I scrub it off in hot PBW and rinse. Air dry and put it away. Easy.
Cleaning your Bag
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Rinse mine off in the sink to get the bulk of the mess off, then toss it in the washer by itself with no soap on small load/delicate cycle. Pull it out of the washer and throw it on the line. Then spend ten minutes looking for it next brewday in my equipment box before remembering I left it on the line.
rkhanso
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I think drying is much more important than cleaning it.
But, don't forget to at least rinse it out first.
But, don't forget to at least rinse it out first.
Yep this is what I do.
Just some soap and a towel. Missus thinks that is fine.
I spray it off with the hose and air dry. Anything that comes in contact with it will eventually be boiled anyway. I did do a RIS in it a few brew days back, and it's darkened a bit, but other than that, it seems fine.
spittybug
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Old thread I realize... Does anyone find that as their bag ages it becomes less porous? I use a HERMS system and am pretty much constantly cycling the wort through the coil in the HLT and back to a sparging head over the grain bed. With time, my bag seems to hold in more of the liquid, causing it to not only fail to reach the level of the temp probe, but to also impact the flow back to the pump. Essentially the bag has become less porous. Build up of proteins or starches in the fabric perhaps? I always rinse the bag clean after brewing, but never have used a washing machine or dishwasher as described above. I wonder if I should try soaking in something that will dissolve starches/proteins? Suggestions?
FloppyKnockers
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I thought I noticed the same thing, but am not sure. It still drains so I guess it doesn't need replacing yet.
If I forget to rinse the bag, I just put it in the magic basket.
If I forget to rinse the bag, I just put it in the magic basket.
I would be weary of picking up odors from washing machine or using bleach.
I just spray it down with hot water to remove all debris, soak in the bucket of oxy cleaner I already have onhand on brew days, and then hang dry.
I agree with several previous comments that it is key to clean it quickly/within a couple of hours.
Over time, I think the threads wear out and spread out so that the gaps between become smaller. Mine have stayed porous enough that I think they are still fine, but the once visually perceptible gaps have shrunk/disappeared.
I just spray it down with hot water to remove all debris, soak in the bucket of oxy cleaner I already have onhand on brew days, and then hang dry.
I agree with several previous comments that it is key to clean it quickly/within a couple of hours.
Over time, I think the threads wear out and spread out so that the gaps between become smaller. Mine have stayed porous enough that I think they are still fine, but the once visually perceptible gaps have shrunk/disappeared.
spittybug
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Maybe it's just time for a new one.....
That's exactly what I do. 50+ batches later, it's still good as new.
Ha. That's a different topic, but mine still work fine for now. Drain fine, good efficiency. But I will replace if I see signs of wearing that may develop into actual tear. I worry more about stuff getting out than stuff being trapped in.
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Yes, a hot PBW soak restores it.
spittybug
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My system is built around continuous recirculation. I have to get the wort to flow from the Sanke head (upside down keg for mash tun), through the SS coil in the HLT and to the sparge arm. This way the grain bed is not only kept at the desired temperature but it is constantly washing the sugars off the grains. It makes for a very efficient brew day (Friday's Mexican lager had a 91% conversion). If the bag isn't leaking out the wort I have to increase the liquid volume and or semi suspend the bag and shake it frequently to 'force' it through the mesh. Hard to envision I suppose, but this issue seems to be related to the aging bag and losing porosity. I've gone ahead and ordered a new one and will try that.
If you're recircing,why not put the rinsed bag back in the tun for the CIP cycle?
Mold is not due to your washing technique, it's how you're drying the bag. It's staying wet too long. I hand wash the grain bag with cold water from the garden hose, rinsing the grains and sugars off the fabric. Then I squeeze out the excess water and hang it to dry in my garage. I've been using the same bag for years with no mold. It is discolored from all the use, but works just as well as the day I bought it.
RynoRama
Member
Wow, I use a garden hose and blast it. Then hang it to let it dry
After I dump the spent grain, my wilser bag gets a good snappy shake (the reason I'm usually covered in grain bits after a brew day) then a good rinse with hot water; then another snappy shake, and hung to dry. It has never seen soap or the washing machine, and only two oxyclean soaks in the two years since I bought it. No snaggy holes, it's a lovely tan color, and works great for every brewday. I've considered renaming my brewery No Soap Brewing since I don't use it for anything, from cleaning the grain and hop bags to the HLT and BK. Cleaning/rinsing immediately after the brewday with clean hot water negates the need for any detergents or soaps in my humble opinion. And I haven't had an infection in at least 3 years.
