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If there’s one place where bacteria love to hide, it’s inside your hoses. Because you can’t scrub the inside of a two‑meter flexible tube, these conduits quickly become the primary source of contamination in a brewery if their maintenance is neglected.
A simple rinse with water is not enough: wort and beer leave deposits of proteins, sugars, and yeast that rapidly form a protective biofilm for bacteria.
Fortunately, depending on your hose material, there are simple and highly effective techniques to restore perfect hygiene. To keep your lines in top condition, here is our guide to cleaning your hoses.
1. Flexible hoses (Silicone & PVC): The art of soaking and immediate rinsing
Whether they carry hot wort or beer during transfer, silicone and PVC hoses undergo heavy organic stress. The golden rule for these hoses is to never let wort dry inside them. Rinse them immediately with hot water after use, then follow this protocol:
- Cleaning phase (Organic): Prepare a solution of Enzybrew 10 or Chemipro Wash diluted in hot water (around 50°C). Fully submerge your hoses in a basin or bucket containing this solution for 15 to 30 minutes. If you have a brewing pump, the ideal method is to recirculate the product in a closed loop for 10 minutes. The enzymes will digest and detach sugar and protein residues without any mechanical effort.
- Sanitation phase (Disinfection): Right before your next brew day, rinse your hoses with clean water, then soak or circulate a no‑rinse sanitizer such as Oxibrew (diluted cold). Let them drain: your hoses are ready and perfectly sanitary.
2. Beer and CO₂ lines (EVA Barrier & John Guest): Cleaning under pressure
Beer draft lines (kegerator, tap system) and gas lines are very narrow (often 4 mm to 8 mm inner diameter) and semi‑rigid. It is therefore impossible to clean them by gravity or bend them into a bucket. Additionally, finished beer that stagnates inside can create “beer stone” (calcium oxalate deposits) and harbor wild yeast.
- The pressure method: To clean these lines, CO₂ pressure or a small manual cleaning pump is used. Fill a cleaning keg (or a dedicated Soda Keg) with a hot solution of Enzybrew 10 or draft‑line cleaner.
- The protocol: Push this solution through your draft system under pressure until it exits through the tap. Let it sit for 10 minutes inside the line, then rinse thoroughly with clean water by pushing water through. Finish by pushing a solution of Oxibrew to disinfect the line before connecting your next keg.
3. Glycol hoses: Specific mineral maintenance
The hoses connecting your glycol chiller to the cooling jackets of your fermenters never carry beer or wort. They only contain a mixture of water and propylene glycol. The risk of bacterial infection is therefore zero, but another enemy lurks: limescale and mineral oxidation.
- Why clean them? Over time, water in the circuit can create limescale deposits or slight sludge inside hoses and heat‑exchange plates, drastically reducing cooling efficiency.
- Descaling protocol: Once or twice a year, drain your glycol circuit and circulate a mild acid solution, such as Desana Acid or a suitable acidic descaler, mixed with warm water for 20 to 30 minutes. This dissolves accumulated limescale. Rinse thoroughly with clean water before refilling your circuit with fresh water‑glycol mixture.
4. Summary table of cleaning methods
Here is a quick overview of cleaning frequencies and products to use depending on hose type:
| Hose type | Frequency | Cleaning product | Application method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silicone & PVC (Hot/Cold side) | After every brew | Enzybrew 10 then Oxibrew | Full soaking or active pump recirculation. |
| Draft lines (EVA Barrier) | Every 2–3 weeks (or between kegs) | Enzybrew 10 or beer‑line cleaner | Pressurized CO₂ push via cleaning keg. |
| Glycol hoses (Cooling) | 1–2 times per year | Desana Acid / Acidic descaler | Glycol drain and acid recirculation to remove limescale. |
Rolling Beers Team Tips
Ban metal bottle brushes inside your hoses! One might think that vigorous mechanical scrubbing is the best solution for cleaning a dirty hose. In reality, it’s a very bad idea. The stiff bristles and metal core of bottle brushes create micro‑scratches invisible to the naked eye on the inner walls of silicone and PVC hoses. These scratches become true “five‑star hotels” for bacteria and wild yeast, which settle there beyond the reach of surface sanitizers. Always favor gentle chemical action (the enzymes in Enzybrew 10 work wonders without scrubbing), and if a hose remains stubbornly stained or opaque after cleaning, don’t hesitate to replace it periodically.