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Jonnio · 01-31-2009, 08:06 PM

I am still confounded by the "star san is expensive" argument.

I mix up a 2 1/2 gallon batch about every 2 months. At the rate I am going my container of star san will outlive me, so if it is adding $.05 a batch I would be shocked.

billtzk · 02-05-2009, 05:00 AM

I agree Star San is not really expensive if you save and reuse it. It does last a long time.

I think many of us who don't like the foam are not fearful of it; we just find it unaesthetic. I'm aware that the foam doesn't hurt my beer and I won't be able to taste it. I don't fear it, but I still find it unappealing. That's why I use Iodophor for all situations where foam might result if using Star San. I reserve my use of Star San for spray-on applications.

brewfire · 02-07-2009, 02:27 AM

I use starsan and have used idophor before

I prefer starsan and use it now because of the short contact, no-rinse, no stain and i actually find the foam beneficial in sanitizing.

+ i talked to a few guys in the industry at the last beer show and they recommended starsan.

lamarguy · 02-07-2009, 03:21 AM

I use generic Betadine available at any local pharmacy.

Same disinfectant performance (1% titrated iodine) as Iodophor with better stability in solution. Plus, it's cheap.

harrydrez · 06-27-2009, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheesefood

I'd like to recast my vote to Iodaphor. I realized a very important reason why it's tits:

If you use it in a bucket, it will tell you where you need to scrub. Good old high school biology, reminding me that iodine changes sugars to a bluish color. You can quickly see where you need to wipe your bucket with a soft rag to remove the crud.

Take that, "Star San".

Star-San is both a cleaner and sanitizer. So there

.

Quote:

I really wouldnt fancy racking something I intend on drinking onto the residual foam of a sanitising [sic] solution.

Star-San actually becomes yeast food. Don't fear it!

Blender · 06-27-2009, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harrydrez

Star-San is both a cleaner and sanitizer. So there

.

I am pretty sure that Star San is just a sanitizer. It is not advertised as such at any rate. Five Star makes PBW as a cleaner.

harrydrez · 06-27-2009, 07:49 PM

It's an acid-anionic detergent cleaner/sanitizer.

RogerMcAllen · 06-27-2009, 08:10 PM

Star-San is no rinse, works in 30 seconds, and you can drink the stuff.

Dave R · 06-27-2009, 08:13 PM

I bought a 34 oz. bottle of StarSan 3 years ago when I started brewing and I still have 26 ozs. left. I have a bucket dedicated to StarSan and keep about 2 gallons stored for about three months.

When I go to sanitize things, the buckets and carboys get spritzed with a sprayer and swirled around for about thirty seconds.
All hoses stirrers etc. get dropped right in the bucket of Star San for a minute or two while I'm spritzing the other stuff.
Never an infection or aftertaste.

Leaves NO foam in the buckets or carboys and folks, it can't possibly get any cheaper. Even boiling water would be more expensive than how I do it.

You'll never convince me Iodophor is the way to go on this.

Schnitzengiggle · 06-27-2009, 09:01 PM

Star san doesn't stain my equipment, the foam can be a PIA sometimes, but I don't usually worry about it.

Cost on sanitizer is negligible, if you want clean/sanitized equipment you will pay for it, as for keeping Star-San around for months, unless you are testing the Ph, which requires an additional cost in Ph strips or meters, a 32 oz bottle will make 160 gallons of sanitizer, who cares about 15 bucks or so.

If you brewed 5 gallons a day and used 5 gallons of Star san per day it would last over a month!

+1 to spray bottles of the stuff too! I can pretty much sanitize all of my equipment with a spray bottle!