Pink Star San

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It's like a mood ring. That means it likes you. Watch out if it turns brown.

Actually, I've never seen it turn colors. What are you using to store it?
 
findthefish said:
Maybe it went gay on you.
Click to expand...

Its not rainbow colored.:D

It does it quickly when I sanitize my bottles. I thought at first it was because I was leaving the labels on and the adhesive was interacting with the Starsan. Then the other day after brewing I left a bucket with the lid off in the brew room and it turn a slight pink color over night.

Maybe I'll email the guys at starsan.
 
I don't know, but I do know my daughters would love some pink star san...mine has never done that.
 
Ok wort chiller boilers. I know you can add it the last few minutes of the boil but I don't want to. I like to soak it and the last time I boiled it I melted some of the rubber tubing because it touched the side of the pot, which is a really bad time to have to replace tubing.
 
I don't boil my IC for ten minutes, I dunk it in after I've turned the heat off, but before I hook it up to the faucet. That always works fine for me.
 
my first guess was going to be a high copper content in your water... i've had high-copper water turn pink in the presence of certain chemicals...

and, if you're soaking a copper chiller in the water, i'd say it's high copper content!

:cross:
 
Big10Seaner said:
Shouldn't have to use sanitizer on the wort chiller, just add it for the last 20 minutes of the boil.
Click to expand...

I know that I don't have to use Star San for my chiller. I keep a bucket of Star San next to me when I brew so I can toss whatever I need in there. It's just become a part of my process.
 
Reading the show notes from Charley Tally(Star San inventor/creator) from Basic Brewing Radio's show on sanitizing.
First, we have Star-San. Star-San was Five-Star’s answer to Iodiphor. Star-San is an “acid rinse” when measured at 1oz. per 5 gallons of water. Its chemical composition is a typical soap, like that found in tooth paste called DDBSA (dodecylbenzyl sulfonic acid) + food grade phosphoric acid. It stops working when the pH gets above 3.5 and so if diluted in wort acts as a yeast nutrient/food. Star-San will “last forever” if RO or distilled water is used to mix it and it stays enclosed like in a spray bottle, but it lasts a long time anyway and can be used multiple times or up to about 3 months. The product will turn opaque in iron or manganese rich water. Star-San has a contact time of 3 minutes (EPA) or 30 seconds per Charlie. If plastic soaked in Star-San becomes cloudy, soak in PBW to turn the plated soap (film on the plastic) back into the detergent it is supposed to be. The remaining foam after use is ok and has no detrimental effects on your beer, such as head retention. Charlie recommends 30 seconds to 1 minute soak for copper and aluminum, and says they should never be left to soak any longer than 3-4 hours. In other words don’t soak overnight, it only hurts not helps. Star-San is different as a sanitizer than Iodine and bleach, because both of those contain halogens which are called “blind sanitizers.” These halogens will not kill in the presence of sugar and actually attack the sugar first before going after any bacteria. On an end note for this wonderful sanitizer, it will clear up toe-jam.
Click to expand...
 
I stick my IC into the starsan as well, but I don't leave it in there for more than 5 minutes, maybe 10 at most.

The reason why is that it's specifically an acidic solution. I want all that copper corrosion crud that has formed on the IC off, and I want it to look nice and shiny. I've seen the oxidation or whatever the black gunk is come off in wort, and I figure it just *can't* be good for my beer to have that crap come off during a 20 minute boil, even just a little.

Starsan brightens it right up, and I know it's sanitized too.
 

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