A bit confused about Star San

[h22lude]

This is my first time using Star San and just want to make sure I do everything right as I always had to rinse the sanitizer off so not rinsing seems weird to me.

I made 2.5 gallons with 1/2 ounce of star san. I put some in a spray bottle and left the rest in 1 fermenting bucket. I put my airlock, cup, hydrometer in the star san for a few minutes. Do I just take those out, shake them to get excess star san off and let it sit to air dry?

I sprayed another fermenting bucket and lid and used a sponge to move the star san to cover it all. I used a paper towel to dry it a little and then let that sit and air dry.

Am I using the product right? I just find it weird that I can spray the sanitizer in the bucket, not rinse it and then put beer in it lol

How about sanitizing something like an auto siphon? Just let the star san go through it for 30 seconds and let it dry out? It seems letting it dry out would take a while, no?

 

[Nurmey]

You want to use it wet. Star San is a wet contact sanitizer so drying it defeats the purpose. For buckets, if I'm not using a spray bottle, I just lid it up and roll the Star San around until it wets the entire surface.

 

[h22lude]

When you say used wet, does that mean I have to use it when it is wet and using it after it dries doesn't sanitize anymore?

For instance, I put a glass for proofing yeast in the star san for a few minutes and let it air dry. Will that not be sanitized anymore? Will I have to put it in Star San and then right after I take it out, use it? Or does it drying not matter?

 

[JasonInBTR]

I just take the part (airlock, autosiphon, etc) out of the starsan when I am ready to use it. Shake off the excess and get after it. The bucket of starsan goes where I go on brewday. Bubbles are just a part of using starsan. They are in there as a surfactant.

 

[Bottenbrew]

Yeah the bubbles will weird you out for a bit, but they are fine and don't hurt anything.

 

[h22lude]

Great, thanks guys. I guess I just can't think of it as bleach where I need to rinse it. I need to think of it as plan water that sanitizes. Drip in for 30 seconds, shake off excess and use it.

 

[ultravista]

You should use .25 (1/4) ounce per 1 gallon water (preferably distilled).

 

[h22lude]

You should use .25 (1/4) ounce per 1 gallon water (preferably distilled).

The bottle said to use 1 ounce for 5 gallons of tap water. I used .5 ounces for 2.5 gallons of tap water.

 

[Brewham]

I mix it in a spray bottle using distilled water and spray everything. Much more efficient than trying to make up a gallon of the stuff to soak something in. I spray the inside of my buckets, in the lip of the top, bottle caps, tubing, airlocks etc. A quart of sanitizer will last for several brew sessions and an 8 oz bottle of concentrate will last a really long time. Very economical that way.

 

[drf4th]

make sure not to use too much or it will add a chemical flavor to the aftertaste of your beer. Yuck!

 

[Revvy]

make sure not to use too much or it will add a chemical flavor to the aftertaste of your beer. Yuck!

Never had that issue at all....are you sure your "chemical flavor and aftertaste" is a result of that? Starsan, at proper dillution breaks down and is eaten by the yeast, it shouldn't and doesn't affect the taste of our beer.....

Hence all these pictures by us in this thread, "Stupid Starsan Tricks" or why you shouldn't fear the foam...

I've never had any issues like that.....

 

[drf4th]

Never had that issue at all....are you sure your "chemical flavor and aftertaste" is a result of that? Starsan, at proper dillution breaks down and is eaten by the yeast, it shouldn't and doesn't affect the taste of our beer.....

Hence all these pictures by us in this thread, "Stupid Starsan Tricks" or why you shouldn't fear the foam...

I've never had any issues like that.....

I used the wrong terminology. I should have said, "make sure you have the appropriate dillution." I cannot tell you definitively that Starsan was the root of the aftertaste but the flavor was extremely similar to the smell of Starsan.

 

[mattd2]

I mix it in a spray bottle using distilled water and spray everything. Much more efficient than trying to make up a gallon of the stuff to soak something in. I spray the inside of my buckets, in the lip of the top, bottle caps, tubing, airlocks etc. A quart of sanitizer will last for several brew sessions and an 8 oz bottle of concentrate will last a really long time. Very economical that way.

Exactly how I use it, much easier and efficient! I still have over 8 oz in my 8 oz bottle (after a 4-5 brewdays!)

