Don't Fear the Foam??

[Hockeyhunter99]

i have been using starsan on my lastest batches and some of you keep talking about the foam, or showing pics of foam coming out the top, or making a beard and flat-top hair cut with it, or eating it (don't recommend). i have yet to have an excess foam incident (or any foam, for that matter). am i using it wrong?

i want to see this foam tower!!!!

 

[BeernuT100]

Well., how do you use it?

 

[Clonefarmer]

i have been using starsan on my lastest batches and some of you keep talking about the foam, or showing pics of foam coming out the top, or making a beard and flat-top hair cut with it, or eating it (don't recommend). i have yet to have an excess foam incident (or any foam, for that matter). am i using it wrong?

i want to see this foam tower!!!!

It should foam up if you mix it in the right amount. Is it 5 star Sani-clean? Sani-clean is the same as Starsan, but doesn't foam.

 

[JLem]

It's like dish soap - it only foams if you have the star san there first and then add the water. If you add the star san to a vessel already filled with water you won't get any foam (but it's still just as effective)

 

[Hockeyhunter99]

i mix it in a bucket at diluted strength 1/2oz for 2.5 gal. fill a spray bottle for misc. spraying sanitizer. pour some into the carboy or bucket, spin, flip, and shake, dump extras out.

still don't get the foam.


i want foam, dammit!!!

 

[JLem]

i want foam, dammit!!!

take a dry bucket, add some star san, use your sink spray attachment to fill the bucket...I guarantee you get foam

 

[weirdboy]

I try to always put star san in the water, not vice-versa, so I never get foam except when I forget and do it backwards.

It's actually a nuisance IMO. When I am sanitizing stuff in my kitchen I don't want to get foam everywhere.

 

[user 19629]

I too try and minimize the foam.
As long as everything gets coated with the star san I see no benefit in having foam oozing out of my fermentors or kegs. I know it's no rinse ,don't fear the foam etc. but I still feel the less I have mixed with the beer the better.

 

[Seven]

Maybe it's just me... but if I didn't have some foam I'd be concerned that I wasn't mixing the star san with the water sufficiently.

 

[Cranapple]

I only get a little foam when spraying out of a bottle, but I always find that I can create it pretty easily just by stirring/splashing with fingers or a spoon. Try shaking your spray bottle, mine always instantly fills with foam when I shake it.

Also, when I'm using a vinator to sanitize bottles I get so much foam that I have to scoop it out and throw it in the sink so it doesn't run down my bottle tree.

I'd be concerned about insufficient concentration if I wasn't getting foam...

 

[Revvy]

Or you could put it in your diswasher.... :evil grin:

 

[Cranapple]

Try the March 29, 2007 episode of Basic Brewing Radio, it's a great interview with the creator of Star San.

 

[ThirdGen]

Here's what I do:

Add 1 gallon of water to the primary fermenter.

Add 1/4oz StarSan

Put on lid and shake the **** out of it for a couple seconds

By now it should be FULL of foam. So I put the sanitizing liquid into my bucket with all my brew-tools in it, and leave the mass of foam in the primary for when I add the wort.

 

[BaldManBrew]

+1 on shaking. When cleaning my primary I'll add water, then starsan, and shake for 1 min. Within 5 seconds of shaking the bucket is full of foam.