Sanitation question

[treacheroustexan]

Alright, I haven't had any issues with infections or any problems from sanitation yet... But since I started brewing, I have been using this (http://homebrewohio.com/pd-easy-clean-8-oz.cfm) and extremely hot water to clean everything that comes in contact with my beer after the boil. Is this acceptable? Or should I make a switch to star san before I end up ruining a batch?

 

[boydster]

I say keep it for cleaning, and get a no-rinse sanitizer for sanitizing.

 

[zacster]

I agree, use Starsan as the final step. It does say the Easyclean has bleach though, so maybe it is good enough? I don't know. I keep a bucket of starsan and toss everything in it before I use it. Why take the chance?

 

[treacheroustexan]

So can I mix up 5 gallons of a star san solution with distilled water and keep it and reuse it every brew day? (Until its not clear, according to my research)

 

[day_trippr]

So can I mix up 5 gallons of a star san solution with distilled water and keep it and reuse it every brew day? (Until its not clear, according to my research)

Well, no, that's the wrong metric. The primary factor is the pH of the solution; if it's below 3 the sanitation power is at spec (so to speak).

If you started with distilled water, the clarity thing becomes a function of organic loading, and at some point you do need to toss it and start over. I typically keep a batch going for up to six months (there will usually be a couple of one gallon refreshers along the way to make up for losses). But I always clean before sanitizing (no dunking the kettle spoon!) so the organic loading is not an issue and the solution is still near-crystal-clear to the end...

Cheers!

 

[zacster]

I make a fresh 2.5 gallon batch for every brew and use it until I'm ready to do a full brew again. I've had the same bottle of Starsan for many years now so I don't worry about wasting it.