Alright, really, no rinsing of Star San foam?

[CallMeZoot]

I've recently started using Star San based on recommendations here, and even after reading thousands of posts about not having to rinse, I just can't convince myself to leave the foam.

When I sanitize my primary or secondary fermenter, it's just FULL of bubbles. Even after I dump them, there is still lots of foam all around the insides of the bucket/carboy.

There's a little devil on one shoulder saying "come one, the HBT guys say just dump your wort in there, it won't effect the taste and it will turn into nutrients for your yeast.... leave the foam, I dare you, dump on top of it, what are you, chicken?"

There's a little angel on the other shoulder saying "that's a lot of gunk, it can't be good for you, I mean you wouldn't drink the Star San solution straight out of the bucket, so why would you want to drink it in your beer?"

So far the angel always wins out and I always rinse until I see no more foam. Then I feel dirty and ashamed for not listening to the experts here.

Is it really, really ok to dump my wort into a primary and/or secondary full of bubbles? Can I leave a full bucket's worth of foam or should I at least flip the bucket and let gravity take some of it out?

chris.

 

[Funkenjaeger]

Don't Fear The Foam!

Seriously. You're worse off rinsing it - the foam is sanitary, tap water used to rinse it off isn't. It's not a huge deal, but there's really no reason to rinse.

There's no harm in pouring out the majority of the foam, at least as much as comes out easily on its own, but don't worry about getting all of it. Whenever I fill a carboy there is always enough foam that it gets pushed out the top as the wort level rises, and then the foam climbs several feet up the siphon tubing.

 

[Chris_Dog]

I am with you man. I dry my bottles, buckets, & carboys upside down until most if not all the foam is gone.

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

+1 for keeping the foam.

It also dissociates into yeast nutrient when the pH gets above 3.5! Embrace the foam!!!

 

[Nate]

Even though they say the foam is fine, I roll StarSan around in my kegs and fermentor which produces little or no foam. Shaking the stuff really makes it foam.

 

[bradsul]

+1 Leave the foam!

If you're going to rinse it you may as well not waste the money on the starsan! If you really can't stand the foam, put it in a spray bottle and just spray it on.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Foam is your friend. A layer of foam is like a layer of protection against things you REALLY don't want in your beer. There's nothing wrong with dumping most of it out, but it WON'T hurt your beer, even if there's quite a bit remaining.

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

even if there's quite a bit remaining.

Yep, there are even legends recounting tales of people racking onto an inch of Starsan in the bottom of a fermentor with no ill effects.

 

[Chello]

yet if its ingested i'm supposed to call poison control...

 

[adx]

yet if its ingested i'm supposed to call poison control...

That's only the concentrated form. Once it's diluted it's perfectly safe.

If you're worried about the foam just take a taste of it. It really tastes like nothing. It's mostly air anyway.

 

[BrianP]

If you drank the concentrate you'd be drinking a pretty strong acid. Diluted according to the instructions it is perfectly safe.

The foam is intentional - it coats the surfaces and is a visual sign to you that the surface is covered.

Embrace the foam.

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

yet if its ingested i'm supposed to call poison control...

You can die from drinking too much water as well. In it's diluted form, Starsan poses very little health threat.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Then I feel dirty and ashamed for not listening to the experts here.

That's exactly how you should feel after you rinse StarSan foam away! After all, you've just defeated the purpose of sanitizing in the first place.

Let gravity drain away the bulk of the foam, and don't worry about the rest. Really.

 

[mr x]

Foam is your friend. A layer of foam is like a layer of protection against things you REALLY don't want in your beer. There's nothing wrong with dumping most of it out, but it WON'T hurt your beer, even if there's quite a bit remaining.

I agree. I deliberately cause my star san to foam. It really foams like crazy out of a keg with a picnic tap at high air pressure. Pure foam, just what I want. You'd be surprised how a lot of foam is really very little liquid solution.

 

[Chad]

If you really Fear the Foam, you could try SaniClean, also from Five Star. It's basically a no-foam version of StarSan. Due to changes in regulations between the time StarSan was certified and the development of SaniClean, SaniClean isn't labeled as a sanitizer but as an "acid wash." It does the same thing as StarSan; it just doesn't foam.

Chad

Edited to add: If Charlie Talley doesn't come up with a marketing slogan and t-shirt that says "Don't Fear the Foam" soon, he's missing a tremendous opportunity.

 

[Chris_Dog]

I was in no way implying that any no-rinse sanitizer should be rinsed. Only agreeing that the foam freaks me out.

 

[Zymurgrafi]

And as to the question of drinking the diluted solution. I heard an interview with Charlie Talley (one of the chemists who came up with it) and he has drank a glass of the solution! How's that for standing behind your product?

 

[CallMeZoot]

Alright, thanks for the flood of responses.

I will take your advice once and for all and stop hating the foam. I was foamerly a foam-hater, but foam now on I will befriend the foam.

Next week when I transfer my Hobgoblin to secondary, it will be foamalicious!

You have all been very infoamative. Eh? eh.

chris.

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

I was foamerly a foam-hater

BOOOOOOO!

