As informed by the Brewers Association, in order to prevent the formation of biofilm on all internal surfaces of draft systems, beer lines should be cleaned with an electric recirculating pump once every 14 days, aka once every two weeks.This is the researched and proven guideline to prevent biofilm that affects taste, causes foaming issues, and leads to wasted product. Reducing the cleaning frequency and/or static cleaning the system with a pressurized cleaning canister will cause the growth of a biofilm much sooner, resulting in a shorter life out of your draft system, flaking into the product, off flavors, and more foam. Additionally, it's very important to note that biofilms are composed of primarily bacteria, which reproduce through binary fission, the process of one bacteria cell dividing itself into two bacterial cells, which then divide into four cells, then 8, etc. This results in roughly exponential bacterial growth not linear. This means if draft lines are not cleaned every 14 days, the amount of bacterial growth achieved in the first 14 days after a line cleaning would happen again in the next 7 days, and at a continued increasing rate after that. The problem gets far worse far faster. Please view the attached growth curve from the Brewers Association Draft Quality Manual to help illustrate this concept.

Draft beer lines develop a complex buildup of microorganisms that create a protective film layer on the internal surfaces of the draft system. When this occurs, draft systems may begin imparting off-flavors into the product, pouring inconsistently, foaming excessively, and growing bacteria, yeast, or mold on system hardware. These all lead to a decline in product quality, thereby reducing the value for your customers and potentially causing customers to complain or not return to drink at your establishment.

The two most common causes of foam in a draft system is temperature or pressure. Temperature:If the systems in place to cool your kegs and/or beer lines (Glycol Chiller, Walk-in cooler) break down or run too warm, this will cause your beer to pour foamy and hot. Beer poured from your system should measure around 39-42 degrees Fahrenheit when in the glass immediately after pouring. If the measured temperature of a freshly poured beer is warmer than this, it is likely to be a cooling issue causing your foam. Pressure:Draft systems may use pure CO2 gas, blended gas, mechanical pumps, or some combination of these to push beer from the cooler to the faucet. Over time, the pressure regulators controlling this balance may fall out of the original range, or be tampered with, causing inappropriate gas pressures to be sent to the keg. When this happens, beer may go foamy from being under-pressurized, over-pressurized, or over-carbonated.If you have foaming beer lines, please reach out to Drafthound and we can troubleshoot over the phone or come visit in person to resolve these foaming issues!

Absolutely. Even slightly dirty lines can give beer a sour, buttery, or stale taste. Clean lines are critical to serving beer the way it was intended.