StarSan in Keg

Just got a 5 gal. Cornelius Keg setup. I've been watching YouTube videos on cleaning and force carbing the keg. My question, is it really safe to clean w/ StarSan then rack without rinsing?

I always sanitize and rinse all my equipment and bottles and never had an off flavor brew. I see people use StarSan and rack to keg with soapy StarSan foam in it as well as their siphon and tubing with StarSan not rinsed. No off flavors or other issues. I'm kegging a Saison for my friend's bachelor party tomorrow and want to make sure it has a nice Belgian yeast flavor and not a sudsy soaping flavor.

Sean

Yep it's safe - it is a no rinse sanitizer. Once the keg has been sanitized, dump the StarSan liquid out of the keg. The foam that is left behind is perfectly fine to rack on. There won't be any sudsy soapy flavor.

It isn't soap. It is acidic, and at high concentrations lethal to microbes. Once diluted (as it will be once you rack onto the foam), it is harmless and non-toxic.

It doesn't taste soapy at all, it tastes acidic like lemon juice. But at the amounts you'll get from foam in a 5 gal batch, you won't be able to detect any flavor at all.

"How I learned to stop worrying and love the foam."

TwoDollarBill said:

...it tastes acidic like lemon juice...

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Or like the tingle in coke

Do not fear the foam! Love the foam!

I racked right on top of this:

derte said:

I racked right on top of this:

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Ay carumba, derte! I don't fear the foam, it took a while, but all is good with me and the SS foam. But, your picture I fear! Looks like your corny is pushing out a foamy turd!

Ok fellas, I trust your experience on this. Thank you very much!

they had soda in them (soda is acid based).

So it won't hurt the kegs if you clean and star san the kegs for storage too.

But I am a newbie, don't do it until someone else agrees with me.

Derte, that is some fearless foam!
But seriously, Lynn, I hope you changed your O-rings. Because they will pass on their soda flavor.

Another advantage of racking into foam is it would seem to keep oxygen contact with the beer to a minimum. Of course, there is something (what-air? anyone know?) in the foam bubbles, but logically it seems better as it covers the top of the beer as it's racking. Or am I just passing a giant starsan brain fart?

The foam is filled with trapped air, so I reluctantly vote for the brain fart...

Cheers!

tektonjp said:

Another advantage of racking into foam is it would seem to keep oxygen contact with the beer to a minimum. Of course, there is something (what-air? anyone know?) in the foam bubbles, but logically it seems better as it covers the top of the beer as it's racking. Or am I just passing a giant starsan brain fart?

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wouldn't the air be kind-of filtered so to speak, because the acid bubbles would kill the things moving in the air?

Crito said:

wouldn't the air be kind-of filtered so to speak, because the acid bubbles would kill the things moving in the air?

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But it is not the organism in the air you are worrying about, it is the O2 that could cause oxidation. I don't give a **** about worrying about that, it 99.99% of the time will never matter
<- me, as I have had a few homebrews and a couple of afelwiens

derte said:

I racked right on top of this:

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That’s funny because every time I rack into a keg (or carboy) it looks just like that. I get as much liquid out as I can and sometimes even let them sit for 20 min so the foam will go down… it’s kind of a pain to see, through all that foam, where you’re at when filling a keg.

discooby said:

&#8230; it&#8217;s kind of a pain to see, through all that foam, where you&#8217;re at when filling a keg.

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Yeah...I learned this the hard way the other day when I could see before I closed the lid that my apfelwein had gone up past the gas dip tube. Hooked it up to a shot of CO2, then hit the poppet to purge ---- apfelwein in my face and on the ceiling (and the walls, and the fridge, and the ceiling fan....)

EDIT: pin-lock keg, so I don't have the pressure-relief valve on the lid.

LynnHomeBrewer said:

Just got a 5 gal. Cornelius Keg setup. I've been watching YouTube videos on cleaning and force carbing the keg. My question, is it really safe to clean w/ StarSan then rack without rinsing?

Sean

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Nitpick on:
You don't "clean" with StarSan, you sanitize with StarSan. Prior to using the keg (and if possible between uses), you should first CLEAN the keg with PBW, Oxiclean (free), or some other cleaner. This (cleaning) should be followed by a good rinse to make sure you get all the pbw out of the keg and bev/gas tubing, etc. Then you do the StarSan and don't fear the foam.

I actually keep a keg full of Star San which I use to do quick sanitizing of beverage lines, etc.

Be one with the foam. Love the foam. It will love your beer as your beer will love it.

That is all.

Just kegged the other day and remembered this thread… I had to take a pic:

discooby said:

Just kegged the other day and remembered this thread… I had to take a pic:

View attachment 47031

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Holy crap that foam turd must weigh 100 Courics! You're giving Randy Marsh a run for his money!

Ha classic spenghali! He is the #2!

goosegrease said:

Derte, that is some fearless foam!
But seriously, Lynn, I hope you changed your O-rings. Because they will pass on their soda flavor.

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I dont agree with the kegs passing on soda flavors if you dont change the gaskets. I have used old gaskets and new with a split 10 gallon batch and ran a taste test with 5 people and both brews tasted the same.