Cleaning and Sanitation Processes

[wsmith1625]

Hey guys, I love brewing beer but I hate all the cleaning and sanitation involved. I just can't figure out a good workflow to make things more efficient. Also, I do all the cleaning and sanitizing in my kitchen sink and wind up dripping water everywhere and making a wet mess. I also noticed that I got concentrated StarSan on my granite counter tops and it etched the surfaces. Fortunately my wife didn't freak out, she was just glad that she didn't do it. One last thing, I just switched to kegging my beer to get out of cleaning and sanitizing 50+ bottles every batch. It was a bit easier, but I still felt like my process was difficult and clumsy. I clean with OxyClean Versatile Free and sanitize with StarSan. OxyClean isn't cheap, so I would also appreciate any suggestions to minimize usage or cheaper alternatives. I know I can't be the only brewer with this problem. Thanks all!

 

[McKnuckle]

Brewing is like parenting: 10% inspiration, 90% clean-up. Ya gotta do it!

Which part of cleaning is the worst for you - hot side or cold side? On the hot side, if you chill with an immersion or counterflow chiller, collect the water in buckets rather than sending it down the drain. Drop all of your utensils, tubing, and brew day knick-knacks in the bucket. Just rinse and wipe them down with your hands, then lay them out to dry on a rack.

For cleaning kettles, I only use hot water and a sponge to get visible/palpable residue off. Everything gets boiled, and I don't need the metal to shine at full blast.

Spent grain is dumped into a plastic bag directly from the mash tun (or brew bag). Cleaning the mash detritus is the biggest pain for me about the hot side sanitation, and it's easy to make a mess over the sink. Hops are a close second, but I catch those in a canister so it can be dumped and then sprayed out over the sink.

On the cold side, keep a bucket or empty keg full of Star-San and use it for brew day / fermenting sanitation. Dump it into other vessels to sanitize them (then dump it back). Drop hoses and other gadgets in there to soak. The Star-San will last for months this way.

Kegs are a whole other story, and people go nuts sanitizing them every which way. I prefer to pour about a gallon of Star-San in there and swish/roll it around for a while, rather than fill it all the way up, then I dump it out and seal the keg for its next use. I then capture fermentation CO2 in the keg prior to its next use, rather than using a tank to force out Star-San liquid.

 

[kh54s10]

The only advise I can offer is in regard to the Oxyclean. Buy a generic. Sun is a brand that Walmart carries and Dollar General has a DG branded one. And make sure you don't use more than needed. Oxyclean comes with a big scoop that is for doing laundry. You don't need near that much. The DG comes with a much smaller scoop.

 

[wsmith1625]

Brewing is like parenting: 10% inspiration, 90% clean-up. Ya gotta do it!

Which part of cleaning is the worst for you - hot side or cold side? On the hot side, if you chill with an immersion or counterflow chiller, collect the water in buckets rather than sending it down the drain. Drop all of your utensils, tubing, and brew day knick-knacks in the bucket. Just rinse and wipe them down with your hands, then lay them out to dry on a rack.

For cleaning kettles, I only use hot water and a sponge to get visible/palpable residue off. Everything gets boiled, and I don't need the metal to shine at full blast.

Spent grain is dumped into a plastic bag directly from the mash tun (or brew bag). Cleaning the mash detritus is the biggest pain for me about the hot side sanitation, and it's easy to make a mess over the sink. Hops are a close second, but I catch those in a canister so it can be dumped and then sprayed out over the sink.

On the cold side, keep a bucket or empty keg full of Star-San and use it for brew day / fermenting sanitation. Dump it into other vessels to sanitize them (then dump it back). Drop hoses and other gadgets in there to soak. The Star-San will last for months this way.

Kegs are a whole other story, and people go nuts sanitizing them every which way. I prefer to pour about a gallon of Star-San in there and swish/roll it around for a while, rather than fill it all the way up, then I dump it out and seal the keg for its next use. I then capture fermentation CO2 in the keg prior to its next use, rather than using a tank to force out Star-San liquid.

Hot side comes pretty easy since the temperature handles the sanitation. The cold side is where I fumble with things. I want to have a list of things to get done and go step by step down the list, but I always find myself stopping and backing up to sanitize just to get to the next step. If feels clumsy and has a terrible flow. It doesn't help that I don't have everything in 1 room. I brew in the garage, ferment and keg in the basement, and clean and sanitize primarily in the kitchen. I wind up going back and forth from room to room to get what I need, often leaving a trail of water or StarSan drops behind me.

 

[McKnuckle]

Ah yes, in my early days of brewing I did the same - equipment in the basement, brewing outside, cleaning in the kitchen. Huge PITA. I brew indoors in my basement with an electric setup now, where I store all my gear and can use the utility sink. That makes an enormous difference. I also downsized from 5 gallons to 2.5, which made everything smaller and easier to handle, but that might not work for you.

