Rinse or no rinse
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Felixio
Well-Known Member
If I had a nickel for every time that I've read how rinsing star san can introduce contaminates, then I'd have a free AG setup by now.
Some people still smoke and have sex with hookers without condoms, it doesn't mean they're right ....No rinse means no rinse for a reason....So you're either going to believe all the science that went into to making them no-rinse and using them the way they're meant to be used, the most effective way. Or you're going to play Russian roulette with your beer.
I put a lot of good info and tips of effectively using sanitizers in here. Including a podcast by the creator of starsan, and one by a rep from iodophor talking about that and more-https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/sanitizer-question-54932/
If you're rinsing it away, you're cutting it's efficacy in half, see no rinse santizers first kill whatever's on the object AND while still wet, CONTINUE to kill anything that comes in contact with the sanitizer....if you rinse it away, you're only getting HALF the kill power that you would have had you left it on there....Seems a no brainer to me, you leave it on and it still continues to do it's job....but some folks ARE idiots, actually.
I put a lot of good info and tips of effectively using sanitizers in here. Including a podcast by the creator of starsan, and one by a rep from iodophor talking about that and more-https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/sanitizer-question-54932/
If you're rinsing it away, you're cutting it's efficacy in half, see no rinse santizers first kill whatever's on the object AND while still wet, CONTINUE to kill anything that comes in contact with the sanitizer....if you rinse it away, you're only getting HALF the kill power that you would have had you left it on there....Seems a no brainer to me, you leave it on and it still continues to do it's job....but some folks ARE idiots, actually.
aubiecat
Well-Known Member
Don't know why people rinse a "no rinse" sanitizer.
Meh I occasionally will rinse out my starsan from a keg if it got too foamy in there. Otherwise if I'm going to be filling it as full as it'll go, I won't know when to stop (pre gas diptube) as the foamies get in the way.
And then there was the time that I accidentally left some starsan in a bottle (like 6-8 pumps from my mister bottle, a skim on the bottom really) and had a nasty metallic taste to the beer in that bottle. Granted, it was older starsan that may have collected some crap in it...
If you rinse right before putting something in it you're not loosing anything really, as the liquid going in would rinse it away anyways. I'm still alive at least...
And then there was the time that I accidentally left some starsan in a bottle (like 6-8 pumps from my mister bottle, a skim on the bottom really) and had a nasty metallic taste to the beer in that bottle. Granted, it was older starsan that may have collected some crap in it...
If you rinse right before putting something in it you're not loosing anything really, as the liquid going in would rinse it away anyways. I'm still alive at least...
Then again,maybe not. No rinse means no rinse. Period. I trust five star chemical's product knowledge. They make the stuff & using it as intended has been A number one so far. Never had an infected batch.
aubiecat
Well-Known Member
edit
aubiecat
Well-Known Member
If you rinse right before putting something in it you're not loosing anything really, as the liquid going in would rinse it away anyways. I'm still alive at least...
Why even use Star San if you won't follow the directions?
There are a lot of new and impressionable brewers this time of year that need good advice. Not following the directions of a sanitizer and then getting an infection on the first or second batch could be pretty discouraging to a new brewer.
We should always be vigilant in sanitizing practices.
Agreed, but think about it: I fill a vessel with star san, foam foam, sure thing all good. In one case, I may then rinse that out quickly with water to get some visibility instead of 4 inches of foam. In another case I may put beer into it, also rinsing it away.
The only difference here - assuming my tap and water supply do not contain coodies, which they do not - is the time difference between the water rinse and when I add my beer. Maybe a minute or two.
When I first joined here there was a lot of hard and fast rules that I thought I had to follow when making beer and I now see that most of those are simply one way to do it.
The only hard and fast rule is yeast must eat for us to drink
I still don't get why folks freak out about the foam, and starsan in general. Starsan breaks down into phosphoric acid, which the yeast love. In fact it is good food for septic fields. It breaks down into stuff that you and I consume every day....if you drink colas, or other soft drinks, you're drinking what starsan breaks down to....
The foam is an important part of the sanitization process, 1) because it can reach into any nook and cranny (like in a kegging system) and 2) because it tends to cling surfaces, so that the sanitizer forms a barrier and anything the comes into contact with it is killed.
The foam is an important part of the sanitization process, 1) because it can reach into any nook and cranny (like in a kegging system) and 2) because it tends to cling surfaces, so that the sanitizer forms a barrier and anything the comes into contact with it is killed.
charliefoxtrot
Active Member
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I don't see any real problem with rinsing except... why use a no-rinse sanitizer when the main benefit is not having to rinse?