 

[MaxSpang]

I mix it in a spray bottle using distilled water and spray everything. Much more efficient than trying to make up a gallon of the stuff to soak something in. I spray the inside of my buckets, in the lip of the top, bottle caps, tubing, airlocks etc. A quart of sanitizer will last for several brew sessions and an 8 oz bottle of concentrate will last a really long time. Very economical that way.

Do you let the spray sit on the materials for awhile? Or do you spray and rinse right away? (Or do you even rinse at all?)


I just got Star San after using Bleach once (never again!). Not exactly sure the "proper" way to use the stuff, either!

 

[Revvy]

Do you let the spray sit on the materials for awhile? Or do you spray and rinse right away? (Or do you even rinse at all?)


I just got Star San after using Bleach once (never again!). Not exactly sure the "proper" way to use the stuff, either!

Most of the sanitzers we use, especially Starsan and iodophor are No rinse/wet contact sanitizers. They are literally double edged swords. They kill two ways. They kill everything on the object prior to sanitizing, and then as long as they are still wet they form a sanitizer barrier that kills everything that comes into contact with object.

If you let the sanitizer dry any micro organism that comes in contact with the sanitized object, rather than being killed by it, makes the object no longer sanitzed.

If you let it dry you are reducing it's efficacy by 50%

You really want to sanitize right at the time you are using the thing you are sanitizing. And let the wort/beer flow on top of it.

I put a lot of good info and tips of effectively using sanitizers in here. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/sanitizer-question-54932/[/QUOTE]

In starsan's case it becomes yeastfood which is really good for fermentation.

 

[h22lude]

Thanks Revvy.

I just finished a batch of Golden Ale that I will make into a blueberry beer. I used Star San. It was really easy (once I found out from you guys that foam is ok). Spray it and use it. Much easier than using a rinse sanitizer.

Half way through me pouring my wort into my fermenting bucket using a funnel, I realized I forgot to sanitize my funnel (i did clean it though). I stopped and sprayed Star San on it and continued pouring the rest of the wort into the funnel. Would the Star San I sprayed on the funnel half way through, protect the first half of the wort that went through the unsanitized funnel?

I'm thinking it's ok anyway because I sanitized the funnel a week ago and it has been in my sanitized pot inside a rubber bin. I did also clean it tonight with Oxyclean.

 

[MaxSpang]

Most of the sanitzers we use, especially Starsan and iodophor are No rinse/wet contact sanitizers. They are literally double edged swords. They kill two ways. They kill everything on the object prior to sanitizing, and then as long as they are still wet they form a sanitizer barrier that kills everything that comes into contact with object.

If you let the sanitizer dry any micro organism that comes in contact with the sanitized object, rather than being killed by it, makes the object no longer sanitzed.

If you let it dry you are reducing it's efficacy by 50%

You really want to sanitize right at the time you are using the thing you are sanitizing. And let the wort/beer flow on top of it.

I put a lot of good info and tips of effectively using sanitizers in here. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/sanitizer-question-54932/

In starsan's case it becomes yeastfood which is really good for fermentation.

Thanks! Great info, and great thread.

After reading through it, it looks like if you are using Iodophor or starsan you wanna either spray the solution on or "dunk" it in the solution and wait 30 seconds (keeping it wet) before having any contact with the wort. I am assuming the same is true for bottling

 

[Gman2]

I have had a chemical taste with a few beers and was told at the LHBS that people sometimes complain of that from star san. I have tried everything but changing from star san (because of these threads) but on my next brew I am going to go with one step to see if that changes the after taste (and chemical burps).

Not to diasgree with everyone, but I have tried everything and hope this will solve it.

 

[Homercidal]

With star san, the objective is to not rinse. The stuff will kill in as little as 30 seconds, although the bottle says something like 3 minutes, but that is due to regulations. The maker said in a podcast that it's virtually done it's job in 30 seconds.

If you dip your part in star san and let it sit, it will most likely be fine to let it dry, as long as it's protected from getting bacteria on it again. But the point about using it wet is that it's going to be protected as long as it's still wet. So the best course of action is to coat the part with star san, wait at least 30 seconds, then use the part.

Consider Revvy's image. The starsan foamed up (which helped it get into nooks and crannies) and got pushed out the top by the beer. Looks strange, but in fact star san is fine with beer. The PH effectively kills the killing power of the star san and breaks it down into components that are metabolized by the yeast.

