Cloudy StarSan

I bottled my first batch of beer yesterday (woohoo!) and used StarSan to sanitize used beer bottles that I have collected. Everything went fine, and I decided to save five gallons of StarSan in my glass carboy so that it will be ready when I rack my next batch of beer. However, the StarSan appears to be very cloudy and almost has a pink shade to it (possibly from the bottle labels?). Does this
mean that it is no longer effective? Should I make up a new batch of StarSan when it's time to rack the next batch?

Yes, If it turns cloudy after awhile then the ph has changed and the starsan is not longer effective. If however you mixed it fresh and it is cloudy immediately then the starsan is reacting to the minerals in the water and it is effective, at least then.

The best way to tell is with PH strips.

If you plan on storing starsan for any length of time, then distilled water is the best bet.

But you really don;t need to use 5 gallons worth at a time, when I am brewing and bottling I tend only to mix up a couple gallons of sanitizer. It's a wet contact sanitzer, so you just really need to swirl it around to make sure it connects with all the surfaces. You can also store some in a spray bottle with distilled water (I have a quart sized spray bottle) to use for spot sanitization.

icedub said:

I bottled my first batch of beer yesterday (woohoo!) and used StarSan to sanitize used beer bottles that I have collected. Everything went fine, and I decided to save five gallons of StarSan in my glass carboy so that it will be ready when I rack my next batch of beer. However, the StarSan appears to be very cloudy and almost has a pink shade to it (possibly from the bottle labels?). Does this
mean that it is no longer effective? Should I make up a new batch of StarSan when it's time to rack the next batch?

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Cloudiness is a good indicator that it's no longer viable. Although, I've had starsan get hazy and still maintain the proper pH. You could check it with pH strips, should be 3 or below. Best bet would be to make a fresh batch if there is any doubt. Oxyclean soak for removing bottle labels FTW.

Thanks! Thats a good point about not needing a full 5 gallons. Also realized I could have gotten this answer by searching.. Sorry!

Mine always goes cloudy, but maintains good PH. I do 4-5 batches with 5 gals. never had an infection problem related to the starsan quality yet.

Chances are that it is from the labels on the bottles. But I would dump it, the stuff is cheap.