StarSan + Water = Shelf Life?

I am going to be doing daily hydrometer readings in my primary to see when to rack to my secondary, and then will be racking, etc. so will need to be doing lots of little sanitizing jobs over the next few days. I know I'm not the first person to run into this. I was thinking that it might make sense to make up a whole gallon of StarSan water and use it throughout the next few days.

Any issues with the shelf life of mixed StarSan water? I read the label and do not see any reference to this. Thanks.

First you don't NEED to take daily readings....Just wait til it's been 7 days, and take a reading...then on the 10th day, take another...if the readings are the same, then you can rack...

Or you can do what many people do if they do rack..and that is wait 14 days, then move it to secondary

But you will find that many of us do not secondary at all, instead we opt for a month long primary, then bottle...we only secondary if we are dryhopping, adding fruit, or oak...otherwise we let the yeasties do what they do best and clean up thier house...

Either way don't be so quick to move your beer, leaving it a little while on the yeast, allows them to clean up the byproducts of fermentation, which will result in fewer off flavors...

But as to your other question, storing it in a sealed container, with distilled water, the starsan can last several months. That's why many of us fill a spray bottle with starsan/distilled water for those spot sanitizing needs, like sanitizing our turkey baster or wine theif and the bucket lid when taking a grav reading.

I put a lot of tips for using sanitzers like starsan and iodophor in this thread https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/sanitizer-question-54932/?highlight=sanitizer+question

But like I said, you really don't need to hover over your beer, taking daily readings...doing that could actually introduce and infection.....just wait at least a week then take the first one....

John Palmer, in How to Brew even advocates not rushing the beer out of primary.

Leaving an ale beer in the primary fermentor for a total of 2-3 weeks (instead of just the one week most kits recommend), will provide time for the conditioning reactions and improve the beer. This extra time will also let more sediment settle out before bottling, resulting in a clearer beer and easier pouring. And, three weeks in the primary fermentor is usually not enough time for off-flavors to occur.

(and)

....As a final note on this subject, I should mention that by brewing with healthy yeast in a well-prepared wort, many experienced brewers, myself included, have been able to leave a beer in the primary fermenter for several months without any evidence of autolysis.

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Revvy said:

But you will find that many of us do not secondary at all, instead we opt for a month long primary, then bottle...we only secondary if we are dryhopping, adding fruit, or oak...otherwise we let the yeasties do what they do best and clean up thier house.

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I'm 10 days into it, and plan to dry hop. After reading Palmer, I was tempted to just leave it in the primary for 3-4 weeks to be cautious and go straight to bottling from there. I have read that some folks dry hop directly into their primary after attenuation has run its course. I might just go with my initial instinct, do that and skip the secondary.

Revvy said:

But as to your other question, storing it in a sealed container, with distilled water, the starsan can last several months. That's why many of us fill a spray bottle with starsan/distilled water for those spot sanitizing needs, like sanitizing our turkey baster or wine theif and the bucket lid when taking a grav reading.

Click to expand...

I will try the spray bottle with StarSan - I like that.

Thanks.

Then you need even less to take daily grav readings.

Honestly, since I long primary 97% of my beers I take two readings. Before I pitch my yeast on brew day, and then 1 month later at bottling, that way I know my ABV. SInce I'm not racking I don't need to check the progress....I trust my yeasties, they have been doing this a hellova lot longer than I have, they are the experts.

If I do secondary, I usually take a prefuntory one at 14 days, then rack if it is ready.

Revvy said:

Then you need even less to take daily grav readings.

Honestly, since I long primary 97% of my beers I take two readings. Before I pitch my yeast on brew day, and then 1 month later at bottling, that way I know my ABV. SInce I'm not racking I don't need to check the progress....I trust my yeasties, they have been doing this a hellova lot longer than I have, they are the experts.

If I do secondary, I usually take a prefuntory one at 14 days, then rack if it is ready.

Click to expand...

Do you dry hop in the primary? If so, at about 2 weeks sound right?

Omahawk said:

Do you dry hop in the primary? If so, at about 2 weeks sound right?

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I don't but a lot of people do now DH in primary..I still dry hop in secondary...and I do that at the two week mark....But if I did, then yes I would add the hops at the 14 day mark....

Check your Star-San with PH paper just to be safe. I kept in a partially sealed container (due to auto-siphon & wine thief sticking out of bucket) and just tested it before usage. The Ph has stayed below 3 for a couple of weeks, so it's still perfectly fine.
Also, switching from tap water to RO water has made a huge difference in the shelf life of the Star San.

I'm still using this batch of starsan made with RO water from the Glacier dispenser at my local grocery store. It comes in handy when I need to fill my spray bottle or just need a pint or two to do small jobs.



I bought the water bottle at the same store for $6.49.