Cleansing/Sanitizing/Fermenting Questions

doublebogey10 · Aug 25, 2011

My first batch (Irish Red extract kit) is currently fermenting. Will be two weeks this weekend and my gravity readings have been consistent so going to bottle this weekend. Have had a couple of questions that I've been thinking about and wanted to just post everything at once. Hopefully this won't be too long. Thanks in advance.

1. I am currently fermenting in a primary that is sitting in a bathroom shower. Pretty solid 68 degrees throughout. However, the wifey isn't going to allow this moving forward (and my next two batches are getting brewed very soon!). So I need to find a place to ferment moving forward. Here in the high desert, we have wild temperature fluctuations (high 90s today but lows in the low 50s) so I am not sure that my garage will keep a steady temperature, even when it starts to cool in the fall. I've read some things about filling up a larger bucket with water and placing fermenting bucket in that? Is that an option I should be looking at, especially if I need to use my garage?

2. Bottling this weekend. Re-using empties and I likely let them sit in bleach too long when I was removing labels a month ago. What's the best process to do a clean/sanitize for bottling? Am concerned that they might have some bleach residue in them still. I do not have a bottling tree so maybe a quick squirt of Starsan into the bottle (after cleansing) before I bottle?

3. What's the best product to clean my brewpot? I have a 10 gallon stainless steel pot that I got from a restaurant supply shop. Along those same lines, when I bought the pot, the lid was on it updside down and taped to the pot. I did not brew with the lid on but kept it on (upside down) in the ice bath to keep potential contaminants out. I say upside down because there is glue residue on the underside of the lid from the tape that I can't seem to remove and I was concerned about condensation or something dropping off that residue into the wort. All I have are typical household cleaners and sanitizers.

Thanks!

jonmohno · Aug 25, 2011

1- However you can control the temps,do so. Swamp cooler is the cheapest but you have to keep an eye on the temps. Get a cooler that fits freeze some 20 oz pop bottles and keep switching them out.Otherwise you can find a used fridge or use an old one and buy a temp controller for it they are like 60 bucks.

2-Most of the time you can just soak bottles in hot water for an hour to remove labels, i recommend always drinking them out of a glass then rinsing them as you drink them. Its the easiest way to avoid bacteria by it not being able to grow off of residue/saliva.I usually use hot water and baking sodawith a bottle brush after the bottle soak lable removal then dry them store them and just sanitize when your ready to bottle. Oxyclean and tapwater made gave my bottles a crappy residue, i have since just soaked in hot water and if needed use a small plastic pan scraper/mild scouring pad.People seem to like oxyclean though.

3-If your talking about the glue to clean then use some goo-gone to get the glue off. Rinse it good, i bet acetone would do it but rinse the ****.

4. - Damn i love my beer after a few months.Dont drink it all fast brew more.

AdvGroo · Aug 25, 2011

1-can you find some closet space indoors to place the Primary? Throw some old clothes out in the garage and take over some valuable real estate. I personally would keep it out of the garage and in a more stable environment.

2-I would rinse as advised, then store and soak in a no rinse cleaner, Store and sanitize on bottling day. one step and even oxyclean have removed my labels with zero effort.

3- yes goo gone, then I personally clean with 1 step

dutchoven · Aug 25, 2011

Welcome to the forums ... nice to see folks from Northern Nevada (I grew up in Carson). As for your questions:

1. I really like the bucket in a tub of water idea. I did it that way before I converted a freezer to a fermentation chamber. You can easily add ice every morning. I'd keep the beer out of the garage though ... even with the water bath, garage temps spell doom for your beer. I used to use a back bedroom. Also, make sure you cover the beer to keep it dark.

2. I'd avoid bleach before bottling. I fill a bucket with starsan solution and just soak my bottles (it takes a while, 12 bottles per 5-gal bucket), remove and store upside down in old cardboard beer cases with a clean towel on the bottom. A spray bottle with starsan is handy also. Caps can be sanitized in vodka. For your bottles, just give them a thorough rinse, then soak in starsan.

3. For the brewpot, I'd try Contact Cleaner (from an electronics store). That stuff works well on paint/adhesive/marker/etc. For general stainless steel cleaning, I like Bar Keepers Friend.

birvine · Aug 26, 2011

doublebogey10 said:
my first batch (irish red extract kit) is currently fermenting. Will be two weeks this weekend and my gravity readings have been consistent so going to bottle this weekend. Have had a couple of questions that i've been thinking about and wanted to just post everything at once. Hopefully this won't be too long. Thanks in advance.

1. I am currently fermenting in a primary that is sitting in a bathroom shower. Pretty solid 68 degrees throughout. However, the wifey isn't going to allow this moving forward (and my next two batches are getting brewed very soon!). So i need to find a place to ferment moving forward. Here in the high desert, we have wild temperature fluctuations (high 90s today but lows in the low 50s) so i am not sure that my garage will keep a steady temperature, even when it starts to cool in the fall. I've read some things about filling up a larger bucket with water and placing fermenting bucket in that? Is that an option i should be looking at, especially if i need to use my garage?

I use the water-in-the-bucket method. Works fine.

2. Bottling this weekend. Re-using empties and i likely let them sit in bleach too long when i was removing labels a month ago. What's the best process to do a clean/sanitize for bottling? Am concerned that they might have some bleach residue in them still. I do not have a bottling tree so maybe a quick squirt of starsan into the bottle (after cleansing) before i bottle?

I think glass is impermeable to bleach so not a worry. You could always run them through the dishwasher this time and next time.

3. What's the best product to clean my brewpot? I have a 10 gallon stainless steel pot that i got from a restaurant supply shop. Along those same lines, when i bought the pot, the lid was on it updside down and taped to the pot. I did not brew with the lid on but kept it on (upside down) in the ice bath to keep potential contaminants out. I say upside down because there is glue residue on the underside of the lid from the tape that i can't seem to remove and i was concerned about condensation or something dropping off that residue into the wort. All i have are typical household cleaners and sanitizers.

I don't know but probably not a big worry.

Thanks!