:cross:

 

[Dude]

Don't fear the foam!!!

 

[Dr Vorlauf]

As a formulation chemist the phosphoric acid at the dilution in Star San is perfectly safe. I do have a problem with the surfactant DDBSA being used at the ridiculous amount of 15% of the concentrate. This is completely unnecessary and should be reduced by the manufacturer. Who wants a benzene ring + hydrocarbon in their beer ( plus who knows what the yeast do to this )?

PS I do use Star San as a leave on sanitizer ( rinse my fermenters and leave on ) between batches and also in a spray bottle ( for quick shots ). Its a great CIP sanitizer.

 

[The Drizzle]

Don't fear the foam!!!

why am i finding this strangely erotic?

 

[eddie]

If the foam bothers you that bad, just tip whatever container you've sanitized with Star-San upside down and let it air dry for and hour. Most of the foam should be gone by then. Rinsing it after using Star-San is counterproductive. You'll just reinfect the very surfaces you are trying to sanitize.

 

[Dude]

If the foam bothers you that bad, just tip whatever container you've sanitized with Star-San upside down and let it air dry for and hour. Most of the foam should be gone by then. Rinsing it after using Star-San is counterproductive. You'll just reinfect the very surfaces you are trying to sanitize.

And exposing it to air for an hour (unless you live in a vacuum) would be as counter-productive as rinsing it.

My suggestion for getting over the foam thing, is to get over the foam thing and trust us.

 

[Jesse17]

And exposing it to air for an hour (unless you live in a vacuum) would be as counter-productive as rinsing it.

My suggestion for getting over the foam thing, is to get over the foam thing and trust us.

How long did people trust asbestos before they figured out it causes cancer?

 

[SuperiorBrew]

Don't fear the foam!!!

+1

 

[Yuri_Rage]

How long did people trust asbestos before they figured out it causes cancer?

If you're afraid of the foam, stop drinking Coke. It has far higher levels of phosphoric acid than your beer will ever have from Star San foam.

 

[eddie]

And exposing it to air for an hour (unless you live in a vacuum) would be as counter-productive as rinsing it.

My suggestion for getting over the foam thing, is to get over the foam thing and trust us.

The foam doesn't bother me but the directions on the bottle recommend you air dry before use.

 

[Dr Vorlauf]

OOPS !!! Thanks again to this forum ! Made me recalculate the surfactant
level and it is WELL within reason. For what it is worth I put together cleaning formulations among other for a living ( among other things ).

Still wish they would use a different surfactant but I am probably being anal.

I also use star san in a spray bottle. After rinsing out a home brew I give it a quick spray. No mold ever... I rinse well but this is dirt cheap insurance

 

[jay_mack1]

Okay... here is a question: Where do you buy Starsan?

 

[eddie]

I buy mine from NB. You may be able to find it at your LHBS. If they don't carry it, ask them to.

 

[adx]

Still wish they would use a different surfactant but I am probably being anal.

When Charlie was on, he said that at the time Star San was formulated that was the best he could get his hands on. They've thought about changing it up, put don't want to have to go back through EPA testing on the new formula.

 

[Dr Vorlauf]

When Charlie was on, he said that at the time Star San was formulated that was the best he could get his hands on. They've thought about changing it up, put don't want to have to go back through EPA testing on the new formula.

Smart man. The EPA is bullsheet about the "inert" ingredients like this. Really pisses me off when they should focus in on the active portion ( which is so well proven ). You have to pony up somehting like $ 100 +k for this type of BS.

Id rather have my teeth pulled without pain killers , put back in and then pulled back again than deal with the EPA on these silly things.

 

[budbo]

The foam doesn't bother me but the directions on the bottle recommend you air dry before use.

Bacteria fall, so if you have it in a carboy dryer facing down you should be fine, plus the foam should keep the bacteria out, give i a shake to get the last of the foam out and go.. or just ignore the foam it goes away quick once the beer goes in

 

[olllllo]

HBT: Come for the foam, stay for the Kool-Aid.

 

[Beerrific]

The foam doesn't bother me but the directions on the bottle recommend you air dry before use.

I think that means allow to air dry as opposed to any other method or rinsing.

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

That's nice. Are you gonna put that on your Christmas cards?

 

[DraconianHand]

You can die from drinking too much water as well. In it's diluted form, Starsan poses very little health threat.

Which is why I always dilute my drinking water.

 

[cubbies]

There is nothing to worry about with the foam. Something I do though to limit it in my carboys is when I drain it, turn the carboy completely upside down and swirl it to create a whirlpool. This causes it to drain faster and gets more of the residual foam out. The walls of the carboy are still coated, but the bulk comes out.

and I personally doubt the ramifications of rinsing it. I dont think that tap water is so full of bugs that rinsing off the foam would be counterproductive. I bet it would still be sanitary. What do I know though?

 

[bradsul]

...and I personally doubt the ramifications of rinsing it. I dont think that tap water is so full of bugs that rinsing off the foam would be counterproductive. I bet it would still be sanitary. What do I know though?

I wouldn't bet my own beer on it, but to each his own.