Alternative Sanitizer

Dr Malt · 11-22-2011, 05:29 PM

I am a seasoned homebrewer about to make my first kit wine. I understand the sanitizer of choice for making wine is sulfites. However, I am very sesnitive to sulfites to the point I do not want to use them. Is there an alternative? I understand chlorine is out. How about Starsan??

Thanks in advance.

Dr Malt

mikebowman · 11-22-2011, 05:30 PM

You'll find most people around here recommend starsan or iodophor. Both work great

**Yooper** · 11-22-2011, 05:58 PM

I almost always use star-san for both my wine and beer making sanitizing. It works great!

DoctorCAD · 11-22-2011, 07:15 PM

The wine you make WILL have sulfites in it. They occur naturally.

**huesmann** · 11-23-2011, 12:48 PM

What's wrong with chlorine, as long as you give everything a good rinse?

Dr Malt · 11-23-2011, 03:06 PM

Thanks all. I am interested in seeing the responses to huesmann's question. I have not had a problem with chlorine used for plastic containers for brewing. As long as I rinse well.

Dr Malt

**Insomniac** · 11-23-2011, 07:39 PM

I've been using chlorine so far with a lot of rinsing and not had any problems yet. I do have some starsan, but i can't use it with my water. Might be able to use bottled water but i can't find distilled at an alright price so not sure how good the mineral water will be... To be tested.

**samc** · 11-23-2011, 07:58 PM

Rinsing with H2O brings with it a slight risk of putting back some of the bacteria you are trying to get rid of. Starsan is far easier to work with. No rinse means it is working until you add the juice/grapes/wort and you are not using extra water.

**nukinfuts29** · 11-23-2011, 09:16 PM

My well water is perfect, so i sanatize with bleach soak then rinse well and go to town

feffer · 11-23-2011, 11:18 PM

Like others here, I use and like starsan. The original poster wanted an alternative to sulfites. This goes in the other direction, but my LHBS recommends using "old" potassium metabisulfite as a sanitizer. Evidently it loses some potency over time, and this is a way to use it after a year or so. I'm thinking a solution of it might make a better pump sanitizer than starsan, which foams quite a bit going through the transfer pump. Is that a reasonable way to use it?