Pickling brass advice

So I've been trying to pickle my brass parts and I'm starting question it.

Soak #1: I was taking care of something else and didn't keep an eye on it but after the 6 minutes in an aluminum can, the solution at the bottom of the can was green. Dump, rinse can and parts, and retry.

Soak #2: Thinking the first attempt was due to time, I decided to focus only on the pickling at hand. Soaked in same can but at 3 minutes it was already starting to turn green. Dump, rinse can and parts, and retry, again.

Soak #3: Assuming the aluminum can might be the problem, I decided to pickle in a glass jar. After two minutes, green hue was starting to appear. I quickly dumped and rinsed all the parts.

Now I'm left wondering if my parts are fine and if not...what I should be doing differently? I am using 2 parts distilled white vinegar, 1 part hydrogen peroxide. Thoughts?

I did some googling on this a while back and came across a study (not just some dude posting on the internet) where they showed that pickling didn't help at all.

I think brass is fine and use it willingly. I wouldn't use brass pipe but for the amount of brass we're dealing with (just the fittings) and for the time we're talking about (1-2hrs max) I think the lead exposure issue is way overblown.

I've posted my thoughts about this before so pardon my brevity. I would say that the amount of lead that ends up in your beer is probably around the level that is considered 'actionable' by the epa for *drinking water*. You're not drinking homebrew like it was water are you?

Further, the dangers of lead are primarily among small children who are developing. Seriously high levels can be bad or fatal for adults but that sort of exposure is just not possible in our application. We're not using lead pipes. We're not even using brass pipe. We're using brass fittings... that's it.

Edit: I'm pretty certain that all brass fittings must contain less than 8% lead. Some states such as California have even stricter laws in place that require the brass to be practically lead free.

Lost said:

You're not drinking homebrew like it was water are you?

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I am willing to bet there is more than 1 member on this forum that drinks more beer than tap water...

So I placed the brass in some PBW to clean them off. I let them sit for about an hour or two and when to rince them off and noticed more green water. I know I rinsed them off several times before I put them in the PBS. I dumped and rinsed them off a lot again and decided to forget it. Now I'm left wondering if this will happen and what it will contribute to my mash.

nduetime said:

So I placed the brass in some PBW to clean them off. I let them sit for about an hour or two and when to rince them off and noticed more green water. I know I rinsed them off several times before I put them in the PBS. I dumped and rinsed them off a lot again and decided to forget it. Now I'm left wondering if this will happen and what it will contribute to my mash.

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You are over thinking this and over cleaning your equipment. The green is the copper which is the primary ingredient in brass. Small quantities will end up in your beer, it is considered safe as the yeast will use most or all of it.

If you are feeling paranoid about it then just use stainless valves. Austin homebrew has a great deal on 3 piece 1/2" ss ball valves.

OneHoppyGuy said:

I am willing to bet there is more than 1 member on this forum that drinks more beer than tap water...

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If they are drinking like that then lead is probably the least of their health concerns.

Further, actionable levels of lead in drinking water don't necessarily correspond to health risks in individuals. It may for some people (i.e. Small children) while it may not for others. Like BMI it is intended as an indicator for health risks *in the population,* NOT as any sort of diagnostic tool for individuals. The EPA uses it merely as a guide for when they need to improve water quality (i.e. By removing old lead pipe mains).

On the one hand personality traits which predispose brewers to cleanliness are great because sanitation is so important. On the other hand hand it, to me at least, feels like these same traits also lead to counter-productive paranoia (e.g. Lead, plastic bucket infections)

OneHoppyGuy said:

I am willing to bet there is more than 1 member on this forum that drinks more beer than tap water...

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1 day for me:

16-24 oz coffee in the morning
16 oz diet coke at lunch
6 oz coffee in the afternoon
32-48 oz beer in the evening
a few gulps water before bed.

Yup.

Just to throw this out there most household faucets are made from brass. Relax nothing to worry about.

I to do not worry too much about brass in my system.

I will point out the counterargument though, that water and wort have highly different pHs and temperatures. The worry is that the acidic wort, coupled with the higher temperatures, can cause lead extraction that would not happen with less acidic tap water at <140F.

shortyjacobs said:

1 day for me:

16-24 oz coffee in the morning
16 oz diet coke at lunch
6 oz coffee in the afternoon
32-48 oz beer in the evening
a few gulps water before bed.

Yup.

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You must be constantly dehydrated!

MaltnHops said:

You must be constantly dehydrated!

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All of those things have water in them....

OneHoppyGuy said:

I am willing to bet there is more than 1 member on this forum that drinks more beer than tap water...

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I seriously have to make an effoert each night to remind myself to fill my pint glass with water before I hit the sack. Each evening usually ends at a 3:1 beer:water ratio.

MaltnHops said:

You must be constantly dehydrated!

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I agree. Soda and coffee both contain water, yes, but both also contain caffeine which is a powerful diuretic. So too is the alcohol in the beer.

The more coffee and/or beer I drink the more water I drink to off set it.

I drink 1-2 beers a day. I drink probably 3 pint size glasses of water a day. Hardly ever touch soda (I'd rather have a beer or a coffee).

And while you do drink more beer than tap water, you are still drinking far more 'other sources' of water than beer. The average person should be drinking somewhere around 60 ounces of water (or other hydrating beverage) a day. My point is if you were drinking that quantity in beer (5 beers a day everyday) then the alcohol is probably doing more harm to you than whatever lead might be in the beer. That said, there are probably many here who drink 5 or more beers a day.


Returning to the brass=lead issue - I've read some studies looking at lead leaching from brass and there's some conflicting statements about the effect of PH. Hot liquid will no doubt absorb more heavy metals and do so more quickly than cold. How much more and how quicker are open to debate and are probably highly particularized to each application.

One consistent finding is that lead leaches out over time - hours to days. This is why flushing your faucet/pipes is recommended before drinking if you have lead pipes. The upside for brewing is that wort is not usually in contact with the brass for prolonged periods.

Trace amounts of lead are not something to be concerned about. I wish someone would brew a batch using equipment that is rife with brass fittings and have that beer tested for lead content. I wonder what such a test would cost. It would be nice to know for sure if brass really is a problem or if it's just a perennial bogeyman.

This was a topic of debate on brew strong. The lead scare was shot down an that enough for me. Keep in mind most particles drop out of solution or are consumed by yeast. I have a ton of brass fittings and some short 6 in sections of pipe from work I will e using without pickling.

Well I called a few labs today and will get some quotes on lead testing beer. Perhaps we can do a couple samples from different brewers depending on cost. I may start a new thread if this looks feasible. It would be nice to have some data points instead of speculation.

i drink way more beer then tap water.. 1000's of gallons more