shortyjacobs

Recipes 

My starsan doesn't really foam. I get a thin film of foam, maybe an inch or so if i'm lucky in the bottom of my carboy....racking onto it, I never get a snake, it never even comes close to the top of the carboy...and this is while using the "cheap and easy aeration" gadget!

As far as I know, my water isn't excessively hard, (though it's not soft either)....it's city water, last i checked around 200 ppm caco3 or something like that....

So why no foam? Is it still effective?

SavageSteve

Recipes 

How hard are you shaking the StarSan? You gotta shake to get the foam.

Also, how much volume are you putting into the carboy? Maybe you're not putting enough in to get the epic foam?

-Steve

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On Deck: Jamil's Vanilla Robust Porter
Fermenting: Orange Blossom Mead
Kegs: Element 56 Pale Ale, Ron's Belgian Blonde, Summer'n Saison, Furloughktoberfest '09, Grateful Pale Ale, Sam Adams Cream Stout Clone, EdWort's Apfelwein
Planning: n/a

dontman

Recipes 

Are you adding water? You shouldn't have an inch just sitting in the bottom, you should be draining that out before you rack into the carboy. The foam that people refer to is the stuff that fills the carboy after draining.

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On Tap: 1. Kelly R. IPA, 2. Roter Hund Hefeweizen, 3. Bud Killer Blonde, 4. Red Dog Pale, 5. Roter Hund Oktoberfest, 6. Pumpkin Ale, 7. McRed's Stout (with new nitro system and stout tap,) Cream Soda, 8. ESB # 3, & 9. Ordinary Bitter.

Grizzlybrew

Recipes 

This may be a stupid question, but why do you want it to foam? I know it's a no-rinse solution, but I always rinse briefly and the foam takes forever to get out of the carboy. A real pima.

I just read in John Palmer's How to Brew yesterday that Starsan gets cloudy when it is no longer effective... just in time to notice my three week old carboy getting cloudy.

I guess the foam does make it easier to clean more surface area with less product. I mix a little thick - 1/2 oz to 2 gal and have plenty of foam, especially when splashing alot.

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On Deck
perhaps a line of single hop IPA's - there's so many new hops out there!!!

shortyjacobs

Recipes 

So, I put 1 oz in a 5 gal bucket, fill with 5 gal of water, and use that for everything. I dump stuff in there to sanitize. I fill my two spray bottles out of there to spray the living shiznit out of everything as I go, I dump about 1/2 gallon into my carboy and shake it around a bit to wet the inside of the carboy down, then dump it out.

Just curious why I only get some slight suds, and other people have 5 foot foam snakes?

I know not to fear the foam, but should I fear not HAVING foam??

dontman

Recipes 

Sounds like you are doing fine with the stuff. I wouldn't fear the non-foam. I would actually appreciate the non-foam because a 5 ft foam snake is a big mess and kind of a pain to clean up.

(Just a tip - I only make a gallon or so of star san solution when starting my brew (or bottling) day. It is plenty enough. 5 gallons seems way excessive. Why so much?)

__________________
On Tap: 1. Kelly R. IPA, 2. Roter Hund Hefeweizen, 3. Bud Killer Blonde, 4. Red Dog Pale, 5. Roter Hund Oktoberfest, 6. Pumpkin Ale, 7. McRed's Stout (with new nitro system and stout tap,) Cream Soda, 8. ESB # 3, & 9. Ordinary Bitter.

shortyjacobs

Recipes 

5 gallons because that's the size of the bucket, and that's the size of the 1 oz measuring thingie on the starsan bottle....

Plus, having a larger volume makes it easier to sanitize things like autosiphons, siphon tubing, brew paddles, etc....

I figure it's 15 bucks for 32 oz, and 1 oz per batch, so 50 cents a batch for plenty upon plenty of starsan....easy insurance

SavageSteve

Recipes 

I don't fear the foam, but I certainly appreciate no-foam! I try to minimize the foam I leave behind in carboys and kegs.

I, too, make up 5 gallons at a time and keep it in a bucket in the kitchen. Easy to dunk stuff in it and draw off a quart or so when needed.

-Steve

__________________
On Deck: Jamil's Vanilla Robust Porter
Fermenting: Orange Blossom Mead
Kegs: Element 56 Pale Ale, Ron's Belgian Blonde, Summer'n Saison, Furloughktoberfest '09, Grateful Pale Ale, Sam Adams Cream Stout Clone, EdWort's Apfelwein
Planning: n/a

Grizzlybrew

Recipes 

Not to rub salt in... But, according to John Palmer, the foam is just as effective at sanitizing as the liquid. That means a very small amount (with adequate foam) could be used to clean a variety of items.

Instead of a beer trade - you and I need to do a foam trade, shorty!

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On Deck
perhaps a line of single hop IPA's - there's so many new hops out there!!!

springer

Recipes 

I dont get the foam either .I mix up 6ml to a gallon of distilled water I use it in a hand sprayer and a garden sprayer . I just coat the inside of the carboy/corny with maybe a quart of starsan and swish it around a few times let it sit and do it again till the inside is all coated then dump it back into the sprayer. It foams a little but not all that much .

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