cleansing, sanitizing, etc.

[jayess99]

All along I thought B-Brite was a sanitizer and that's all I've used. Now I read some stuff here about StarSan, dont know what it is. Do I need it? Do I have to rinse it off? Can someone please explain a process that will work and what products to use? I must have been lucky so far, I've always used B-Brite, rinsed it, made wine, drank wine, and I'm not sick. I have also heard that Sodium Bisulphite coupled with a tad of Citric Acid is something that will work, not sure about the necessity of rinsing. Help, please. Thanks. jim

 

[PSNCO]

B-Brite is a cleaner, not a sanitizer. You've had luck on your side that you've had no contamination in any of your batches.

Bleach, Star San, and Idophor are about the only chemicals that are within the reach of a homebrewer and at a feasible price.

Here is a good reference:

http://howtobrew.com/book/section-1/brewing-preperations/sanitation/sanitizing-your-equipment

I've used bleach all of the 25 years of brewing. But, bleach can give you off flavors in your brewing if not rinsed well and deactivated with near boiling to boiling water. Star San is about the best, worry-free sanitizer available.

 

[lukebuz]

Cheap too. My $13 bottle is going on 3 years of regular usage...

 

[jgmillr1]

It is not advised to use bleach. Chlorine is a necessary precursor for TCA, aka cork taint, in your wine.

Star San and iodophor are excellent. You can also make a solution of citric acid (~1tbps/gal) and sulfites (~1tsp/gal) in a spray jug to spray down equipment that you can't soak.