Easy Extra Sanitization Tip

[BryanEBIAB]

I’m not sure who needs to hear this but well worth it, especially for new brewers.

I try to brew regularly but sometimes life intervenes and my beer sits around a less-than-ideally-clean basement for a little too long. A little splash of brew on my fermenter bucket can become a disgusting moldy mess. Once I had to dump a batch I couldn’t get out cleanly. Mold was IN the spigot and all under the lid. Ever since, I began taking a square of sanitized tinfoil and wrapping it around the spigot and holding it in place with Saran Wrap.

Well, life struck again and after too long a wait I found mold on my fermenter—but no fear! The spigot was perfectly clean. Cheap insurance and it paid off!

 

[Deadalus]

Is that an extra hole with a grommet in the lid?

A dehumidifier might be helpful in the basement if you don't have one.

 

[MaxStout]

Put a piece of tape over that extra grommet, before whatever is growing on it starts showing up inside.

 

[BryanEBIAB]

Is that an extra hole with a grommet in the lid?

A dehumidifier might be helpful in the basement if you don't have one.

Dehumidifier’s cranking and the extra grommet is for a thermowell. This poor guy probably spent a whole month down there. It has been pretty humid in my area lately, maybe that’s the root cause.

 

[Deadalus]

My basement gets pretty humid in the summer so I hear ya. Takes a while for the dehumidifier to catch up at times, plus I'm in and out of the garage a lot. No central AC either!

Thermowell is/was installed then right? Just wondering if the system was open or closed given the way the grommet looks.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

My suggestion to new brewers is to keep everything clean so that mold does not have a food source to grow. If you get wort around the outside of your fermenter, rinse it off and give it a spray with a StarSan solution. Dry it off with a clean towel if your fermenter is in a damp location.