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Author Topic: Kegorator faucet taste vs Beer Gun filled Bottle taste  (Read 3670 times)

Offline jasongael

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Kegorator faucet taste vs Beer Gun filled Bottle taste
« on: August 21, 2014, 09:07:50 am »
Equipment: Corny Keg, Kegorator w/faucet, Beer Gun (gas spliced off CO2 line), and CO2 tank.

Problem: Beer coming out of faucet always tastes a bit metallic maybe? or just not exactly right... carb?

But when I fill bottles (any size) with the beer gun, cap them, and drink them a few days later, they always taste absolutely perfect!

I've disassembled, cleaned, and sterilized all the lines and fixtures to no avail. My carbonation process is force carb at 30PSI for 24-48 hours with rolling here and there, then reduce pressure to 10PSI and 7PSI for serving. No sugar involved.

Any / all advice is much appreciated! :)
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Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Kegorator faucet taste vs Beer Gun filled Bottle taste
« Reply #1 on: August 21, 2014, 09:18:32 am »
Is everything on the kegorator Stainless Steel?

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Offline jasongael

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Re: Kegorator faucet taste vs Beer Gun filled Bottle taste
« Reply #2 on: August 21, 2014, 09:28:00 am »
Well, the only thing that touches the beer is the line connected to the keg, and that goes to the faucet which is standard. Not sure if it's stainless or not.
"May your glass be ever full, may the roof over your head be always strong, and may you be in heaven a half-hour before the devil knows you're dead."

We'll drink to that.

Offline mattybrass

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Re: Kegorator faucet taste vs Beer Gun filled Bottle taste
« Reply #3 on: August 21, 2014, 09:32:12 am »
most likely the faucet, shank, or both are not stainless. Chrome ones can chip over time. Did you build it or buy it?

Offline jasongael

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Re: Kegorator faucet taste vs Beer Gun filled Bottle taste
« Reply #4 on: August 21, 2014, 09:59:43 am »
It is brand new bought. It's had this taste from the beginning. I think it must be something to do with force carb. This is only my 6th batch.
"May your glass be ever full, may the roof over your head be always strong, and may you be in heaven a half-hour before the devil knows you're dead."

We'll drink to that.

Offline narcout

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Re: Kegorator faucet taste vs Beer Gun filled Bottle taste
« Reply #5 on: August 21, 2014, 10:42:36 am »
most likely the faucet, shank, or both are not stainless.

This was my first thought as well, though I believe it takes time for beer to eat through chrome.  I have heard stories of people disassembling their kegerators after a few months to find that all chrome had been dissolved.

If you're working with a draft tower, you can buy stainless steel elbow shanks from micromatic.

http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/taps-faucets-pid-4329AS-3E-304.html

Also, if you are using standard rear seal faucets, consider upgrading to Perlick forward sealing faucets (all stainless).  They eliminate sticky/stuck taps, and are pretty much just awesome all around.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/perlick-630ss-forward-sealing-beer-faucet.html

You can find them for a much better price if you shop around.

Is is possible the beer is picking up an off flavor from the liquid lines?  I've had issues before with new lines where the beer that sits in them between pours picks up sort of a rubbery chemical off flavor.  It wouldn't explain the difference between beer dispensed from your taps and the beergun though (unless maybe you are clearing out that ounce of two of line beer before using the gun and you aren't doing that when pouring from the taps).
Sometimes you just can't get enough - JAMC

Offline morticaixavier

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Re: Kegorator faucet taste vs Beer Gun filled Bottle taste
« Reply #6 on: August 21, 2014, 12:44:29 pm »
except he says it tastes perfect after bottling from the keg.

I say it's carbonic bite which can taste kind of metallic. When you bottle from the keg it knocks the edge of the carbonation and after it equalizes it tastes good again.

if it were leaching from metal or infection it wouldn't get better after a few days in the bottle
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Offline narcout

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Re: Kegorator faucet taste vs Beer Gun filled Bottle taste
« Reply #7 on: August 21, 2014, 01:24:57 pm »
Is the beer excessively carbonated?  Does it taste ok if you fill a glass from the tap and let it settle for a bit?

