Sanitizing Tips

[Oakkin]

Just finished my first batch ever from a kit and it turned out wayyyy better then i ever thought it would.

Getting ready to start my second batch soon and the only thing that makes me kind of upset about it is all the sanitizing. Looking for any tips to make this process easier.

I can't remember what i used the first time, some sort of pink powder, but i had to rinse it out so much! I've heard there are sanitizers that you don't even need to rinse out. Does this not effect the taste? If there is such a magical item which brand or whatever is best?

 

[mongoose33]

Most homebrewers today use Star-San, at least based on what I read here. Star-San doesn't have to be rinsed, and it's not going to affect the flavor of your beer.

When I wash a fermenter, I get it clean w/ PBW, then rinse with water. After that I'll rinse once with Star-San, just to get any nasties that might remain on the surface of the fermenter. When it comes time to brew again, I'll rinse with Star-San again. I use a spigot on my fermenters so that is cleaned at the start, then I soak it in Star-San before reassembling, and I work the valve back and forth so as to make sure all surfaces are coated w/ Star-San.

No rinsing. I'll often have some foam in the fermenter but as they say, "Don't fear the foam." I don't.

 

[springinloose1]

+1 Star-San and PBW.
Yep, no worries about the foam here either. I pretty much do the exact same thing but I'm using glass fermenters. 5 star also makes saniclean. It's a low foam solution if you need it. http://www.fivestarchemicals.com/breweries/homebrewing/products/

 

[Nokt]

+2 Use diluted StarSan and get a spray bottle

 

[bleme]

I love Star-San and use it most of the time, even for non-brewery things. I also keep so Iodopher around as it kills stuff (like yeast) that Star-San misses but is also a no-rinse sanitizer. I would probably use Iodopher more if it wasn't so messy.

 

[El Nino]

+3 for Star San. If what you're using is a pain to rinse out, Star San is a no rinse sanitizer that only needs 30 secs to work.

PBW is pretty awesome stuff for the cleaning side of things. I thought cleaning out my 3 gallon glass carboy was gonna suck, but a soak in PBW overnight = spotless and no brush / scrubbing required. Love the stuff.

 

[jcav]

Yup Star San every time, and no infections ever!

John

 

[stieg000]

Star San in a 32oz home depot spray bottle FTW. Just make sure you use RO or distilled water to dilute, will last longer in your spray bottle.

 

[yourlastchance89]

Worried about sanitizing for brewing? Star San. Got a flat tire on the road? Spray some Star San on it. Marriage problems? Star San. Intruder in your home? Douse them down with some Star San.

In all seriousness though it really works.

 

[Saboral]

+3 on PBW and Star-San

 

[Oakkin]

+3 for Star San. If what you're using is a pain to rinse out, Star San is a no rinse sanitizer that only needs 30 secs to work.

PBW is pretty awesome stuff for the cleaning side of things. I thought cleaning out my 3 gallon glass carboy was gonna suck, but a soak in PBW overnight = spotless and no brush / scrubbing required. Love the stuff.

What does PBW stand for?

 

[bleme]

 

[El Nino]

What does PBW stand for?

Powdered Brewery Wash or something like that. You can find em at any local homebrew store (possibly cheaper on amazon if you can wait for shipping), it's one of the more popular cleaners (what bleme posted above).

It's a great cleaner if you're lazy at heart like me. I use about 1 teaspoon per gallon and soak, rinse 3 times in warm water later, done. In most cases a 20-30 min soak will suffice, even for the carboys, but I just soak them overnight just because

 

[jcav]

Plus one on PBW to clean your fermenters and other equipment. Awesome on stainless steel also and no beer stone build up on your stuff. After you soak your fermenter or recirculate through a pump and clean your brewing vessels and other items, then you sanitize with Star San!

John

 

[govner1]

Plus one on PBW to clean your fermenters and other equipment. Awesome on stainless steel also and no beer stone build up on your stuff. After you soak your fermenter or recirculate through a pump and clean your brewing vessels and other items, then you sanitize with Star San!

John

THIS^^^^- use PBW or B-Brite for cleaning. They both allow you to remove particulates but require rinsing. Then, sanitize w/ StarSan. No rinse required.

 

[TrubDude]

Star-san all the way. My routine is clean up everything after a brew, soap and water, rinse a bunch, spray with diluted (per manufacturer instructions) Star-san, dump out liquid. First thing I do before a new brew is to rinse with Star-san again, it's key to clean and sanitize before and after each brew, don't let the microbes win! I used to work in biotech with a degree in Microbiology so I have excellent aseptic technique with no contamination in my brews.

Also, when taking samples for S.G. always spray with Star-san, have some contact time, spray hydrometer and contact time, perform reading, rinse, spray with Star-san.

When I'm not using my buckets and carboys I have them full of Star-san. Then when ready for use I dump out Star-san and don't mind the foam.

