Barrell not compleatly clean

[cask is best]

Hi all.

Sterilized my barrel yesterday with solution and warm water. Solution recommends 10 minutes but i gave it 20.Gave it a good rinse out with cold water. It's then i noticed several brown spots at the bottom. I rinsed it some more but to no avail they would not budge.I have only used the barrel once and that was nearly a year ago so it seems when i finished the barrel of early this year washed it out some of the beer had not removed from the barrel and have stained it. Problem i had then was i had 40 pints of dark ale ready and waiting to be syphoned into the barrel.With no other barrel and no bottles ready i had to take a chance and syphoned the brew into the barrel, now I'm thinking will the beer be okay or will it be ruined.

:pray:

 

[Runwell-Steve]

Barrels can get stained, thats not too much of a problem, but brown spots doesn't really sound like staining.

You don't mention what you cleaned it with, I would imagine though you sanitised it rather than sterilised it, I'm not aware of anything you can buy that you can mix with warm water that will actually sterilise.

If it hadn't been used for a while and wasn't clean I would start with a solution of Oxy cleaner and very hot water and leave it to soak for a couple of hours, maybe longer to get it clean.

I would then give it a good rinse out and finally a rinse with a no rinse sanitiser prior to using.

You might be lucky and get away with it, only time will tell.

 

[matchles1]

im almost sure you beer will be ok as you have had a solution in it, when you have drunk your beer try soaking it with a bit of bleach and water. :

 

[TheMumbler]

All you can do now is wait and see, so fingers crossed it is just a stain.

I have found that some unscented oxy and a microfibre cloth are useful for cleaning my budget barrel. I check that the tap is shut and then put in a scoop of oxy followed by a couple of litres of very hot, but not boiling water in give it a quick shake and then stuff a microfibre cloth into the barrel, put the cap on and give it a really good shake. I try to make sure that the cloth gets flung into all of the interior surfaces a few times. Make sure you use a soft cloth as you don't want to scratch the plastic. Vent the barrel frequently as the oxy will release a lot of gas. I then give it a good rinse and spray with some starsan. You should also take the tap apart and give that a good clean if you want to minimise your risk of infection.

Seems to get the barrel pretty clean. If you have a king keg or similar you can get your hand in which I imagine makes life easier.

You can get oxy bleach and microfibre cloths for not a lot from wilkos, pound shops and other cheapo stores. Mine normally come from homebargains.

 

[periolus]

Clean with very hot water and some oxy cleaner, and then sterilise with Milton fluid (food-safe) with a higher concentration of 15 whole caps for the full barrel. Leave for 20 minutes or so then rinse as normal. Should be fine.

 

[cask is best]

Thanks for all the tips and advice Guys. Much appreciated.

When i have finished with a barrel i rinse it out then get some hot water and fairy liquid in to clean it out inside.
The cloth in the barrel sounds like a good idea. :thumb:

I use Youngs brew steriliser & cleaner. For a 25 litre barrel it says dissolve 3 to 4 teaspoons of powder into 10 litres of warm water slosh it around and it's done in 10 minutes. Been using it for the last 4 brews Iv made up with no problems. I don't know if it's a sanitizer or steriliser i put steriliser because that's what it says on the box so i presumed it was a steriliser

 

[shearclass]

I would start with a solution of Oxy cleaner

Do you mean the stuff for washing clothes?

 

[Runwell-Steve]

Yes, thats the stuff.

 

[eggman]

I use Youngs brew steriliser & cleaner.

I started out using the Youngs stuff but i now use VWP and i find i get much better results, it seems to lift the crude off better. When i'm cleaning a barrel out i give it a good rinse out first, then fill with warm water, 4-5 teaspoons of vwp and leave overnight :

 

[cask is best]

I seem quite happy with the Youngs powder eggman although the price of it escapes me it's a 500g tub should last me around oh i don't know 2 dozen brews. When i use it for bottles all my bottles go in the dishwasher on the hottest cycle 75c for around one and three quarter hours including a hot dry. i put the powder in the tablet dispenser and there done.
With the barrel i put 3 to 4 teaspoons in the barrel swirl it around occasionally and in ten minutes it's done so that saves me leaving any thing over night.
:

 

[cask is best]

Following up from my opening post i thought now the ale has had 6 days in the barrel i would just draw off a tumbler to see how it's progressing. I expected a whoosh from the tap and it to be all gassed up but i opened the tap and it just filled the tumbler and was flat. It tasted as if it was on it's way IE it was okay not foul or off. Can anyone tell me if the barrel should be gassed up with pressure by now or Am i to keen or have i had my first failure.

Thanks all.

 

[Wendy1971]

we had a fv same problem looks like a rust stain soak with 3 scoops oxi action and thin bleach overnight in hot water the stain should be gone in the morning. Rinse with very hot water and then sterilise before use :thumb:

 

[cask is best]

Thanks Wendy 1971. Err i have a slight problem 40 pints in barrel now just fingers crossed now. Thanks for the tip thou and will execute once the beer is finished or if ruined and i throw away will do soon.

Reagrds.
C.I.B

 

[Wendy1971]

No problem glad to help :thumb:

 

[cask is best]

: I'm only on here tonight as tuther half is watching strictly.

 

[Wendy1971]

:sick: sorry

 

[eggman]

Can anyone tell me if the barrel should be gassed up with pressure by now

All the brews i've had in kegs usually have pressure after a couple of days in the warm, i leave them for a week still tho.
The only time i've had similar problems is when my lid washer had deformed, i would keep it the warm for a couple more days then tweak the rubber on the gas relief valve to see if you've got pressure. Good luck with the brew :

 

[cask is best]

Can anyone tell me if the barrel should be gassed up with pressure by now

All the brews i've had in kegs usually have pressure after a couple of days in the warm, i leave them for a week still tho.
The only time i've had similar problems is when my lid washer had deformed, i would keep it the warm for a couple more days then tweak the rubber on the gas relief valve to see if you've got pressure. Good luck with the brew :

Hi Eggman.

I noticed the washer in my lid had deformed too so i swapped it with a good one. Just tried it now and there's still no pressure On the plus side it tastes quite nice already. I was wandering if i just gas it up with a spark let every time i have a session it might do the trick :hmm: If not I'll just have to drink it from a pewter tankard instead of a clear glass when i sup it

 

[eggman]

I would get some gas in there asap mate, as you say you might have to gas it up as you're drinking it. Just don't let it glug air in or you'll have to drink it quick :shock:
How much sugar did you use to prime and did you use some vaseline to lub the thread on the lid?

:

 

[periolus]

Having just read the last post on this thread, I think I might have a barrel problem ALL the time. When a barrel is working correctly, should the beer just flow out continuously? Most of mine come out VERY slowly and you hear bubbling sounds in between small outpourings of beer. It looks like how my prostate might affect me in later life!!

Does that mean the seal is not good and it is taking air in? How should it be?