Rookie Mistake - Again

[jgaepi]

I made a rookie mistake - again. I learned the hard way of getting sanitizer sucked into my fermenter many moons ago with temp changes. But this time was different - and probably much worse.

I was lifting my SS brewbucket off the floor to put it onto the counter for transfer to my keg in a few hours. My daughter was helping me and lifted my sanitizer jar (connected to a blow off tube) off the ground faster and higher than I lifted the bucket and heard a weird splashing sound. Turns out that vacuum pressure sucked a solid 6oz of sanitizer into my bucket before I realized what was going on.

I only brew 2.5g batches so 6-8oz is actually a lot. And it wasn't fresh sanitizer but had absorbed days worth of blow off. Any thoughts for me? Thanks!

 

[jgaepi]

I guess my question is what is an acceptable amount of starsan/water mix that can be tolerated in a batch of beer? From both a health and taste perspective. Thanks!

 

[mongoose33]

I don't think it'll change much.

This may sound like a weird question, but have you ever had a sip of Star-San? It's supposed to be odorless and tasteless.

And it is. I decided to take a sip and it's just mostly nothing. What it will do is lower the pH of your beer somewhat, but that may even possibly make it taste better.

You'll have beer, and I'll bet you $5 it's a lot closer to what you intended than you think it will be.

RDWHAHB.

PS: Tomorrow I'm going to brew my 67th batch, and I'm still making mistakes. Can't call them rookie mistakes, just mistakes. Every time I make a mistake I learn something. I must be approaching genius status, then.

 

[4of7]

Find a nice home for your fermentation bucket to sit. The less you move it the better..I will transfer from where it sits.

 

[RM-MN]

I was lifting my SS brewbucket off the floor

connected to a blow off tube

I only brew 2.5g batches

What size is your brewbucket? Unless you have a small bucket so you have the chance of krausen overflowing, just use an airlock. Since you now know that you are likely to have a bit of suckback when you lift the bucket, use an "S" shaped airlock instead of the 3 piece one as the S ones won't suck back into the fermenter unless you have overfilled them.