 

[kh54s10]

I used to have all my brewing equipment of an enclosed porch. (I since moved) I had a utility sink set up out there. I then had all my fermentation and bottling/kegging equipment in the basement. Not too much traversing for needed equipment.

In regards to cleaning after brewing. Clean stuff but don't bother trying to sanitize anything at that point. IMO, it will not be sanitary by the time of your next brew session.

I am now working of going electric and trying to get it all set up in one room. Not successfully so far.

 

[augiedoggy]

I homebrew in a spare bedroom converted to a brewroom... no sink.

I would just have a spray bottle of sanitizer on hand as well as a couple gallons of starsan solution sitting in a bucket... I would pour the solution into the conical and splash it all around making sure to cover the inside walls momentarily. then I would actuate the valves a couple times allowing solution to go through and sanitize them in the process (these valves were previously taken apart and cleaned prior to this at some point) I would spray the conical lids and walls again quickly a few minutes before actually filling the conicals as well... I would recature the starsan from the conical and use that bucket for dipping things if anything else needed sanitation throughout the day.

Things like my chiller and pumps were always sanitized with hot wort along with the silicone hose I used to pump the worth through my chiller and into the conicals... I never had an infection once from doing this.

AS far as cleaning my semihard pipes 3 vessel hot side system, I would just rinse with water immediately after use and every few brews or if it sat for more than a couple days I would run hot pbw through everything followed by a rinse. I would periodically take things apart for a while to inspect until I was comfortable enough to know it was no longer needed.

 

[augiedoggy]

I sanitized my kegs the same wayMckuckle did it and pushed some sanizer through both poppets... I rarely ever disassembled my poppets. then again I dont put hops or trub into my kegs

I say "did" because I havent homebrewed once since opening a brewpub a year ago although my girlfriend has expressed interest in my dusting off the brewsystem at home so she can use it.

 

[sicktght311]

I brew in a basement brewing area behind my bar with no access to a sink, but i do have access to cold water which is hooked up through hoses for filling the kettles, and for my CFC. Hot side seems to be my frustrating cleaning part. I dont like to just rinse and wipe down, as i can smell that stale fermentable sugars smell after a brew day if they dont get a full clean. I typically shop vac my HLT and herms coil dry since they just had clean water. I typically use the first runnings of hot water from my CFC back into my HLT, and then turn on the element to heat it up to around 160-170 degrees while the wort is chilling. I'll transfer that over to the mash tun with some oxiclean, give it a quick scrib with a scrub brush, and let it soak for 20-30, then i'll transfer that into my boil kettle, scrub, and then circulate it through the pump and CFC. I'll spray down the MLT with clean cold water to rinse the Cleaning solution off and then shop vac that out. My biggest frustation though is then what to do with that 8 or so gallons of hot Oxiclean water once its done in the BK. Right now i just empty it into multiple paint buckets and then i carry them upstairs and down the drain in the kitchen. Then i spray down the BK with clean water to about the 1.5 gallon mark, circulate it through the pump and CFC, and then drain and shop vac everything dry. I'll spray the inside of the pump and CFC with starsan afterwards and then my system is clean

For the cold side, clean after fermentation is typically done by just bringing them upstairs and cleaning in the sink. I have a garbage disposal and sewers, so i just wash everything down the drain, clean by hand with a sponge, dry, and then store back downstairs. During a brew day, i'll spray with starsan from a spray bottle, 2-3 times during the brew session. I have yet to have any infections

 

[wsmith1625]

I brew in a basement brewing area behind my bar with no access to a sink, but i do have access to cold water which is hooked up through hoses for filling the kettles, and for my CFC. Hot side seems to be my frustrating cleaning part. I dont like to just rinse and wipe down, as i can smell that stale fermentable sugars smell after a brew day if they dont get a full clean. I typically shop vac my HLT and herms coil dry since they just had clean water. I typically use the first runnings of hot water from my CFC back into my HLT, and then turn on the element to heat it up to around 160-170 degrees while the wort is chilling. I'll transfer that over to the mash tun with some oxiclean, give it a quick scrib with a scrub brush, and let it soak for 20-30, then i'll transfer that into my boil kettle, scrub, and then circulate it through the pump and CFC. I'll spray down the MLT with clean cold water to rinse the Cleaning solution off and then shop vac that out. My biggest frustation though is then what to do with that 8 or so gallons of hot Oxiclean water once its done in the BK. Right now i just empty it into multiple paint buckets and then i carry them upstairs and down the drain in the kitchen. Then i spray down the BK with clean water to about the 1.5 gallon mark, circulate it through the pump and CFC, and then drain and shop vac everything dry. I'll spray the inside of the pump and CFC with starsan afterwards and then my system is clean

For the cold side, clean after fermentation is typically done by just bringing them upstairs and cleaning in the sink. I have a garbage disposal and sewers, so i just wash everything down the drain, clean by hand with a sponge, dry, and then store back downstairs. During a brew day, i'll spray with starsan from a spray bottle, 2-3 times during the brew session. I have yet to have any infections

I was THINKING about putting a utility sink in my garage so I don't have to use the kitchen anymore. My garage shares a wall with a bathroom, so the hot and cold feeds are close to where I need them to be. I haven't figured out the drain yet. Keep in mind that I'm just thinking about this and reality says I can't afford it. It sound like you need a sink in your basement. It would be a huge improvement.

