Star San Question - (foam)

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forcera

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This weekend I used Star San for the first time and I have a question about it. I know that it is a no rinse sanitizer but I felt uncomfortable bottling and raking my beer into bottles/carboy that were half filled with the foam. I boiled up some water and washed them out with the pre boiled water so that there was no more foam in the bottles/secondary. Then I bottled/raked as normal.

Would I have been fine bottling with all of the foam in the bottles/carboy? If not what should I do to get the foam out?
 
DON'T FEAR THE FOAM!!!!!

The foam actually works good for the yeast, has no flavor to the beer, keeps the surfaces moist (only way sanitizer works), and makes usre you get sanitizer out around the lips of the bucket, fermenter, and bottles. (As it pushes out while you fill with other liquid.)

Leave the foam, I have been using Starsan a long time and it is better to leave it than risk infecting by rinsing.
 
As I understand, Star-San is basicly nuetralized when it hits the wort. It has no taste, just as an experiment I actually tasted a bit of the sollution and can say it has no flavor. I have heard from others that they have accidentally added even a few ounces (or more) to there beers with no ill effects.

I use star san and routinely bottle onto foam and have had no problems.

Learn to love the foam, foam is your friend.
 
I rack onto wet starsan every time I move my beer. Into primary, secondary, bottling bucket and bottles. I can say that there is no effect on my beer. One of them just scored well and won my category and group in the HBT BJCP comp. I'm sure if there was any problem with the starsan, the judges would've picked it out.

I use a spray bottle filled with starsan and coat everything down, then hold the vessel I just sprayed upside down over the sink for about 5 seconds to drain out the excess. That's it!
 
If it weren't completely safe to do so, we wouldn't be....Just because you are afraid of something doesn't mean you're not just being paranoid.....

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/stupid-starsan-tricks-why-you-shouldnt-fear-foam-127044/

Iodophor and Starsan, are no rinse wet contact sanitizers meaning that as long as there is sanitizer still in contact with whatever you sanitized anything that comes in contact with the sanitizer will be killed, but if you rinse it or let it dry anything that comes into contact with the surface then possibly contaminates that object.

Basically by letting sanitized objects dry, or by rinsing, you reduce the efficacy by half, you've killed what's on there already, but you have removed the deadly barrier of wet sanitizer from the surface of the object.

Rather than fear it, why dontja edumicate yourself. There's a lot of great info in here including a podcast with the creator of starsan. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/sanitizer-question-54932/

If you actually did, then you might come to learn that the stuff left behind becomes YEAST FOOD and is really beneficial for the beer.
 
You're wasting your money on a no rinse sanitizer if you are going to rinse it anyway.

If you are filling a carboy or keg fairly full, most of the foam gets pushed out of the top anyway (and will keep stuff from falling in while you are racking, leaving the foam is a win-win situation).
 
Can't improve on the advice in the above posts. I rely completely on Star San (and its foam) for sanitizing. Easy to use, inexpensive, effective. No problems that I've seen.
 
Sorry for asking a question

no worries, mate!
We're all a little eccentric here - it's not a hobby, it's an obsession, and any time we have the opportunity to share what we've learned along the way we'll be more than happy to repeat it a million times!

Welcome to your new hobby (soon to be obsession), and to your introduction to this crazy group!

:mug:
 
no worries, mate!
We're all a little eccentric here - it's not a hobby, it's an obsession, and any time we have the opportunity to share what we've learned along the way we'll be more than happy to repeat it a million times!

Welcome to your new hobby (soon to be obsession), and to your introduction to this crazy group!

:mug:

Oh I know about the obsession. I have been brewing for a little bit over a year now. At the beginning of the summer I moved back home after finishing college so I could save money for a house. After just a few weeks my parents made me get my fridge out of storage so I wouldnt fill the drink fridge up with beer.

I just had always used powdered sanitizers that didnt foam.
 
Thanks guys. It just seems kind of counterintuitive to put the beer in there with a sanitizer.

I hear ya. I was a little concerned myself the first few times I added beer to the dreaded foam. however, I've never had any ill effects (unless I drink a few too many of course).
 
When bottling I use the starsan foam to indicate when the bottle is nearly full. With the darker bottles when I can't see the level, I know I am getting close to the top when the foam appears at the neck. The foam is my friend. :)
 

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