08/25/2026
Welcome to the inside of a caked draft b**r line. 🍺
There are two different types of b**r tubing pictured here.
The first is a thick poly barrier line with a glass like inner barrier designed to protect the flavor and integrity of the b**r.
The second is clear vinyl jumper line, which connects the keg coupler to the rest of the draft system. Clear vinyl gives us a great visual into what is happening inside the system, but over time it can stain, pit, absorb flavors, and deteriorate.
And sometimes cleaning is no longer enough.
The Brewers Association recommends cleaning draft lines every 14 days, quarterly acid cleaning, and regularly disassembling and cleaning faucets and couplers. They also recommend keeping vinyl tubing less than two years old and barrier tubing less than ten years old. Tubing should remain free of sediment, cloudiness, and discoloration.
Typically, quality barrier line can be cleaned back to like new when it has been properly maintained.
This system was well beyond that point.
We cut sections of the old tubing open so you can see exactly what was hiding inside. The buildup and staining were significant enough that cleaning alone wasn’t the answer.
So we tore it out and replaced it.
That final photo is the finished system with new b**r lines and new jumper lines installed and ready to pour.
This is why preventative maintenance matters.
Clean it every two weeks. Inspect the entire system. Replace tubing when it is no longer serviceable. And clean the entire b**r path from keg to glass.
Because you may not be able to see the inside of your draft system, but your b**r touches it every single pour. 🍺
**r **r
