Beer can be corrosive to the tanks and fluid lines used in the brewing process, and it can be corrosive to the brewery building too. Several common problems, causes and solutions will be discussed here in the hope that this information will help both micro and homebrewers. Beer and Concrete. Let's start at the ground level with the concrete floors found in most commercial breweries. Beer acts as a weak acid, dissolving the lime in the concrete.
Bacteria can grow in the porosity of the concrete feeding off the sugars that soak in.
Once bacteria becomes entrenched, it can only be removed by removing the contaminated concrete. This bio-fouling can lead to spalling and cracking of the concrete, particularly if the seepage can reach the steel rebar. Steel in contact with concrete will rapidly corrode in the presence of moisture. In both cases, the solution is to coat the floors and rebar with waterproof epoxies. There are several types of epoxies available, including polyamide epoxies that will cure in high humidity, cool temperature areas.