Beards

[StillandSilent]

I don't know if this belongs in food or grooming! Neon is the first dog I've ever had with a scruffy little beard. It's absolutly adorable, but it catches food and is generally kind of stinky, no matter how clean the rest of him is.
Today, I gave him his first raw meal, and his beard got extremely gross. He is very kissy dog, and I do not want his salmonella kisses. I washed him off as best I could, but short of a full out scrub, I still feel a little skeevy about letting him kiss me.
Any tips on beard mantainence from more knowledgable people? I hate to cut it off.