Sanitation

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I use star-San


Some in a spray bottle, rest in a glass carboy

I make 2 gal at a time and reuse it across multiple brew days and bottling days for about a month or 6 weeks. It gets cloudy right away but I hear that doesn't mean anything.

My favorite trick is for bottling. I clean my bottles by running through the dishwaser (after rinsing out the sediment) but on bottling day I get a funnel and put so star San in a bottle, then dump that bottle to the next bottle, put the now empty bottle on a bottling tree to drain. Fast and seems to work well.

Most important...don't confuse cleaning with sanitizing. You really shouldn't (want to say cant here byut not quite sure) try to clean with sanitizing solution or try to sanitize with cleaning solution. And it is not possible to properly sanitize a dirty container.
 
There is a sub-forum on equipment and sanitation.... Star-San is by far the best... I use a spray bottle as well. Best part is an 8oz bottle of it last me months, and I spray the heck out of everything.
 
PBW/Oxyclean/Easy clean for cleaning and then RINSE.

After, Star San to sanitize and DON'T RINSE.

One of the simplest, best things I ever did in my brewing process.
 
Correct - DO NOT RINSE STAR SAN.

Remember, however, to have everything CLEAN first. Take things apart (spigots, bottle fillers, keg parts, etc.) You want the sanitizer to be able to get everywhere and you want to make sure there are not any pockets harboring anything. A key to sanitation, in my experience, is to always clean stuff right after using - don't let anything sit around. Once stuff starts to dry on, everything becomes tougher.
 
Quick question... I'm a newer brewer and was wondering about cleaning bottles. I've heard many arguments about jet dry or drying agents in the dishwasher. On my dishwasher there is no way to turn it off or wash without it, so I guess my question is will it hurt my beer to wash my bottles in the dishwasher with a drying agent? Also, do you just run the dishwasher with no detergent and let the heat and water do the cleaning work? Advise will be appreciated.
 
abbrews said:
Quick question... I'm a newer brewer and was wondering about cleaning bottles. I've heard many arguments about jet dry or drying agents in the dishwasher. On my dishwasher there is no way to turn it off or wash without it, so I guess my question is will it hurt my beer to wash my bottles in the dishwasher with a drying agent? Also, do you just run the dishwasher with no detergent and let the heat and water do the cleaning work? Advise will be appreciated.

I have same issue. I seem to be ok with following procedure...rinse, clean in dishwasher with the rest of my dishes, then store. On bottling day I dump in a cup of star San solution (diluted per the directions) and dump that bottle into the next. No issues with rinse agents or detergent residue that I can detect, and bottles are cleaned as consumed...no storing dirty bottles.
 
Starsan is ONLY no rinse at the 1oz per 5 gallon ratio. It you make it stronger you can have issues.
 
AmandaK said:
Why would you rinse a sanitized surface with an unsanitized liquid??

I didn't know what that product was and what it did that's why I am asking so please before you try to make me out to be an idiot I am new to this and don't know ok
 
I use star-san as well. Make 2.5 gallons at a time since its easier for the measurement that comes on the bottle. On bottling day I pour 3/4 gallon or so into the bottling bucket. Fill as many bottles straight from spigot as it will then shake them and poor back into the bucket until all the bottles are done. If you swirl it in the bucket you sanitize it as well. If you use your auto syphon from a container of star-san to fill the bottling bucket you sanitize that as well. I use the bottling wand for the last couple bottles to hit that with star-san too. I don't use the wand for all of them though because that takes longer. My LHBS has 1 gallon glass wine jugs for 3.99/jug and they store star-san great. Carlo Rossi wine isn't great but their sangria is drinkable and you can get 1 gallon glass jugs that way too.
 
Just buy SunnyD orange drink in the 1 gallon fridge door container. The plastic used is heavier than milk jugs. They last a year or more & don't shatter like glass. I label them with a Sharpie. Fill with water,then take the cap off the measuring side of the starsan container. Squeeze starsan concentrate 3/4's of the way up to the 1/4oz mark & add to jug of water & seal. It'll mingle with the water all by itself to the proper dilution for 1 gallon. I went to the dollar store for spray bottles too.
 
Quick question... I'm a newer brewer and was wondering about cleaning bottles. I've heard many arguments about jet dry or drying agents in the dishwasher. On my dishwasher there is no way to turn it off or wash without it, so I guess my question is will it hurt my beer to wash my bottles in the dishwasher with a drying agent? Also, do you just run the dishwasher with no detergent and let the heat and water do the cleaning work? Advise will be appreciated.

I haven't tried this method but have read several places that the mouth of beer bottles is too small for the dishwasher to effectively spray into.

In How to Brew, Palmer recommends the rinse-only method: “If you are diligent in rinsing your bottles promptly and thoroughly after each use with your homebrew, only the sanitizing treatment will be necessary before each use in the future. By maintaining clean equipment you will save yourself a lot of work.” I swirl the sediment out, then fill with cold water and let them stand while I'm drinking the beer. When finished, I triple rinse with hot water.
 
I haven't tried this method but have read several places that the mouth of beer bottles is too small for the dishwasher to effectively spray into.

In How to Brew, Palmer recommends the rinse-only method: “If you are diligent in rinsing your bottles promptly and thoroughly after each use with your homebrew, only the sanitizing treatment will be necessary before each use in the future. By maintaining clean equipment you will save yourself a lot of work.” I swirl the sediment out, then fill with cold water and let them stand while I'm drinking the beer. When finished, I triple rinse with hot water.

I am in this same boat. I rinse after use a few times empty, let air dry upside down. On bottling day I use a spray bottle of idophor and let airdry upside down. If you are dilligent about cleaning after use it definitely speeds up the process.
 
Iodophor is another inexpensive, no-rinse sanitizer that's very popular. It doesn't foam as much as starsan (which makes no difference at all, but I like the foam) and can be diluted by eye if you know what the right concentration looks like in your water (starsan is clear, iodophor is brown).
 
i had one batch I was doing with a friend that got infected but every batch we have done since has been PERFECT thanks for the help!
 
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