Sanitation throughout brew process

I'm pretty clear on the pre-brew sanitation procedures, but after my first brew day yesterday I have some questions about sanitation throughout the whole process.

There are some pieces of equipment that I used several times. One is a quick-read thermometer. I took multiple temp readings of the mash, then the sparge water, then the wort as it was coming close to a boil, then of course multiple readings as it was cooling. Another was a stainless steel mixing spoon. I mixed the mash, then the wort, then used it to clear hops off of the screen on the funnel as I poured the wort into the carboy, etc.

Do I need to be sanitizing these things as I go? i.e. Should I have a big jar of sanitized water that I just put these tools in each time after I use them? That's what I did yesterday. Hopefully I didn't blow it.

How do you handle sanitation as you go through the whole process?

Things you use before you chill the wort need to be clean, but not sanitized. The boil will kill any germs that get in there. Anything that touches the wort after the boil should be sanitized. So the paddle should be dunked in a bucket of sanitizer before you use it to clear the hops after the boil. Make sense?

Yep. Not sure why I got a bit confused there.

What about the thermometer? Should that be dunked in the sanitizer each time between uses as the wort is chilling? Or would it be easier just to stick a floating thermometer in there and leave it?

Yep - best to rinse, then sanitize the thermometer after each use.

Just keep a bucket of sanitizer nearby and dunk things in after you use them - I usually leave items I use often throughout the brewing process sitting in a bucket of sanitizer. If they have grain or dirt on them (if i dropped it or whatnot) I'll rinse them off under the hose first.

Having a spray bottle of sanitizer is also very helpful; it cut the amount of sanitizer I use by more than half.

craven_morhead said:

Having a spray bottle of sanitizer is also very helpful; it cut the amount of sanitizer I use by more than half.

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+1, use way less with a spray bottle