Did I ruin my beer? (Sanitizing mistake)

[Fordzilla]

I believe I may have ruined my second batch of beer. I misread the cleaning section of "How to Brew" by John Palmer and somehow I thought Oxyclean was a sanitzer...stupid, I know. Thus, I cleaned my equipment and bottle with just Oxyclean. Essentially, I skipped the sanitation step. I bottled the beer about 2 weeks ago, so it's getting close to the time where it would be ready to drink...what I'm wondering is if it's even worth drinking. Will it taste bad? Will drinking it harm me?

I have picked up a 32 oz bottle of StarSan and plan to use that for equipment and bottles in the future.

My first batch of beer I only cleaned the equipment with Oxyclean as well. (D'oh!) However I used bleach on the bottles. I believe it turned out well and it tastes good to me and everyone who I have shared it with.

 

[mikebowman]

Did you rinse the oxyclean? If you rinsed well, it might be ok. I wouldn't drink it if you didn't though

 

[Fordzilla]

I definitely rinsed it well. When I use Oxyclean I always end up with a slimy residue all over, so I'm sure to rinse thoroughly.

I guess my main concern is health. Does not sanitizing make beer unsafe to drink?

 

[rpaulson]

You should be fine

 

[mikebowman]

No, it shouldn't. There aren't any known pathogens that are harmful to humans that can live in beer, so you're fine on that front. Not sanitizing would increase the likelihood of an infection, which could possibly ruin your beer. Does it smell/taste funny? If not, then you're probably in the clear

 

[Calder]

There are no known pathogens that can survive in beer.

If it tastes fine, it's OK to drink.

The reason we sanitize (which is not sterilizing) is to reduce the population of any contaminants to a level where they do not compete with the yeast. If the yeast get established first and create alcohol, most contaminants remain in check and cannot affect the beer.

They managed to make beer 100 years ago without any of these sanitizers we use today.

 

[unionrdr]

If it smells & looks ok when you crack a bottle,it should be fine. On my 1st brew,the bag the PBW was re-packaged into said it was no rinse. so I went with it. The ale turned out great. So I don't think you have too much to worry about. From my 2nd brew on,I got some starsan,& I now have a vinator & bottle tree. No more worries since I clean with PBW,rinse & onto the bottle tree to dry before storing in covered boxes. Starsan & vinator/bottle tree on bottling day.

 

[lowtones84]

People are going to think I'm crazy but the only thing I use is "One-Step Cleanser" from my LHBS. No star-san, bleach or iodine solutions. The only time I had an infection was when fermentation never started on one batch. I don't get off flavors attributed to unsanitary practices either, at least according to me, my friends and family and a couple of older guys who have been homebrewing for way longer than I have. Never had my beer tasted by a legit judge though.

Anyways, you'll be fine

 

[MisterOJ]

On my first brew, I just cleaned everything in PBW and thought that was the same as sanitizing. I found out later I was wrong, but my beer still turned out great. You should be okay.

 

[Fordzilla]

Thanks for the help and info guys. I haven't tried the brew yet (It's a Bavarian Hefeweizen) but I am looking forward to cracking one.

I am looking into an easier way to clean my bottles, and I just came across the bottle tree recently. I will definitely get one for the next batches bottles. I've been balancing them in the dish rack so far.

Have never seen the vinator before though. Looks interesting, and seems like either that or a bottle washer that attaches to the faucet could speed up my bottle cleaning.

 

[hercher]

Ale has been the beverage of preference for centuries, since long before anybody knew anything about pathogens, bacteria, or any kind of microbiology. I rather suspect that in medieval times nearly every beer was infected (by our standards) because nobody understood the concept.

The only way to find out is to open a bottle and smell it first, then take a sip.

It won't hurt you, it'll just taste really bad if it is infected. If you are really nervous, have SWMBO taste it.

 

[gmcastil]

If you are really nervous, have SWMBO taste it.

The gentleman gives unsound advice.

 

[gunner65]

be careful If you drink to much of it you may get real gassy.

 

[MisterOJ]

Thanks for the help and info guys. I haven't tried the brew yet (It's a Bavarian Hefeweizen) but I am looking forward to cracking one.

I am looking into an easier way to clean my bottles, and I just came across the bottle tree recently. I will definitely get one for the next batches bottles. I've been balancing them in the dish rack so far.

Have never seen the vinator before though. Looks interesting, and seems like either that or a bottle washer that attaches to the faucet could speed up my bottle cleaning.

I don't think it's necessary to completely drain the bottles.

I usually just let them soak in Star San, shake them out, then cover and set them on the counter for a while before bottling (1-2 hours or something) and during that time, the rest of the water will settle in the bottom. One more good shake and 98 percent of the water is out of the bottle. A drop or two won't hurt anything at all.

The bottle washer attachments for the sink are sweet though. I love mine.

 

[ETCS]

I've use one of these, and the rack in my dishwasher on the occasion that I bottle.

 

[beninan]

My first 2-3 batches were only cleaned with C-Brite cleanser with a short contact time. Due to it making my skin sore, I switched to B-Brite cleanser for the next 4-5 batches. Then I realized that neither of those are sanitizers. Never had an infection (knock on wood). I'm sure you will be fine. I would say that sanitation isn't 100% necessary, it's just highly recommended so there's a higher chance your beer/wine will turn out the way you intended.