Sanitizing with Rubbing Alcohol?

[Ryan0186]

Can you use rubbing alcohol to sanitize some brewing equipment?

 

[chickens4life]

You can and I do.

A few though on it though. Avoid denatured alcohol or any other with additives that might not evaporate completely. Also make sure that it has completely evaporated before you use the equipment (an exception would be if you used ever clear or any other pure ethanol). Lastly I would dilute the alcohol to 70% and use a spray bottle to sanitize things, this prevents the alcohol from evaporating to quickly.

 

[cooldood]

I suppose you could but I would never use it. Rubbing and denatured are technically the same thing.
They have both been denatured so manufacturers can sell as non edible. there are bittering agents added to it and I would think that would effect your beer.

 

[Ryan0186]

Only reason I ask is because I bought a carboy from a friend of mine and all it has is a giant blow off tube. I was going to buy a bung and an airlock to go on it. I was reading where a lot of people have problems with them popping off while wet from sanitizing them. I am just wondering if I were to just use the starsan on the airlock and bung can I just wipe it off with a rag to dry it or should I just let it sit out and air dry? And if I wipe the top of the carboy and bung with a rap will it then taint the batch? I just thought that alcohol would sanitize it and then evaporate quickly so the bung and airlock could be installed without the worry of it popping out from being wet. Sorry if this sounds confusing.

 

[GenIke]

Yeah. Its great for wiping stuff off so they dont slide out of your bung hole. I usually sanitize a stopper with star San then wipe it "dry" with rubbing alcohol.

 

[chickens4life]

I suppose you could but I would never use it. Rubbing and denatured are technically the same thing.
They have both been denatured so manufacturers can sell as non edible. there are bittering agents added to it and I would think that would effect your beer.

While rubbing alcohol could be denatured alcohol it normally is not, normally rubbing alcohol is isopropyl alcohol which is already in edable so it requires no denaturing. Which means it will not leave residues when it evaporates.

Additionally some denatured alcohols (ethanol plus additives) are denatured by the addition of methanol. Which will also evaporate completely; these denatured alcohols would be equally suitable for spot sanitizing of carboy mouths stoppers hydrometers etc.