Sanitizing fruits/veggie etc

[MikeMetroka]

What are folks sanitizing fruits, veggies or peppers with before throwing them in the fermenter?

 

[RPh_Guy]

Sulfite.

 

[MikeMetroka]

Sulfite.

Any alternative? I don’t have any sulfite.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Sulfite is the best because it will effectively sterilize without harming flavor.

Some people don't sanitize additions. Might end up with a wild contamination. Seems like it is usually fine though.

Some people use heat (e.g. boil for 15mins). Might alter or reduce the flavor of your addition. How much that applies depends on what you are adding. Also might increase haze.

BTW Campden tablets are sulfite.

 

[MikeMetroka]

Sulfite is the best because it will effectively sterilize without harming flavor.

Some people don't sanitize additions. Might end up with a wild contamination. Seems like it is usually fine though.

Some people use heat (e.g. boil for 15mins). Might alter or reduce the flavor of your addition. How much that applies depends on what you are adding. Also might increase haze.

BTW Campden tablets are sulfite.

I definitely don’t want contamination, I will be at the beer store tomorrow so I will pick up some sulfite. Thank you for the help.

 

[RPh_Guy]

I definitely don’t want contamination, I will be at the beer store tomorrow so I will pick up some sulfite. Thank you for the help.

Cool, get the smallest quantity of potassium metabisulfite powder they sell, or Campden tablets (preferably with potassium, not sodium, but either can work).

 

[MikeMetroka]

How do I use the campden tabs for this application? Boil a small pot to dissolve, cool, soak papers for a bit then add to fermenter?

 

[RPh_Guy]

Freeze, thaw, and then crush, puree, and/or finely chop the stuff you want to sanitize. You can add some water or beer/wort if it's not juicy enough.
Add 1 crushed campden tablet per gallon of the puree. Cut the tablet if necessary (an accurate scale works well for this). Stir it in thoroughly.
Allow the mixture to sit for 24 hours.
It can then be added to the beer.

Don't heat anything.

If you have only a small amount of stuff to be sanitized, you can crush and dissolve the tablet in 100mL of water and then add the appropriate fraction.

Cheers

 

[MikeMetroka]

Freeze, thaw, and then crush, puree, and/or finely chop the stuff you want to sanitize. You can add some water or beer/wort if it's not juicy enough.
Add 1 crushed campden tablet per gallon of the puree. Cut the tablet if necessary (an accurate scale works well for this). Stir it in thoroughly.
Allow the mixture to sit for 24 hours.
It can then be added to the beer.

Don't heat anything.

If you have only a small amount of stuff to be sanitized, you can crush and dissolve the tablet in 100mL of water and then add the appropriate fraction.

Cheers

Thanks for the help brother!

 

[MikeMetroka]

I ended up soaking my Chile peppers in cheap vodka. My only regret is that I lost a lot of flavor in the vodka. I could tell there was color and flavor in the vodka as I drank it of course. I will use campden or sulfite as suggested above.
Thanks again for the input!