Sanitizing Solution in Wort/Fermenter

[borders]

I brewed my first batch last night. I filled the airlock half full as instructed prior to placing it in the fermenter. When placing it in the fermenter lid, most of the sanitizing solution escaped out the bottom of the airlock, (due to a equilibrium/change of pressure) into the fermenter. I then had to refill the airlock and repeat this step. The wort is fermenting just fine. The airlock is bubbling consistently. Because it appears that fermenation is fine, does anyone know what kind of residual affects sanitizing solution (3-4 oz) in the wort/fermenter has. It's a 5 gallon batch of wort. The sanitizing solution is a powder called "Easy Clean" from L.D. Carlson, requiring 1 tablespoon of it to be mixed per gallon of water. It came with my kit. The label does not say what the powder solution is made of. My main concern is the health affects of this in the final bottled beer and whether I should have any concerns of it being toxic to consume when inadevertantly mixed with the wort. Many thanks for any thoughts or advice.

 

[eriktlupus]

1. easy clean is a cleanser
2. it won't hurt you in that concentration(airlock problably only had 1/2 oz in it)
3. relax don't worry have a homebrew
4 read http://www.howtobrew.com/sitemap.html

 

[BrianP]

In the future, you may want to try using vodka or StarSan (at its proper dilution) in your airlock (both are harmless). Or use a blow-off tube in lieu of a airlock - this will prevent a big mess if you have a very vigorous fermentation, and there's no way for the airlock liquid to get into your beer.

But as the eriktlupus says, your beer will be fine.

 

[Chriso]

Erik touched on this, but I'd like to elaborate:

Easy Clean is a cleaner. It is for scrubbing dirties off of your equipment. After cleansing, you must sanitize seperately. This is what chemicals like StarSan or Iodophor are for.

In the Equipment forum, you should take a look at the sticky for "What sanitizers/cleansers are used?"

Bottom line is that you should be ok though. Worst case scenario, you may have a faint taste of soap. Should not be any health risks at that low of a concentration though.

 

[cowgo]

Scotch. It's been a 20 year tradition that's worked well for me. I always put Glenfidich in the air lock. If some gets in the brew, no problem. When I bottle or keg I always use that air lock of good single malt scotch to toast the successful batch with.

 

[Scimmia]

IIRC, Easy Clean is a percarbonate based cleaner, similar to One Step and OxyClean. This probably means that you added some hydrogen peroxide and maybe some sodium silicate or sodium carbonate to your wort. They hydrogen peroxide will break down pretty quickly into oxygen and water, so that's not a problem at the beginning of fermentation, and sodium silicate and sodium carbonate are harmless unless in VERY high concentrations (they are very alkaline, but slurry of this cleaner probably wouldn't be enough to cause alkalinity problems).

If you're going to use it, though, I wouldn't bother with it in the airlock. The anti-microbial properties (yes, it has some, just not to the level we usually want from a sanitizer) are from the hydrogen peroxide, which breaks down quickly, leaving you with mostly water anyway.

 

[BierMuncher]

...I always put Glenfidich in the air lock...

You have too much money...

I like rum...cheap rum...the cheaper the better.

Smells good too.

 

[borders]

Thank you all for the feedback. The brew appears to be coming along well. It's going on day 4 and is still bubbling, albeit at a slower rate now than in the first few days. As to the cleanser / sanitizer issue, some of y'all indicated your thoughts that Easy Clean was purely a cleaneser. My kit labeled it as a Cleanser/sanitizer and so i used it as both in this brew during my prep work of the equipment. I hope this doesn't become problematic. When will I know if it is a problem? Like I said, the fermentation appears to be going well. It would be horrible to go through the entire process only to end up drinkning harmful contaminated beer.

 

[Hell Brew]

I go with good old McCormicks vodka. Had a huge bottle left over from my wedding and there is no way I was going to drink that rubbing alcohol.

 

[g_rath]

It will be fine, don’t worry. Getting everything good and sanitized is what you want to do, but beer really is very durable stuff.

 

[BrooZer]

Hey borders is this the stuff??

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_56_36&products_id=2263

I ask because i have the same product, easy clean by ld carlson and it says that it is a sanitizer. I hope it is because i have been using it for my batches.

Its the stuff that comes with brewers best kits isnt it?

 

[Beerthoven]

Scotch. It's been a 20 year tradition that's worked well for me. I always put Glenfidich in the air lock. If some gets in the brew, no problem. When I bottle or keg I always use that air lock of good single malt scotch to toast the successful batch with.

I like it. I need to make a trip to the ABC store.

 

[Scimmia]

As I said before, Easy Clean (along with One Step) will create a weak hydrogen peroxide solution, giving you some sanitizing ability, but not to the standards required in commercial applications. There's a reason the government won't let them advertise it as a sanitizer. It may be fine for a home brewery, but I'd rather have something that I know will do the job.

 

[BrooZer]

As I said before, Easy Clean (along with One Step) will create a weak hydrogen peroxide solution, giving you some sanitizing ability, but not to the standards required in commercial applications. There's a reason the government won't let them advertise it as a sanitizer. It may be fine for a home brewery, but I'd rather have something that I know will do the job.

Can starsan be purchased at places other than a home brew store?

I go to Leeners and they dont carry it.

 

[borders]

Broozer, Yes that's the same stuff as I have. It seems to be working. It will be fermenting one week this Saturday and the smells coming out of the airlock smell like liquid gold. If it ends up tasting half as good as it smells, it will be awesome. My friends are already coming over to smell it in anticipation of the day it will be chilled and ready to drink. Delicious.