I clean my bag with very hot PBW solution every 3rd or 4th brew day because the pores definitely close up on you if you let it go with only rinsing for too long. I also do a double strength warm water starsan soak occasionally to combat any beer stone.
I guess I thought PBW fought beerstone on its own.
Anyways, I too use a nice PBW soak ever 4-6 uses, and once a year give it a hot bleach soak. There are just some odors and discoloration that PBW doesn't seem to get out.
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I have to weigh in to say my @wilserbrewer bag after 250 batches has only ever been IMMEDIATELY rinsed, then hung to dry.
And I may have to finally wash it, but only because I tried a batch of @Miraculix Hazy Cheapskate which had a 5# bag of store brand wheat flour. It clogged so badly that my next two brews drained noticeably slower than usual so I have to agree with @Bobby_M about the pores. My plan is a pbw soak prior to next brew. Depending on the laziness coefficient.
And I may have to finally wash it, but only because I tried a batch of @Miraculix Hazy Cheapskate which had a 5# bag of store brand wheat flour. It clogged so badly that my next two brews drained noticeably slower than usual so I have to agree with @Bobby_M about the pores. My plan is a pbw soak prior to next brew. Depending on the laziness coefficient.
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Beerstone on a bag?
Why not?
Beerstone is a type of scale of known as calcium oxalate (C2CaO4) in the brewing industry, calcium oxalate is a precipitate. This precipitate is largely due to a reaction between alkaline cleaners (caustic), hard water minerals (calcium and magnesium) and protein (amino acids).
Never thought about it. I usually rinse my bag immediately after pulling it. I've had it build up on fermenters (mostly cooling coils). I was under the impression that beerstone built up in fermenters and beer lines.
I think that an uncleaned bag can have a negative taste impact. I clean mine with scentless oxyclean in boiling water before use, same for hop bags. They smell completely neutral afterwards.
Soak your bag in hot water for five minutes. Try the water. Do you want this taste in your beer?
Soak your bag in hot water for five minutes. Try the water. Do you want this taste in your beer?
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I finally ran mine through the wash ("trow it in the wash, it'll be grand") after making a batch yesterday. We'll see what happens next batch.
I've never put mine in the washer. After I pull and empty the bag I hang it outside to dry. After it's dry I give it a good shake which removes most of the dried grains. Then I soak it in a Homer bucket in Oxiclean overnight. A good rinse the next day, and hang to dry again and put it away until next brew day.
I have used a citric acid soak. This seems to open the pores better than PBW. Also less caustic & less worry about rinsing out the PBW.
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Same here.
Try putting the "cleaned" bag into boiling water for a few minutes and have a taste test of that water afterwards. Do you want that taste in your beer?
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How about putting your "clean" bag in hot water for more than a few minutes to keep that taste out of your beer?
Doesn't get everything out. It is a start and better than nothing but the oxyclan really tackles the whole problem.
I was thinking more about getting out the stuff some folks don't want to use to clean their bags. Like laundry detergent scents and such.
I soak my bag in citric acid overnight. It works great and it rinses out very easily. Keep in mind that citric acid is used in the food industry as a flavor enhancer and is also a natural product that acts as a cleaning agent under the right concentrations.
Yes, that's an issue. I use an unscented oxyclean-type of product so I don't have this issue. I'd choose something without any scent, otherwise the whole idea is pretty much pointless.
Same can be said for new bags @Miraculix and @mac_1103 . I got a Brew Bag and Wilser bag earlier this week. I let the Brew Bag soak in a pot of 180F water for a few minutes and noticed a Clorox type smell. The water had a milky look to it and the same smell. So I filled the sink with hot water and some Dawn and washed, rinsed, and air dried. Smells clean and not bleachy now.
When i washed mine in Dawn I had no head on the 2 beers I brewed. Make sure you soak it in PBW after Dawn and then no problem.
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Good point.
In my ever present chase after shortening brew day, but saving water, I'm finding I almost always have half a bucket hot water from the start of chilling, left at the end. I should always do another final soak of the bag in that, while cleaning up and putting away. And remembering to pitch the yeast. And set the ferm chamber temp.
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