 

[hjblwme]

I was THINKING about putting a utility sink in my garage so I don't have to use the kitchen anymore. My garage shares a wall with a bathroom, so the hot and cold feeds are close to where I need them to be. I haven't figured out the drain yet. Keep in mind that I'm just thinking about this and reality says I can't afford it. It sound like you need a sink in your basement. It would be a huge improvement.

All of the above is great. I am like you and struggle with the cold side too. Drips of water everywhere. Then a rag to clean the floor.

The upside is that the wood floor is clean there when I am done, and SWMBO is happy.

As for a drain for a wash sink in the garage. If you are able to physically do so you can run the drain out the door and into the yard. Provided you are only using the sink to dump water, sanitizer and soap. Almost everywhere allows you to dump gray water (non biological waste water) onto your property. Just hook up a garden hose and run it out the door when you need it. Kind of a redneck solution, but it works, is cheap and not permanent.

 

[Ridenour64]

I use the scent free Oxy clean as well. Typically I use 2 or 3 tbsp per 5 gal of water as hot as my faucet will poor. Sometimes I’ll put a tbsp of TSP in as well if something really needs cleaned. My container last me a long time like this. I fill up a 5 gallon bucket and soak items in that, then a quick rinse. If you need some in a car boy, just dump some over.

I used to obsess over the cleaning and sanitation too, and it is important, but really it’s not too difficult once you get a routine. I do have a utility sink in my basement though and without that it would be a lot more difficult.

 

[sicktght311]

I was THINKING about putting a utility sink in my garage so I don't have to use the kitchen anymore. My garage shares a wall with a bathroom, so the hot and cold feeds are close to where I need them to be. I haven't figured out the drain yet. Keep in mind that I'm just thinking about this and reality says I can't afford it. It sound like you need a sink in your basement. It would be a huge improvement.

Yeah honestly my brew system is roughly 25 feet away from my main sewer and plumbing stack, but unfortunately no way for me to put a sink with water and drain right next to the system. Too much in the way that would need to be moved, so i've been toying with the idea lately of a utility sink + sealed ejector pump system to pump it the 5 or so feet up into the sewer outlet. I'm sure this is breaking codes, but who cares. If i can get bits of grain, hops, and adjuncts down the drain, and the little sealed basin + pump can get it into my sewer lines, its no different than lugging everything upstairs to the kitchen

 

[Sidman]

Yeah honestly my brew system is roughly 25 feet away from my main sewer and plumbing stack, but unfortunately no way for me to put a sink with water and drain right next to the system. Too much in the way that would need to be moved, so i've been toying with the idea lately of a utility sink + sealed ejector pump system to pump it the 5 or so feet up into the sewer outlet. I'm sure this is breaking codes, but who cares. If i can get bits of grain, hops, and adjuncts down the drain, and the little sealed basin + pump can get it into my sewer lines, its no different than lugging everything upstairs to the kitchen

I set up a similar sink with a pump to send the waste over to a nearby bathroom. Check out laundry tray pumps. I am so happy to have a sink nearby as it saves literally thousands of extra steps in a brew day and keeps my kitchen clean for swmbo.

 

[augiedoggy]

I set up a similar sink with a pump to send the waste over to a nearby bathroom. Check out laundry tray pumps. I am so happy to have a sink nearby as it saves literally thousands of extra steps in a brew day and keeps my kitchen clean for swmbo.

I run a hose from my bathroom sink.. lots a ways to make it work and beats brewing outside hands down. especially during a buffalo winter..

 

[sicktght311]

I run a hose from my bathroom sink.. lots a ways to make it work and beats brewing outside hands down. especially during a buffalo winter..

Looks great Auggie. I'm planning a trip upstate sometime this spring so whenever i do i'd love to stop by to check out your space! Long Islander here

 

[augiedoggy]

Looks great Auggie. I'm planning a trip upstate sometime this spring so whenever i do i'd love to stop by to check out your space! Long Islander here

let me clarify Im talking about my homebrewing setup here and not my brewpub lol definitely not using the bathroom plumbing there.. let me know when your in the area..