I've tried no rinse and I still use bleach for almost all of my brews. Never had an off flavor with either, and the bleach is much cheaper in quantity (and multi-purpose), but of course some people's water is disgusting and I can understand the appeal of no-rinse, especially to the anal-retentive sanitation types. Unless you're brewing in a clean room (like one where they make computer chips) you're taking some kind of risk, and rinsing is no big deal if your water is fine and your yeast is healthy.
That said, if you're going to rinse you might as well use something cheaper.
I've tried no rinse and I still use bleach for almost all of my brews. Never had an off flavor with either, and the bleach is much cheaper in quantity (and multi-purpose), but of course some people's water is disgusting and I can understand the appeal of no-rinse, especially to the anal-retentive sanitation types. Unless you're brewing in a clean room (like one where they make computer chips) you're taking some kind of risk, and rinsing is no big deal if your water is fine and your yeast is healthy.
That said, if you're going to rinse you might as well use something cheaper.
aubiecat
Well-Known Member
Agreed, but think about it: I fill a vessel with star san, foam foam, sure thing all good. In one case, I may then rinse that out quickly with water to get some visibility instead of 4 inches of foam. In another case I may put beer into it, also rinsing it away.
The only difference here - assuming my tap and water supply do not contain coodies, which they do not - is the time difference between the water rinse and when I add my beer. Maybe a minute or two.
When I first joined here there was a lot of hard and fast rules that I thought I had to follow when making beer and I now see that most of those are simply one way to do it.
The only hard and fast rule is yeast must eat for us to drink
Fair enough. There are many ways to skin a cat but I just don't skimp on sanitation. There is too much work and money involved in a brew and it's just to easy to follow the directions to ensure your beer comes out bug free.
I haven't run into a situation that I needed to rinse the foam out yet. When I add the wort to a better bottle I like to see it the pushing that head of Star San foam to the top.
I'll leave it in the carboy, but I have a hard time leaving it in the keg. I just don't like the idea of adding it to my finished product.
I just filled two kegs yesterday, and the foam was a bit of a pain when filling - as it does make it hard to see where the actual level of the beer is as it approaches the top of the keg. So, I do agree with that observation. But, I would still never rinse starsan - especially with tap water. My concern would not be the water so much itself, as the fact that the faucet in a sink has got to be one of the dirtier things in your house. It is constantly moist and it is in the proximity of getting dirty. Star san is PROVEN to a great no rinse product. If your concern is sanitation, it is not a good idea to introduce a step that WILL reduce the level of sanitation you were otherwise going to achieve.
GotPushrods
Well-Known Member
unionrdr said:
[devil's advocate hat] They also make 5.2 buffer that "locks in your mash to 5.2". Doh!
[/devil's advocate hat]But no, I don't rinse either. The bigger the foam snake the better!
It really doesn't matter. No-rinse means that you don't need to rinse it off. I rinse a lot of it out after it's sat for a bit with tap water. If it's clean enough water to use to top off, it's clean enough to rinse a fermenter.
Stop getting up your own asses about people rinsing a no-rinse sanitizer. If you would never rinse a no-rinse sanitizer, would you also boil top off water if not doing an all grain batch? People know what works for them, calling them idiots for it just makes you look stupid and arrogant.
Stop getting up your own asses about people rinsing a no-rinse sanitizer. If you would never rinse a no-rinse sanitizer, would you also boil top off water if not doing an all grain batch? People know what works for them, calling them idiots for it just makes you look stupid and arrogant.
chicken
Well-Known Member
Yeah, seems kind of silly to me. Why go to the extra effort? I, for one, am too lazy for that.
But if you can't see through that ****, then it's extra effort to just get a reasonable amount of beer in a keg, right? So why not flush it out a bit with water so you can see what level your beer is at as you fill a vessel with 3 inches of visibility, instead of having 5 inches of foam getting all up in your face and overflowing.
I don't fear the foam, but the foam get's all up in my **** too much sometimes lol
Xpertskir
Well-Known Member
Felixio
Well-Known Member
Well, if the foam is such an issue when filling kegs, then why not use a non-foaming no-rinse sanitizer? Like Saniclean?
I don't rinse it ever, nor would I. I avoid the crazy amounts of foam though as I add the StarSan to the water rather than put in the StarSan first and then water on top which causes it to foam like crazy.
Rev.
Rev.
I add the starsan to the water myself. Then just let it sit & mingle with the water. No foam this way.