I thought the whole point of the beer gun is that you aren't supposed to lose a lot of carbonation when bottling.

if it were leaching from metal or infection it wouldn't get better after a few days in the bottle

Unless the off flavor is coming from the shank or the faucet which are being bypassed when bottling from the beergun (though it does seem a bit early in the life of the kegerator for leaching). 
Sometimes you just can't get enough - JAMC

Offline morticaixavier

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Re: Kegorator faucet taste vs Beer Gun filled Bottle taste
« Reply #8 on: August 21, 2014, 01:42:25 pm »

if it were leaching from metal or infection it wouldn't get better after a few days in the bottle

Unless the off flavor is coming from the shank or the faucet which are being bypassed when bottling from the beergun (though it does seem a bit early in the life of the kegerator for leaching).

ahh good point.
"Creativity is the residue of wasted time"
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Offline mattybrass

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Re: Kegorator faucet taste vs Beer Gun filled Bottle taste
« Reply #9 on: August 21, 2014, 02:04:16 pm »
I would recommend changing out the shank/faucet for SS. Id wager that is the issue, especially if they are cheap.

Changing them for SS will benefit you in lots of other ways mainly longevity of the parts themselves.

Offline jasongael

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Re: Kegorator faucet taste vs Beer Gun filled Bottle taste
« Reply #10 on: September 10, 2014, 12:27:52 pm »
Closing the loop on this thread, I saw a video by the guy from www.cellardweller.net about creating a beer line cleaner out of a hand-pump garden sprayer from home depot, modified to have a corny keg post on the end of the hose. Filled it with hot water and cleaner mix, pressurized, connected to beer line of faucet, ran through clean for a while. Then, filled it with Iodophor sanitizer mix, and ran it til it came through, let it sit, then disconnected line cleaner, re-connected keg beer line, ran through til all beer coming out, and beer tastes great now.

absolutely awesome homemade beerline cleaner for super-cheap and no wasted of CO2!

Jason
"May your glass be ever full, may the roof over your head be always strong, and may you be in heaven a half-hour before the devil knows you're dead."

We'll drink to that.

Offline Stevie

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Re: Kegorator faucet taste vs Beer Gun filled Bottle taste
« Reply #11 on: September 10, 2014, 05:19:34 pm »
I built one of those a while back. Love it. Before cleaning lines required a clean keg, now it's a liter of water and tablespoon of blc.

Offline duboman

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Re: Kegorator faucet taste vs Beer Gun filled Bottle taste
« Reply #12 on: September 11, 2014, 05:30:39 am »
+1!
Made one of those for about $10 and it's the greatest thing since sliced cheese
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BurghBeezer

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Re: Kegorator faucet taste vs Beer Gun filled Bottle taste
« Reply #13 on: September 28, 2014, 01:21:55 pm »
Closing the loop on this thread, I saw a video by the guy from www.cellardweller.net about creating a beer line cleaner out of a hand-pump garden sprayer from home depot, modified to have a corny keg post on the end of the hose. Filled it with hot water and cleaner mix, pressurized, connected to beer line of faucet, ran through clean for a while. Then, filled it with Iodophor sanitizer mix, and ran it til it came through, let it sit, then disconnected line cleaner, re-connected keg beer line, ran through til all beer coming out, and beer tastes great now.

absolutely awesome homemade beerline cleaner for super-cheap and no wasted of CO2!

Jason

Any more specifics on where on that site I can find this?  Thanks
NVM
Anyone else looking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YK1-7mHk48
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XS3Auf4INo
« Last Edit: September 28, 2014, 01:35:54 pm by BurghBeezer »

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Kegorator faucet taste vs Beer Gun filled Bottle taste
« Reply #14 on: September 28, 2014, 01:46:23 pm »

Also, if you are using standard rear seal faucets, consider upgrading to Perlick forward sealing faucets (all stainless).  They eliminate sticky/stuck taps, and are pretty much just awesome all around.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/perlick-630ss-forward-sealing-beer-faucet.html


^^^^^^^^^^.  I have a 630SS as well. Great investment. I used to have a rear seal chrome faucet  -they're crap. It would get sticky and seize up if I didn't pour a beer every 3 days, hard to clean, etc. Buying this faucet, using BLC twice a year and changing the line every year TOTALLY got rid of the issues for me.
Jon H.