Newest Threads

**AZ_IPA** · 10-22-2012, 04:47 AM

I had a tub of starsan (pH < 3) that had a few dead fruit flies floating in it.

I know the evils of those little flies and the acetobacteria they can carry, but was wondering if starsan effectively kills it?

tektonjp · 10-22-2012, 09:57 AM

If it were me, I'd chuck it. Why risk it? It's a sanitizer, not a sterilizer? I mean, if you dropped a dog turd in a bucket of starsan, what would you do with it? It's to sanitize things that are already clean, not to clean things that are unsanitized. Dump it, says I.

**s4l** · 10-22-2012, 10:56 AM

I agree with tektonjp. Why risk it?

**OG2620** · 10-22-2012, 11:20 AM

So if Starsan doesn't work. How do you sanitize the bucket after you pitch the fruit fly Starsan

**unionrdr** · 10-22-2012, 11:47 AM

I had most of a case of dirty,nasty bottles I cleaned yesterday that had fruit flies,etc in them. I rinsed them out,filled with water again,then scrubed vigorously with my bottle brush. Then filled each to the shoulder with very hot,steamy water to the shoulder to soak for 30 minutes.
Then scrubbed & rinsed again,onto the bottle tree to dry. They'll get starsan on bottling day in a couple of weeks. That usually does it.
I'm starting to think even newly emptied & rinsed bottles can have solid crud in small amounts lodged in the crevaces of the bottle bottom. Last to batches didn't carb well,but conditioning temps were also to blame. Not even shaking & warming helped much.
This time,I'm going to be more anal about clean bottles.

**AZ_IPA** · 10-22-2012, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OG2620

So if Starsan doesn't work. How do you sanitize the bucket after you pitch the fruit fly Starsan

Yeah, that's kinda my point.

The "tub" I use is actually my sink in the laundry room. So, if I drain the "fruit fly starsan" and replace with fresh starsan, have I really accomplished anything?

I was just sanitizing some brewing equipment and bottling equipment the other day and have a few suicidal flies dive bomb in. I removed them pretty quick, so it's not like they were sitting in there for days/weeks.

I guess the question is: does starsan kill acetobacteria as effective as other bacteria that may be undesirable in beer?

theredben · 10-22-2012, 09:37 PM

Yes, your star-san is still effective if the pH is 3. End of story. It does not matter if a fruit fly fell in, as it is a bucket of sanitizer. Do you realize how many bacteria, bacterial spores, fungal spores, and wild yeast cells are falling into an open bucket every second? If star-san was inactivated by stuff falling into it, it would not be shelf-stable after being mixed. With a sanitizer like hydrogen peroxide (read One-Step), you would not be able to trust it, as H2O2 is used up as it encounters organic matter. Star-san is not used up by organic matter, and that is why you can keep re-using it as long as the pH does no rise drastically.