Oh Crap! Now what do I do?

user 117534 · Apr 21, 2012

I just got done pitching the yeast into a new batch of beer and as I was moving the FV from the counter top onto the floor I accidently sat the spigot (it is a Cooper's FV) on to the top of my shoe. And I didn't just brush it, I had it pressed firmly enough against my shoe that the wort left on the spigot from checking the gravity soaked through to my sock.

So, should I soak the end of the spigot in a cup with disinfectant of some kind (bleach water) and then dump the next few ml I draw from the spigot when checking the gravity into the sink? Or should I siphon it when I'm ready to bottle instead of using the spigot?

Stix · Apr 21, 2012

Relax just use a spray bottle of star san or similar cleaner if concerned

Varmintman · Apr 21, 2012

No worries. I flip mine up catching all the nasties for the week or two before I secondary. I just fill the end up with rubbing alcohol and wipe the outside down with it before I put the hose on.

Pappers_ · Apr 21, 2012

Chill. Not a big deal, its outside the fermenter.

And many of us have had to stick our entire arms in the fermenter, and the beer turned out fine. This is yeast and barley we're dealing with, not plutonium.

user 117534 · Apr 21, 2012

Ok, that's a relief. I wasn't worried about contaminating the beer in the FV, I was concerned with any nasty's that might be growing on the spigot now. I figured dirt and dust and ambient junk in the air would be on it anyway, but the shoes I happened to have on at the time aren't exactly clean.

Thanks all for clearing that up.

veritas524 · Apr 22, 2012

Pappers_ said:
Chill. Not a big deal, its outside the fermenter.

And many of us have had to stick our entire arms in the fermenter, and the beer turned out fine. This is yeast and barley we're dealing with, not plutonium.

My second brew! I flipped out and was stressed about it and the beer came out great!

BuddyWeiser · Apr 22, 2012

I have a Cooper's FV too. You could probably forget about it until sterilizing the whole FV for the next brew. Probably not enough wort to grow a significant amount of nasties right there. The one or two droplets of nasty dried wort that can build up has never affected my bottled beers. I just wipe/clean it off with a paper towel right before attaching the bottling valve.