Getting ready to keg a sour

[brewprint]

Our brew club did a barrel project for a sour. I'm very much looking forward to having this on tap.

My question is about putting it in the keezer. I realize that I need to have a separate beer line dedicated to the sour beer. Also, I was just going to have a dedicated keg as well.

There is a possibility that we're going to do a solera in which case I will use a 3 gallon keg. My keezer has 4 taps and room for a 3 gallon but I only have 4 handles. The other keg would just be a picnic faucet and I would just open the lid.

Would that be a problem with a picnic tap just sitting on top of the keg in the keezer?

Also, if I just used one of the stainless handles, is there any issues cleaning metal? Also the keg? I know for the keg and also the handle I would need new gaskets but is cleaning the keg an issue with just oxiclean like how I clean everything else?

 

[Weezy]

Heat is your friend.

I have a 4 tap kee zer and my fourth tap is usually a sour. If you're planning to alternate that tap, then I'd recommend this:
1. Anything that is plastic, put a dedicated set together for sours and store it in another room when not in use. Label it with some red electrical tape.
2. Anything that is metal or rubber, *sanitize* in boiling water. Tap parts and keg parts, orings, put in small pot that you boiled a few cups of water in. For keg, poor a gallon of boiling water into it swirl it around (do it outside with some oven mitts or fire gloves).

 

[redllama]

Can't help you directly in terms of what you would need to change for sour beer but sitting a picnic tap on top of the keg in the keezer shouldn't be an issue. That's been my setup for the last 6 months as I'm in transition from one keezer to a built in kegerator after our move and I've had no issues

 

[brewprint]

Heat is your friend.

I have a 4 tap kee zer and my fourth tap is usually a sour. If you're planning to alternate that tap, then I'd recommend this:
1. Anything that is plastic, put a dedicated set together for sours and store it in another room when not in use. Label it with some red electrical tape.
2. Anything that is metal or rubber, sterilize in boiling water. Tap parts and keg parts, orings, put in small pot that you boiled a few cups of water in. For keg, poor a gallon of boiling water into it swirl it around (do it outside with some oven mitts or fire gloves).

Why boil? My understanding is that sanitizer does basically the same thing as boiling. Boiling won't sterilize and sanitizer won't either, they just sanitize. To sterilize the temp has to be above boiling using steam.

Am I right or wrong here?

 

[brewprint]

Can't help you directly in terms of what you would need to change for sour beer but sitting a picnic tap on top of the keg in the keezer shouldn't be an issue. That's been my setup for the last 6 months as I'm in transition from one keezer to a built in kegerator after our move and I've had no issues

I've done this as well before I had handles. My concern is with the bacteria on the end of the picnic tap.

 

[Weezy]

Heat penetrates. Star San isn't going to get into the micro cracks of the rubber orings or micro crevices on SS threads or welds. This is why everyone says use a second set of hoses etc for sours.

I should have typed sanitized.

 

[brewprint]

Okay got it.