, drain them and then let them sit with 10lbs CO2 until ready to use.  Then I drain the pressure, fill it, and into the fridge it goes.

I once had a batch go moldy in the keg as a result of the lid dipping into the brew when I reset it after it didn't seal well, but that's it.

Hey, Maine Homebrewer ... How was the ABV with that moldy batch! Ha!

Yep. It's always a safe bet to sanitize Kegs with Star San. I usually clean my kegs with 3 tbs of PBW and dry upside down (with cap removed) until needed. Immediately prior to siphoning beer to keg, I sanitize the keg, remove the dip tube and in/out valves w/poppets and sanitize and replace those as well. I locate the cap and separate the o-ring, soak both in sanitizer and keep them in sanitizer until keg is full. Then I seal the cap and gas IMMEDIATELY. Any air in the keg (not replaced by Co2) can oxidize the batch and cause some horrific flavors. I can't imagine ever bottling beer again. Bottles of beer given to friends never seem to find their way back.

Hey, Maine Homebrewer ... How was the ABV with that moldy batch! Ha!

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4.2%  That was a very sad day. My first pilsner.  I went through all the trouble of extended fermentation time for lager, lagering, before ruining it at the very end. 

:-(

Sanitize everything all the way through the process.    I just kegged 1.25 beers.  Yea, a 5G and 1G in a 2.5g keg. 

Kegs must be cleaned with a solid cleaner after you empty one. PBW is great, easy and designed for the task.  After that Sanitize.  You can seal the keg and use it on kegging day which is what I do. 

I always rinse it with fresh sanitizer, inside and out just before kegging.  I cover my carboy with foil as well as the keg opening.  I spray the foil with a bottle of sanitizer I keep handy. 

I take my auto-siphon from a bucket of sanitizer, shake it off and quickly insert into the carboy.  I wrap the foil back around the neck.  I use a binder clip to hold it in place.

I seal the foil around the siphon hose and siphon away.  When done, just before sealing the lid, I spray sanitizer on the lid and seal.

I then spray the ball valves with sanitizer as well as the CO2 and Out connectors. 

I have a similar procedure on brew day when xferring to the carboy.  I have never had an infected beer.

Hope you beer is better than expected!

/Joe

Smokinnitro said:

I know sanitation is of great importance after the boil till fermentation but when racking to your Corning keg how important is it to use sanitizer?  I clean my kegs before every batch is kegged. Just asking if sanitation is necessary.

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I just use the iodine - idophore(not sure how it's spelled, buy the big one, it'll last forever).
It's cheap and easy. A couple squirts, roll it around for a couple minutes and drain. No rinse unless you want to.
I also use it to sanitize my glass carboys, yeast jars, starter jugs etc.

MikeinRH said:

Hey, Maine Homebrewer ... How was the ABV with that moldy batch! Ha!

Yep. It's always a safe bet to sanitize Kegs with Star San. I usually clean my kegs with 3 tbs of PBW and dry upside down (with cap removed) until needed. Immediately prior to siphoning beer to keg, I sanitize the keg, remove the dip tube and in/out valves w/poppets and sanitize and replace those as well. I locate the cap and separate the o-ring, soak both in sanitizer and keep them in sanitizer until keg is full. Then I seal the cap and gas IMMEDIATELY. Any air in the keg (not replaced by Co2) can oxidize the batch and cause some horrific flavors. I can't imagine ever bottling beer again. Bottles of beer given to friends never seem to find their way back.

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+ 1 on everything you said.

I have never infected a batch pre or post fermentation...I hope cause I clean & sanitize constantly.  Brewers add some unsanitized ingredients post fermentation...hops I can understand somewhat cause of their antibacterial properties, but what about wood chips, fruit, spices, etc.  What about aging in barrels?  What steps do these processes incorporate to prevent infection?  Thanks

KernelCrush said:

but what about wood chips, fruit, spices, etc.  What about aging in barrels?  What steps do these processes incorporate to prevent infection?  Thanks

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Wood chips should be soaked in a neutral spirit like vodka or grain alcohol or steamed in the microwave for several minutes.  Spices are generally added late inthe boil and are pretty much free of beer spoiling bacteria. 

Fruits can be covered with beer spoiling bacteria (or divine creatures making awesome sour beer depending on your perspective).
Added to the boil late works but reduced the fruit flavors and increases the risks of haze.  It can be pasteurized or come from a sanitary source like puree in a can.  Usually, it is added a to the secondary aging vessel, where there is alcohol to kill off a lot of the bugs. Still, fruits should be cleaned exceptionally well before using.  Some folks soak fruit in campden tablets (potassium metabisulfide) to kill off any creatures.  Additionally, it is best to freeze fruits before using to extract the most flavor.

Barrels are cleaned and use sulfur dioxide to keep sanitized.  After use, they are cleaned and often filled with water with citric acid and potassium metabisulfite to keep sanitized and from drying out.  Sodium carbonate is used to clean infected barrels.

Added to the boil late works but reduced the fruit flavors and increases the risks of haze.

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Pectic enzymes, found in the wine section of the homebrew store, can take care of the haze.

Wow ! Thanks Jome for taking the time for a complete answer.  Havent messed with adding anything to secondary yet except hops... listened to Jamils fruit & spice beer podcasts today.  Lots of info.