lamarguy
Well-Known Member
But if the amounts are so innocuous, wouldn't the minimal amounts of chlorine also be subsequently forced to bond with the ions in the beer, thus stopping the oxidation process?
Depends on the chlorine compound. I regularly use chlorine dioxide as a sanitizer for yeast cultures. Chlorine dioxide readily sublimates, 1 - 2 hours, and leaves zero chlorite dissolved in the water. So, this type of chlorine is useful to the homebrewer, especially since it doesn't affect yeast viability.
Sodium hypochlorite (household bleach) doesn't readily sublimate (think of swimming pools) and must be rinsed since humans can detect dissolved hypochorlite in very small concentrations. Besides that, it's a very powerful oxidizer and will pit pretty much any common metal over time and is dangerous if mixed with acidic cleaners/sanitizers. This type of chlorine should be avoided if possible.
Make sense?