Sanitizer in my beer

[Voltbrew]

I was not successful in finding this topic already but if it is a repeat please delete.
Well I bottled my first brew today and tried following the instructions but that didn't work out for me. I got a Brooklyn Brew Shop Everyday IPA as a wedding gift and brewed at the end of June waited my three weeks and bottled today.

The directions wanted me to use the sanitizer to get the suction going, and that didn't work out so well as it went down the racking cane and into my one gallon fermenter. All I was able to find out about BBS sanitizer packets is that it is a no rinse sanitizer but do not know what kind. Will this be drinkable or not?

Another question I have is did I use too much honey? I used three tablespoons as per the directions for one gallon. Unfortunately I was unable to get pretty much the last liter out of the carboy because of all the sediment at the bottom of it. So I have three one liter bottles with swing caps and a little bit in the fourth one. Will my bottles blow on me for having too much sugar, if I even have too much in it?

Thanks for all the help everybody.

 

[estricklin]

I don't think they'll blow, but they may or may not be overcarbonated. I cannot give you any advice on that particular sanitizer as I have never used it. Many of us on this forum advocate the use of Star San.

Don't give up, there are lots of great books out there on brewing, 2 free podcasts about brewing; once called "The Brewing Network" and the other called "Basic Brewing Radio", and this forum of coarse! Any of us will always be happy to help you. So let us know how your beer turns out and in the meantime, get started on another batch!

 

[Braufessor]

I would contact brooklyn brew shop and ask about the sanitizer..... no idea what it actually is. It is no-rinse...... so that means, at least in low doses, it is perfectly fine. So, you may be fine - but I would ask them.

Going forward, I would recommend using something like PBW for cleaning (and rinse) and then star san (don't rinse the star san, and don't worry about the foam) for sanitizing. it is a great combo.

As mentioned above - be patient and ask for help along the way...... most of us have made more mistakes than you can imagine over the years. It is a learning process.

 

[flars]

I would recommend purchasing an auto siphon to eliminate the process of getting a racking cane to work. A long time ago I always had a helper to get the siphon started. The first time I tried it solo I switched to the auto siphon.

The day before bottling tilt your carboy with a block. This will move the trub to the bottom corner of the carboy. As you siphon the surface area of your beer will gradually decrease allowing the maximum volume to go into your bottling bucket.

I hope the no rinse sanitizer did not ruin your beer. I also switched to Starsan.

 

[grittanomyces]

Yep, if it is no-rinse, then that means that it is perfectly safe in smaller doses, hence why it is no-rinse, because it's not harmful or chemical-based (I'm assuming you're not talking about a large amount compared to the volume of your beer).

I would also recommend star-san, but it sounds like this is probably just a dehydrated acid-based sanitizer.

Oh and +1 on the auto-siphon. I'm glad I didn't have to brew in a time before these were available. It's as simple as pulling the racking cane part up, then pushing it down, and the siphon doesn't stop until it's no longer submerged.

 

[Voltbrew]

I will definitely be getting an auto siphon. I emailed Brooklyn Brew and received this response.
"One of the reasons we use that particular sanitizer is because it is non-toxic and no rinse. This type of thing happens all the time and even a quantity such as 4 Tbsp won't be harmful. There is always the possibility of it affecting the taste of your beer, but it's doubtful at that level. Hope this information helps."

The amount that went in was what less then what the tube could hold which is about 4Tbsp. I am not sure when my next brew will be since I would like to move up to a five gallon brew and don't have any of the equipment for it yet.

Thanks for everyone's help.

 

[Papoose]

Crazy, I also did my very first bottling yesterday with the exact same kit and had the exact same thing happen. I had the same trouble with the siphoning though I don't think any of the sanitizer got into the beer. Went on the BBS website and ordered their mini auto-siphon last night.
In any case, I added the called for 3 TBS honey and only ended with 7 and a half 12 oz bottled (instead of about 10 bottles the way I figured it). Did you get a response from BBS on how that would effect the carbonation?
Any feedback from others on this subject would be greatly appreciated as well.

Cheers!

 

[Voltbrew]

I did not ask them about the honey issue. It is interesting that we both ran into the same problem with amount of beer. I had about two-three inches of trub.

I'm not sure if I am going to order another one gallon kit. I am debating on buying a five gallon kit and separating it into fifths. I might take this route because I can't quite afford to buy everything I need to brew five gallons. I think it is cheaper to buy a five gallon kit than it is to buy the one gallon kits.

Sorry for getting off topic, good luck on your brew!