In fact, you could drink a mouthfull of star san that has been diluted to proper strength. (It doesn't taste great, BTW).

You can hear the podcast with Charlie from Five-Star at The Brewing Network. Interesting interview.

 

[JonW]

I sprayed another fermenting bucket and lid and used a sponge to move the star san to cover it all. I used a paper towel to dry it a little and then let that sit and air dry.

I would not use a sponge at all - they harbor more bacteria than anything!

 

[Revvy]

Chemical burps sound phenolic, which could be either an infection, chloramines or underpitching your yeast. Not really something we see with starsan, since again, the starsan breaks down into some the same ingredients that exist in coca cola. Mostly phosphoric acid. I find it highly unlikely that starsan is the source of your burps. And frankly I think it's a step back to use one step, which isn't even recognized by the fda as a sanitizer.

Here's some info on phenols.

Chemical flavors are typically phenols. If it is occurring in all of your beers, the first suspect is water. Are you using untreated tap water for brewing? If so, you could be getting chlorine or chloramines in your brew, which would give you a chemical or "band-aid" flavor. Try using bottled spring water on your next batch and see if that makes a difference.

If you're already using bottled water, the next thing to look at would be sanitation. Are you sanitizing with bleach? If so, are you rinsing well? This could also be a source of chlorine.

Lastly, make sure you're pitching the correct amount of healthy yeast for your beers. Stressed yeast can produce phenolic flavors.

Also, these flash cards may help you identify off flavors in your beer: http://www.bjcp.org/docs/OffFlavorFlash.pdf

I think you're barking up the wrong tree and need to look elsewhere for your issue. If starsan were the cause of that, there'd be more folks complaining about it. Starsan is the first sanitizer specifically designed for the brewing industry, and made not to react chemically with our brewing ingredients and our gear.

 

[Revvy]

You can hear the podcast with Charlie from Five-Star at The Brewing Network. Interesting interview.

There's a link to the Basic Brewing podcast with him in it in the thread I posted above. There might even be the brewstrong one as well.

 

[griffin2020]

I would not use a sponge at all - they harbor more bacteria than anything!

But...if you use Star San on it....

 

[vitrael]

But...if you use Star San on it....

Still a bad idea. Porous materials are impossible to surely sanitize because they are impossible to surely saturate. Wood, scratched plastic, cloth, etc is never sanitary. There's a reason why dirty dish sponges smell foul. Bacteria love to live in there no matter how much soap you use.

Considering how CRAZY easy StarSan is to use with a spray bottle, I don't know why I would ever use anything else. (I use bleach to clean my cleaning area, and StarSan on my equipment).

 

[Seven]

It's definitely weird at first but don't rinse and don't fear the foam...

Also, the reactions you'll get from others who may witness you pouring wort into buckets/carboys that still contain some starsan foam can be funny too!

 

[rustym]

I brewed my first batch recently and, after studying here awhile before I did, used StarSan and it was so easy. I kept a spray bottle and used it for everything I touched or anything that touched my wort. I had some foam in the carboy while filling (although not as much as in the above pictures!) and it all went away quickly. Although I haven't tasted it yet, I think my first beer is going to be great. I did not "fear the foam"!

 

[Homercidal]

There's a link to the Basic Brewing podcast with him in it in the thread I posted above. There might even be the brewstrong one as well.

Oops, you're right. I meant Basic Brewing...

 

[Homercidal]

It's definitely weird at first but don't rinse and don't fear the foam...

Also, the reactions you'll get from others who may witness you pouring wort into buckets/carboys that still contain some starsan foam can be funny too!

Ah yes. Had a friend ove rto brew a while back and he was quite... amazed... when I started running his beer into the freshly foamed up carboy.

 

[Revvy]

Oops, you're right. I meant Basic Brewing...

No you were right, there is also a brewstrong with him out there as well.

 

[Gman2]

Chemical burps sound phenolic, which could be either an infection, chloramines or underpitching your yeast. Not really something we see with starsan, since again, the starsan breaks down into some the same ingredients that exist in coca cola. Mostly phosphoric acid. I find it highly unlikely that starsan is the source of your burps. And frankly I think it's a step back to use one step, which isn't even recognized by the fda as a sanitizer.

Here's some info on phenols.

Thanks for the info Revvy, I will try changing up my water before I give one step a try. We will see.