I was told that Starsan was a good sanitizer to use because it is a no rinse product, so you avoid some of the chlorine issues associated with rinsing. My problem though is that using the concentrations on the bottle the resulting solution is still really foamy. I feel like I have to rinse because of all the foam. Am I doing something wrong or is the foam not a problem? Thanks for your help
Starsan foam
- Thread starter leliz
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Jeepinctbrewer
Well-Known Member
Don't fear the Foam!!!
rs3902
Well-Known Member
I was weary of it at first too, but many many people told me "don't fear the foam". So I took their advice, racked right into a carboy filled with foam, and 1 month later drank the best beer I've ever made. Been using star San and not " fearing the foam" ever since.
The foam can't hurt you or the beer. I know aesthetically it's not as pleasing but it dissipates in a short amount of time.
LiquidChemistry
Brewing, Brewing, Brewing....
X2 to all of the above. Also had a fear of foam, but it won't hurt you or your brew.
I recently just read that the foam can actually help because it provides nutrients for the yeast. If there is one thing that this NOOB has ingrained into his head, it is "DONT FEAR THE FOAM!"
Firebat138
Well-Known Member
^ Correct... DFTF
brycelarson
Well-Known Member
The foam is a good thing. That helps it maintain contact with surfaces. Love the foam, enjoy the foam, expect the foam.
FuzzeWuzze
I Love DIY
Also, useful tip. Fill an empty spray bottle with your diluted starsan water.
Spraying makes for an excellent way of sanitizing some things without having to keep an entire 5 gallon batch around.
Spraying makes for an excellent way of sanitizing some things without having to keep an entire 5 gallon batch around.
I'm sorry, I have to disagree with this. I agree that it may not hurt most people, but it can cause skin burns. I am very sensitive to it, and dipping my hand in a starsan solution (properly diluted) results in severe burns which take about 3 - 4 weeks to recover from.
-a.
SpaceCoastBrew
Well-Known Member
As everyone has pointed out, the foam is fine. But if it still bothers you, try Sani-clean. It's the low foaming version of Star-san and works just as well.
WileECoyote
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VladOfTrub
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I'm glad that the guy selling the stuff says it's great for brewing and OK for humans. I feel so much more secure now.
BrewKnurd
Well-Known Member
I wish I took a picture of my brew I did today that Carboy looked like it had spray foam in it I had so much foam. I tend to shake the crap out of the Carboy so I get tons of foam. I can promise you it will not hurt you as the ph of the beer is acidic and after the beer buffers the starsan foam it really pretty much makes it inert. Also starsan will act as a nutrient for the yeast to metabolize and it will help fermentation. Finally if you are more comfortable rinsing it that is ok too but feel confident that leaving it in us fine.
wilsojos said:
Use RO or distilled water, my tap water turns It cloudy in short order. Go to Home Depot/Lowes and buy a bucket and a lid, swing by a refill machine at your grocer or Walmart and get 5gal of RO. Sanitize everything and dump back in the bucket and put the lid on. Lasts at least a month.
Does stars san have any effect on the flavor of the beer? I am new to brewing, but several of the micro brews I have tried over the years had a little bit of a soapy taste to it and figured it was do to what ever they were using to clean and sterilize their equipment with.
there is no soap in it and no it has no effect on the taste.
I mixed up some last night to sanitize a bucket to store water in for todays brew, I saved it for today in another bucket, it was cloudy already just overnight so I pitched it. No big deal as it takes such a small amount.
Distilled water or RO would allow it to stay viable for quite a long time from what i have heard.
For those that have a sensitivity to the acid and/or don't really like the foam try Iodophor, it is iodine based and works as well as Star-San IMO.
I use it on bottling day because I don't want the foam in my bottles, It may be wrong thinking but I set caps loosely on my bottles after filling and let sit for about 20 minutes to allow CO2 to displace the O2 in the headspace. I feel the foam will inhibit this process.
I use it on bottling day because I don't want the foam in my bottles, It may be wrong thinking but I set caps loosely on my bottles after filling and let sit for about 20 minutes to allow CO2 to displace the O2 in the headspace. I feel the foam will inhibit this process.
You must have pretty hard water, great for ales bad for Star San. Like others have mentioned, RO or Distilled water works, but I've used softened water with Star San with good results too.
wiggybrewer
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One way to minimize the foam is to siphon between the star san and your fermenter and gently pour it back.
Star San consists of DDBSA (dodecylbenzyl sulfonic acid) and food grade phosphoric acid. You're more than welcome to do your own research on these chemicals and their characteristics when diluted at the recommended volume, should you choose.
another thing to keep in mind is that even though the "quantity" of foam left in the carboy looks impressive, once all the bubbles are popped the actual amount of star san in there is a fraction of a teaspoon. that small amount is quickly diluted by the beer, rendering the star san useless (star san is highly dependent on being at a certain concentration/pH. that pH is blown away approximately one second after you start racking).
In my experience, spraying is fine. Whether you spray it on or fill it up, the same amount of surface area is in contact with the solution.
brycelarson
Well-Known Member
I pour a little in and shake it really good to fill it with foam then pour out the small amount of liquid leaving behind a nice foamy fill.
Should be. Star San is a wet contact, so if you spray enough to cover every surface, you should be good to go.
leliz said:
I used to fill it all the way up but then I learned that the foam is just as effective for sanitization as the liquid. Nowadays I put about 2 gallons in then shake it like crazy and get the foam bubbles all the way to the top and that's it leave it for 5-10 minutes or however long it takes to get my wort temps down to transfer and that's it.
FuzzeWuzze
I Love DIY
Which isnt that hard to do really, it really works well.
I just have an old Orange clean spray bottle that can do spray or stream that i always keep filled with starsan.
You get a lot more use that way without wasting so much starsan and water.
I also did as the previous poster said, which was to make a half batch and shake the crap out of it. It doesnt need to soak to sanitize..it just has to get wet...and only for a few seconds..no need soaking in starsan for an hour or whatever.