As I read in a homebrew book, Star-san is a low pH sanitizer, wort is higher pH, when mixed they neutralize and will be safe for yeast, drinking, etc. Hence, no rinse.

 

[Saunassa]

To make things easy use one of those small wallpaper trays. Add some mixed starsan solution to it and lay your racking canes, auto siphons, spoons, bottling wand.... Sanitized and clean and if you think they need a dunk during your brewing or bottling day it is simple to do.
thank you James @Basic Brewing

 

[springinloose1]

When I'm not using my buckets and carboys I have them full of Star-san. Then when ready for use I dump out Star-san and don't mind the foam.

Are you using regular tap water? This interests me. I always empty the sanitized carboys and wrap some tin foil over the top, then when they're going to be used, do a star san spray down. When I keep star san in a 5 gallon bucket, it seems like it gets old or something. There will be white floaties if it sits and I wondered if it goes bad so I'll just dump and redo the bucket next brew day.

Anybody know what the shelf life is of an exposed 5 gallon bucket of star san? Does it go bad?

 

[kh54s10]

Are you using regular tap water? This interests me. I always empty the sanitized carboys and wrap some tin foil over the top, then when they're going to be used, do a star san spray down. When I keep star san in a 5 gallon bucket, it seems like it gets old or something. There will be white floaties if it sits and I wondered if it goes bad so I'll just dump and redo the bucket next brew day.

Anybody know what the shelf life is of an exposed 5 gallon bucket of star san? Does it go bad?

There is no need to use Starsan when you are storing equipment. As soon as it is dry it is no longer doing anything.

There is no need to sanitize equipment used before the boil. The heat of the boil will do the sanitizing.

Sanitize everything that will come in contact with the wort and later the beer after the boil.

Starsan will work even if it looks dirty. I use tap water. In Rhode Island my water was good and the Starsan solution never went cloudy. I kept Starsan in a 5 gallon water bottle. I would just top up when it got low. It was never empty in about 6 years. Check the pH of the solution. It 3.0 or below it is good. Now in Florida my Starsan is a little cloudy right away but the pH is right.

Don't rinse the Starsan off. If you do the item is no longer sanitary.
Don't let the Starsan dry. If you do the item is no longer sanitary.

Use a spray bottle as described. It makes things easier.

To sanitize bottles, get a Vinator.

Oh and Oxyclean or a cheap generic version for cleaning. It is way cheaper than PBW. If you want there is a recipe for adding TSP to the Oxyclean to make a clone of PBW. I have never needed the extra cleaning power.

 

[TrubDude]

Are you using regular tap water? This interests me. I always empty the sanitized carboys and wrap some tin foil over the top, then when they're going to be used, do a star san spray down. When I keep star san in a 5 gallon bucket, it seems like it gets old or something. There will be white floaties if it sits and I wondered if it goes bad so I'll just dump and redo the bucket next brew day.

Anybody know what the shelf life is of an exposed 5 gallon bucket of star san? Does it go bad?

I dilute Star-san in tap water and keep the carboys covered with airlocks or foil. I read in the Joy of Home Brewing (at least I think that's where) Star-san can be stored indefinitely when covered. Exposure to air may affect the anti-microbial nature of it, just my guess.

Foam or residual solution will still be an effective sanitizer.

 

[portguy]

For cleaning i use an unscented Oxy cleaner that costs $3 /Kg. For sanitation i use star-san and a spray bottle. Five liters of star-san soulution, using distilled water, lasts me forever.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

I see a lot of mentions of soaking fermenters. Do you guys have that much tough grime in there? Granted I've only completed one batch so far, but after I transferred to the bottling bucket and went to wash the fermenter bucket the crap on the bottom basically rinsed out without any effort.

 

[bleme]

The stuff in the bottom is usually easy enough but the krausen line can be stubborn.

 

[RPh_Guy]

I see a lot of mentions of soaking fermenters. Do you guys have that much tough grime in there? Granted I've only completed one batch so far, but after I transferred to the bottling bucket and went to wash the fermenter bucket the crap on the bottom basically rinsed out without any effort.

Scrubbing plastic can cause micro-abrasions that house unwanted microbes.
Scrubbing inside a glass carboy is next to impossible.
Looking clean and being clean are two different things. It can be very difficult to spot tiny areas of residue, especially on HDPE plastic, so dirt might be missed.
On the other hand, soaking is safe, easy, and effective.

Unfortunately, sanitizer won't work if there is any kind of film or deposits on the surface.

It's not glamorous, but cleaning and sanitizing is the biggest part of homebrewing for a lot of us. You might get away with just rinsing, or you might not. That's your call to make!

Happy brewing!

 

[VirginiaHops1]

The stuff in the bottom is usually easy enough but the krausen line can be stubborn.

Yeah I guess I jinxed myself, when I cleaned my fermenter Sat morning I had to scrub the krausen crud off near the top. Didn't come off easy. Maybe I'll think about soaking in the future to minimize the scrubbing if it's bad for the plastic.