Tap’in, the drinks logistics specialist, has announced the launch of a new dedicated keg washing service, designed to give brewers additional capacity, flexibility, and contingency during peak periods. 

The new facility has been built in response to recurring challenges Tap’in has seen across brewery operations: poor keg utilisation, rising peak demand, limited space on site, and a lack of back-up options when keg washers are offline.

While many breweries have robust systems in place, pressure often shows up when growth, downtime, or seasonal spikes push existing infrastructure close to its limits. 

The service also creates a new opportunity for London-based brewers who don’t have their own keg washing facilities and currently rely on long-distance washing or hired clean kegs as part of their operation. 

Rather than positioning keg washing as a replacement for in-house systems, Tap’In’s approach is deliberately different, the company said.

“Most breweries don’t need outsourced keg washing every week,” said Dan Ausling, managing director at Tap’in. “But many benefit from having a pressure-release option when things get tight, whether that’s during peak demand, unexpected downtime, or periods where growth outpaces infrastructure. This service is about backup, not replacement.” 

The facility, located just 5 miles from East London, is live and fully operational, featuring a high-specification keg washer, supplied by Lambrechts that uses CO₂ rather than nitrogen and cleans to 15 parts per billion. A level of cleanliness significantly beyond what many standard systems typically achieve. The specification has been chosen to support quality-sensitive operations while ensuring consistency and reliability at scale. 

For breweries that currently hire kegs cleaned, the new service also opens up the potential to hire kegs dirty and have them cleaned locally, reducing handling, transport, and overall cost. By shortening the distance kegs need to travel for washing, Tap’in aims to reduce turnaround pressure and improve operational efficiency, particularly during busy periods. 

Tap’In’s keg washing capability sits naturally alongside its existing logistics operation, which already handles the movement of kegs in and out of London venues every day. The company sees keg washing as a logical extension of the logistics loop, from brewery to venue and back again. 

“This isn’t about encouraging breweries to change what already works,” added Ausling. “It’s about making sure there’s a reliable option in place before pressure builds and giving brewers more choice in how they manage their keg operations.”