"No rinse" for real?

Just bought into the hype and purchased some StarSan. I've used it before with friends during brew sessions at their insistence, but I'm having some reservations... anyone ever get off-flavors that could possibly come from these no-rinse sanitizers? I don't like pouring wort onto bubbles, it makes me nervous.

widely discuss don´t fear the foam star san it´s agreat product.

NO. Relax. Spend 15 minutes reading through the abundance of threads showing it's not a problem and you'll never worry about it again.

StarSan kills via pH, not some nasty chemical.
When concentrated, pH is low and kills bugs.
When you add beer, it dilutes, pH rises, no longer harmful. Residual ions actually helpful to the yeast.


EDIT: My tone is helpful, not harsh/critical

It's all lies. I racked onto foam and went blind.

It's absolutely for real, don't fear the foam, transfer your wort onto it at will.

I regularly transfer my chilled wort directly into a fermenter half filled with StarSan foam, and then once it's fermented out, I transfer the fermented beer into a keg half filled with StarSan foam, and have never had a problem with off-flavors. My beer has placed highly (though not actually won) in a couple of competitions, with no comments from BJCP certified judges about any off-flavors attributable to StarSan (oxidation in one case, on the other hand... ).

Use it, love it, and most importantly, don't worry about it!

To avoid excessive foam don't shake it around as mush, do more of a swirling and mild sloshing action. If you have excessive foam then give it 20-30 minutes to die-down some and pour out the excess. I don't mind a little bit of foam but don't like the excessive amounts, so I'm gentle with it. Works for me.

i accidentally racked 5 gallons of beer onto an ounce of undiluted starsan in a keg, freaked out and emailed starsan. The chemist there told me there are no issues with it and to just relax and have a homebrew. Beer tastes great, no blindness so far.

pannell77 said:

i accidentally racked 5 gallons of beer onto an ounce of undiluted starsan in a keg, freaked out and emailed starsan. The chemist there told me there are no issues with it and to just relax and have a homebrew. Beer tastes great, no blindness so far.

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Surely your palms grew hair?

AndrewD said:

Surely your palms grew hair?

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That probably didn't have anything to do with the StarSan though.

I never rinse. Star San is the best, and a VERY important part of my brewing routine.

The directions say "let dry". I know this is debatable, but what's your take on deviating from the directions?

If you rinse it, it would be just like not using it at all.

It will impart no flavor to the beer.

The foam is of no consequence.

It is IMO the best sanitizer available, maybe Iodaphor is equal. But Iodaphor will stain your equipment.

Use it! Don't rinse!

It's a lie. Rinse. You don't want that shampoo in your hair all day. It might drip into your sanitized carboy.

Whew, that's what I figured. I'm assuaged by all the great reviews / swear bys / if-I-had-to-bet-my-life-on-it-I-would's.

As said above, Star San is indeed no rinse. If the bubbles freak you out, though, you can try the other main no-rinse sanitizer, Iodophor. Also no rinse, but no bubbles. It will stain.

Key to both of these is that you mix it to the ratio indicated on the instructions.

AndrewD said:

It's all lies. I racked onto foam and went blind.

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I don't think you're talking about the same thing.

mjohnson said:

I don't think you're talking about the same thing.

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He is. I did the same thing and then the IRS audited me.


No really, it's a joke. I'm sure he has his sight still. If not, I don't think StarSan is to blame.

AndrewD said:

It's all lies. I racked onto foam and went blind.

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ROFL!!! :cross:

Whats "Starsan"? Doesn't everyone use creekwater like me?

Theres always the option of peeing on your equipment to sanitize.

I don't mind the foam. Having it sit on top of the wort and rise out thought the top of the carboy is just another extra safe guard against infection. I put a towel around the neck of the bottle to catch the over flowing foam.

Taste it, then think of how little StarSan there is in comparison to beer. It would be like dropping a tiny amount of salt into 5 gallons of beer

I rack straight onto foam. I try to reduce it though, by placing my fermenter up side down (carboy over a bucket with the neck pointing downwards). Some of it does trickle out but I definitely don't wait on it.

Love the RDWHAHB advice from the StarSan chemist.