Starsan Alternative

[cch0830]

Is there any common stores that sell Starsan? Or is there an alternative food grade sanitizer that a common store sells that would be comparable to Starsan?

 

[unionrdr]

If you don't have an LHBS nearby,then get some from the nearest web base shop. I get a lot of stuff from amazon & Midwest,since they have Fed-Ex home delivery that's really fast. Packages arrive in perfect condition as well.
But nothing beats the ease of use of starsan to me. It's no rinse too. Some of the other things like bleach are a pita to work with.

 

[daksin]

Animal supply and feed stores often have a version of iodophor or other iodine sanitizers. Revvy is more familiar with them- maybe he'll pop in. You can buy them in bulk and they're even cheaper than standard iodophor.

 

[rjsnau]

You are not going to get easier that starsan and if used correctly it would be hard to get much cheaper. The 32 oz is $16.50 at Northern Brewer. One ounce makes 5 gallons. Because the foam sanitizes too you really only need a gallon at most to sanitize your fermenter. Just shake it up and let it sit for a min. One gallon would get you though a whole brew day. If you use distilled water and keep it in a closed container it will last for a few weeks too.

32 ounces * 5 gallons/ ounce is 160 gallons or 160 batches at 1 gallon per batch. That is about $.10 per batch even if you don't reuse it. Plus you get all the benefits of starsan like no rinse and only a 30 second contact time required.

I don't work for 5 star, just love the product!

 

[BetterSense]

When I worked at Papa John's, we had a clear food sanitizer that we bought in 1-gallon jugs and diluted similar to star-san. It was probably the same thing. Try a restaurant supply store. Or just buy Star-san.

 

[unionrdr]

Both PBW & starsan from five star are the greatest. Easy to mix & use,& last a long time. And starsan breaks down in the fermenter into yeast nutient as well. You can't ask for better than that.

 

[Revvy]

When I worked at Papa John's, we had a clear food sanitizer that we bought in 1-gallon jugs and diluted similar to star-san. It was probably the same thing. Try a restaurant supply store. Or just buy Star-san.

I've seen them at resteraunt supply stores and ALSO at home depot. Over by the BBQ equipment section IIRC. Or by the cleaners and degreasers.

 

[Revvy]

It just got me thinking. Gordon's Food Service has the ARRAY line of cleaners and sanitizers. It might be worth looking into. You know they will have acid based ones. I don't know what the price point is.

But like other's have said, when used properly Starsan is the best bang for the buck. I use the stuff heavily and a large container still lasts me close to 2 years.

 

[HomebrewMTB]

Yes plenty of alternatives for sanitizer but what you are really looking for is a no-rinse sanitizer. You can experiment to find out what works (and what doesn't), what's toxic at what concentrations, contact times, etc but really, why bother when for <$20 you can get a couple years worth of Star San. I'm all for DIY but really just get the Star San. It's a great product. Don't fear the foam!!!

That said, you can use bleach and vinegar mix in a pinch. Search on "no rinse sanitizer" for the recipe.