Sanitised water and sugar

[Memphis]

Couple of things - I'm on my second batch after a failed first batch, and I'm making sure I'm not cutting corners this time with sanitising everything. My recipe tells me to top up the fermentation bucket with cold water after throwing the wort in (it's an extract kit), so last time I just held the shower hose over the bucket. This time we boiled the water first, which took a very long time as we only have 3 half gallon pans. Do any of you have any tricks to get lots of water sanitised and cooled quickly?

Secondly, the kit tells me to pour the wort over 2.5lbs of sugar in the bucket. This time we boiled the sugar in one of the batches of water, but I get the impression most people here used LME or DME instead. What proportion of that should I use instead of sugar, and does that need a long boil like the wort does, or just enough to dissolve it and sanitise it?

Many thanks!

 

[rod]

Do any of you have any tricks to get lots of water sanitised and cooled quickly?



when i was extract brewing i would buy 10 litre jugs of spring water(already sanitized) and put in feezer until nearly frozen, and use it for my top up water

 

[rod]

Secondly, the kit tells me to pour the wort over 2.5lbs of sugar in the bucket. This time we boiled the sugar in one of the batches of water, but I get the impression most people here used LME or DME instead. What proportion of that should I use instead of sugar, and does that need a long boil like the wort does, or just enough to dissolve it and sanitise it?

someone will correct me if i am wrong but when i relaced the corn sugar i used 3 lbs of liquid malt extract instead of the 2.5 lbs of corn sugar.
try reading john palmers "how to brew" online for good info.

 

[boo boo]

Spring water isn't sanitized. Not saying it isn't good to drink, just not sanitized.

 

[Celtic Ceilidh]

Most grocery stores have a filtrated/sanitized water dispenser. I've never had any problems using that water.

 

[Cheesefood]

My grocery store always has Ice Mountain water on sale for $1.00 per gallon so I buy 5 gallons of that and a 7 pound bag of ice. Works like a charm every time.

 

[Brewno]

I haven't brewed anything yet and I'm still researching but thus far I haven't come across anything that mentioned sanitizing the water, this is a first for me. Have I missed something.

 

[panacea]

I agree with Brewno -- I've never heard about people sanitizing the top-off water. In fact, if you boil that water it will remove any aeration and make it more difficult for the yeast to begin fermentation. If you're running into sanitation problems, the problem is more likely to be the fermenters and tools you're using, or perhaps you're not sealing the fermenters sufficiently.

 

[boo boo]

I agree with Brewno -- I've never heard about people sanitizing the top-off water. In fact, if you boil that water it will remove any aeration and make it more difficult for the yeast to begin fermentation. If you're running into sanitation problems, the problem is more likely to be the fermenters and tools you're using, or perhaps you're not sealing the fermenters sufficiently.

Exactly. I don't use top up water anymore as I do AG and full boils, but when I did extract I toped up with plain water and never had an infection.

 

[Memphis]

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter1-1.html

Point 4 is boiling water for top-up...

I may fill up a spare (sanitised) keg with boiled water the day before a brew, and shake it up plenty next time.

 

[Brewno]

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter1-1.html

Point 4 is boiling water for top-up...

I may fill up a spare (sanitised) keg with boiled water the day before a brew, and shake it up plenty next time.

Yes, you are correct, I read that last night. Far be it for me to question anyone as I am more than a beginner. Due to circumstances beyond my control at the moment I haven't even brewed my first brew yet. But I have been doing a lot of research.

While Mr. Palmer does mention boiling the water and placing it in your fermenter to add to the wort, I question why it's not listed anywhere in the "sanitizing" section. I would think that anything with such importance would be written along with everything else to be sanitized. He seems to write "boil the water" more as a precautionary step rather than a major sanitizing issue. As I mentioned I haven't come across this issue in any of my other reading. I have read, in other places, to add "clean" water but no one actually mentions sanitized. Common sense steps in at this point.

I think the bottom line is that boiling can't hurt. The only problem I can see (like I have any experience) is that the water won't be cool enough to add to the wort and to boil it the night before, well, anything can happen to that water overnight Better seal it up tight.

I'm interested in this issue myself now that you have brought it up, on my first batch I would never have given it any thought and would have just dumped bottled water in my fermenter.

Tommy

 

[cweston]

Brewno: it's OK to pre-boil top-off water, but it adds another potentially larger problem which is that boiling drives all the oxygen out of the water, and the yeast needs oxygen to multiply in the wort.

This actually *is* a sanitation issue: it's a contest between the yeasties and the nasties to see who gets control of your wort. You want the yeasties to win, which means they need to multiply quickly.

AG brewers and extract brewers who do full boils generally need to do something (there are various strategies) to oxygenate the wort so that the yeast will take hold quickly. If you *don't* boil your top-off water, you don't have to worry about this because it will be adding quite a bit of O2 into your wort.

Unless you have some specific reason to suspect your tap water, I would go ahead and use it unboiled for top-off water. If you do boil, you'll need to do something about oxygenation.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I do "late boils" where I boil only 1.5 gals and top off with 4 gals of ice cold water.

I use tap water filtered though a PUR filter and put in 1 gal water jugs (milk-style) then placed in the freezer for 4-5 hours while I'm brewing, etc.

The ice water has not been boiled or sanitized. Also it's full of oxygen so it helps to aerate my brews.

I have never had any problems with my water or process that I am aware of.

 

[kornkob]

I find it interesting that there is a perception that bottled water being sold in stores is not sanitary.

http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2002/402_h2o.html

"Production of bottled water also must follow the current good manufacturing practices (CGMP) regulations set up and enforced by the FDA. Water must be sampled, analyzed and found to be safe and sanitary. "

 

[cweston]

I find it interesting that there is a perception that bottled water being sold in stores is not sanitary.

I think this is the key point in that article:

Generally, over the years, the FDA has adopted EPA standards for tap water as standards for bottled water," Kim says. As a result, standards for contaminants in tap water and bottled water are very similar.

My take would be that brewers should go ahead and use bottle water if they find a bad taste or some other issue in their tap water. But both are held to pretty-much the same standards of sanitation (if we are talking about municipal tap water--well water is a different issue.)

 

[kornkob]

Tap water standards are regualted differently. While tap water standards are handled uder the safe water act, bottled water factories are directly monitored and regulated by the FDA (in addition to state agencies).

Also from the same article:
"Bottled water is produced and regulated exclusively for human consumption," Kay says. "Some people in their municipal markets have the luxury of good water. Others do not."

 

[homebrewer_99]

I get a print out of my waters composition every year and I am pleased with it.

 

[Ivan Lendl]

last time I just held the shower This time we boiled the water first, which took a very long time as we only have 3 half gallon pans. Do any of you have any tricks to get lots of water sanitised and cooled quickly?


Many thanks!

3 half gallon pans? Frying pans? Just boil a few gallons the night before brew day in whatever you use to make the wort, cool it in an ice bath then place it in your clean sanitized fermenter with airlock attached. Once the water is cooled its not a problem reintroducing 02 into it, just shake the bejeesus out of it for a while.

When you say 'held the shower' i hope you didnt mean shower as in where you take a bath, thats not a very sanitary enviroment to have your beer hanging around. Im geussing its just a British term for faucet(i hope).
For the love of all that is decent man buy another kettle. How do you make pasta with just 1/2 gallon pans?