Help me understand Star San (+ other no-rinsers) better

[whahoppened]

I'm about to embark on a brew using Star San for the first time. Does "no-rinse" really mean NO RINSE? (i.e. does rinsing compromise the sanitation?) After letting the recommended solution sit in my carboy for a few minutes, I dumped it out and there was a huge amount of thick white foam left behind. Even if it's technically "safe" (though the warnings on the Star San bottle make me question this), I'm still not inclined to pour my wort straight on top of it.

Do all of you who use SS and other no-rinse sanitizers really not touch the sanitized gear with pure water once the chemical has done its thing?

 

[philrose]

Yup just pour the wort on you want wet contact of wort to starsanned wall of your fermenter

 

[Displaced MassHole]

It may be hard to wrap your head around this at first but, all that foam will actually help the yeast.

Do a search on here for "dont fear the foam"

Here's a link to posts with pics showing others racking wort into a carboy filled with starsan foam.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f85/stupid-starsan-tricks-why-you-shouldnt-fear-foam-127044/

 

[rico567]

Yes. Read the linked thread in the previous post. When I started brewing 3 years ago, I started with bleach because I understood it and it was cheap. After a few batches, and reading up about other sanitizers (and a couple of shirts with bleach spots), I switched to Star San. Not looking back.

 

[wyzazz]

1. Does "no-rinse" really mean NO RINSE? YES

2. After letting the recommended solution sit in my carboy for a few minutes, I dumped it out and there was a huge amount of thick white foam left behind. Don't Fear The Foam!!!

Do all of you who use SS and other no-rinse sanitizers really not touch the sanitized gear with pure water once the chemical has done its thing? YES

You'll never use another sanitizer again, welcome to the fold!

 

[user 19629]

You don't have to fear the foam,
But I still try and drain out as much as I can
just leave the carboy upside down so at least some will
drain out. And when I fill kegs I scoop the foam off the top
before I seal it up.

 

[AnOldUR]

And when I fill kegs I scoop the foam off the top
before I seal it up.

This is my only Star San complaint. It's hard to see the level that the keg is filled to with all that "not feared" foam. I one respect, I figure it's good because it's protecting my beer from air born contaminants. But when I'm filling a 5 gallon keg from a carboy with over 5 gallons of beer in it I get a little nervous toward the end of the transfer. I’ve used a sanitized spoon to scoop some of it out, but is there a better method?

 

[Brew-boy]

Do your carboy the day of brew day. By the time you are ready to get your wort in most of the foam will be gone. I keep mine vertical on a carboy stand and I hardly have any foam left in it.

 

[nostalgia]

This is my only Star San complaint. It's hard to see the level that the keg is filled to with all that "not feared" foam. I one respect, I figure it's good because it's protecting my beer from air born contaminants. But when I'm filling a 5 gallon keg from a carboy with over 5 gallons of beer in it I get a little nervous toward the end of the transfer. I’ve used a sanitized spoon to scoop some of it out, but is there a better method?

This is why I started using Sani-clean when I'm filling kegs. I overfilled a keg once and got beer backed up into my regulator - never again.

It's basically a low-foam version of Star-san. It's not technically labeled as a sanitizer, but in an interview with the owner of 5-Star chemicals he basically said that was just because they didn't pay for the certification.

-Joe

 

[ErieShores]

I purchased my first bottle of SS last week. I have a few questions as well...
1) It instructs to add a 1/2 oz to two or three gallons of water (don't recall the exact amount and I'm at work so I can't check). I used tap water but I also read somewhere to used distilled water. Is tap water OK?
2) I did not dump the solution, may I use it again for future brew-days and bottle sanitation or should I start with afresh batch every time?

 

[ErieShores]

I keep mine for weeks or months. If it still foams its still working.

Do I simple stir or shake to check for foaming or is there a better way? Right now it looks like water sitting in my bottling bucket.

 

[wyzazz]

Use a PH Strip, if the PH is below 3 then you're good to go.

 

[Revvy]

I put a lot of good info and tips of effectively using sanitizers in here. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/sanitizer-question-54932/
There also the basic brewing podcast on both starsan and iodophor links in there, so you can get all the info you need to ease your worries.

 

[ErieShores]

Great thread Revvy, tons of info. Thanks, easy reading for a slow day at work.

 

[Revvy]

Great thread Revvy, tons of info. Thanks, easy reading for a slow day at work.

Yeah I tried to post it last night from my droid, but I couldn't figure out how to paste links.

 

[ErieShores]

Yeah I tried to post it last night from my droid, but I couldn't figure out how to paste links.

Isn't that thing supposed to know how to do everything?!

 

[Revvy]

Isn't that thing supposed to know how to do everything?!

I'm sure it does...the problem is me knowing how to get it to do stuff.

 

[SPLASTiK]

This is my only Star San complaint. It's hard to see the level that the keg is filled to with all that "not feared" foam. I one respect, I figure it's good because it's protecting my beer from air born contaminants. But when I'm filling a 5 gallon keg from a carboy with over 5 gallons of beer in it I get a little nervous toward the end of the transfer. I’ve used a sanitized spoon to scoop some of it out, but is there a better method?

Stick the keg on a scale and fill by weight.

 

[JKoravos]

Stick the keg on a scale and fill by weight.

That's what I do. I never open my keg after it's been star san'd. I push the star san out with CO2 then hook up a jumper from my conical to the liquid post of the keg. Put it on the scale, tare it, open the pressure relief valve, then fill it to 42-43 pounds depending on the final gravity of the beer. I calculate the exact weight to fill to based on the final gravity. 5 gallons of 1.012 beer weighs 42.2 pounds. It's a very accurate and consistent method.