Tequila instead of Vodka for disinfectant?

[Octang]

I've heard people talk about gargling with vodka to disinfect when they suck start a siphon. Would tequila work just as well?

My auto siphon has been delayed a week and I want to rack my beer into a secondary. I plan to suck start it without my mouth actually touching the siphon (my mouth will be on my fist which will cover the end of the siphon tube), but I still want to make sure my mouth is somewhat disinfected just in case.

 

[Evan!]

Don't suck-start a siphon. Vodka, tequila, rubbing alcohol, napalm, whatever...your mouth is teeming with bacteria, and a gargle of booze doesn't disinfect anything. It might kill some bacteria, but it's still a bug hotel! Get yourself an autosiphon, or do the old sanitized water gravity trick.

 

[Octang]

Maybe one of you can teach me how to do the water gravity siphon, because whenever I try to do it that way it doesn't work. What is the specific technique?

 

[WorryWort]

I always have a big bucket of iodophor around - any sanitizer will do.

I suck start my siphon so that it's pulling sanitized water from that bucket into a smaller jug. Let it run a few seconds.

Then, I lock it with the stopper/clamp to keep it full of sanitizer, and I put the end back into the bucket and make sure sanitizer covers the hose. I'll spray the racking cane so that it's good and clean to.

When I go to the beer I simply put the racking cane, which is full of sanitizer, into the beer (you need a safe - no rinse sanitizer for this - i.e. not bleach) Then I release the clamp, letting the sanitizer (which will come out first) flow into the bucket. Then when beer starts coming out the hose, I clamp it shut, and much it into the carboy or keg or whatever.

It works for me!

 

[thedigitale]

If you don't have a racking cane you can use the "straw in soda" technique.

Fill the hose completely with sanitizer. Hold your thumb on one end or crip the hose so that no water comes out the other end.

Carefully lower the hose into the fermentor and once it's under the beer let the thumb go, making sure the hose is below the carboy.

This might get a couple of drops of sanitizer in the beer, but nothing to worry about. Just dump the first bit into a pot until beer flows, clamp and rack.

 

[Edcculus]

I used to start a siphon using the tap to fill my tube/racking cane. No problems with infections.

Just turn the tap on to a mere trickle. You want the slowest stream possible without it dripping. Put a thumb on the racking cane hole, and slowly begin to fill tube end from the tap. You might have to release your thumb from the racking cane to let out air. Be quick with your thumb because water will try to flow out quickly. Keep filling the tube.

It takes a little practice, but its not impossible. When your tube and racking cane are full of water, place your thumb on the tube end and put the black trub stopper on the racking cane. Place the racking cane in the beer. I'll be very obvious here and say that the receiving vessel needs to be lower than the one you are transferring from. Remove your thumb from the hose end, using a jar to start catching the water inside the hose. If you hold this directly over the receiving container, you can transfer the hose without making a mess or breaking the siphon.

I hope that made sense. I got home from work and decided to have a RIS . I did this for 2 years. If you have an extra $10 around, just buy an autosiphon and be done with it.

 

[beerocd]

How about that wye connector trick. I forget whose idea it was, but one section goes into wort, one section to wherever you are siphoning to and the third section is for your mouth. Suck to get the wort out over the top of the fermenter, keep the mouth part high up and it will flow down the other tube. You need to clamp the mouth piece shut after it starts. I think to keep from aerating your beer. So a buck or two for plastic connector and a short piece of hose.

-OCD

 

[ChshreCat]

+1 on the autosiphon. Way better than having to mess around with filling the tube with water or anything. Stick it in, give it a pump and off you go.

 

[Edcculus]

How about that wye connector trick. I forget whose idea it was, but one section goes into wort, one section to wherever you are siphoning to and the third section is for your mouth. Suck to get the wort out over the top of the fermenter, keep the mouth part high up and it will flow down the other tube. You need to clamp the mouth piece shut after it starts. I think to keep from aerating your beer. So a buck or two for plastic connector and a short piece of hose.

-OCD

Do you mean Flyguy's T-siphon: a $3 replacement for an autosiphon?

 

[beerocd]

Do you mean Flyguy's T-siphon: a $3 replacement for an autosiphon?

Wrong consonant and a buck off - but yeah that's exactly what I was thinking of.

-OCD

 

[Octang]

Thanks guys. I just finished racking into my secondary and I did so by using the water gravity siphon techinique and I got it to work perfectly! Thanks for the tips! Though, I will feel much more confident when my autosiphon finally arrives.

New question: I am trying to wash the yeast from this batch but I don't have any mason jars. I do have cleaned/sanitized/washed multiple times salsa jars. However the lids still have a 'salsa smell' to them even though they've been washed repeatedly. Would these be safe to store the yeast liquid in? Or does that smell suggest that there could be contaminates hiding in the lid and I shouldn't risk it?

 

[Edcculus]

Sanitize the lid or stopper and put it back on. The yeast should be good for a few hours. Just run out to Wal-Mart or a small hardware store and get some jars. Those salsa jars sound risky.

Mason jars also make a perfect beer drinking vessel.

 

[buzzkill]

I do wash my mouth out with Tequila first. then I use the autosiphon for my racking.

 

[ChshreCat]

I do wash my mouth out with Tequila first. then I use the autosiphon for my racking.

That's a good point. Using an autosiphon shouldn't preclude vodka and/or tequila.

 

[Minky]

I have been starting a siphon with my mouth from day one. I use a turkey baster with the bulb removed as a mouthpiece in the end of the hose. Just a very light suction on the mouthpiece fills the hose with beer. It takes a little practice to not overshoot the end of the hose. Remove the mouthpiece and place the hose in your secondary or bottling bucket. Voila. I think I paid $.98 for the turkey baster.

+1 on the vodka or tequila.............a couple shots........... just in case ;-)

 

[Poincare]

That's a good point. Using an autosiphon shouldn't preclude vodka and/or tequila.

I would start with vodka then tequila then another swig of vodka before starting siphonage.

 

[maztec]

I actually like water siphoning over my autosiphon most of the time. I just dunk it in my sterilizing bucket (I always have a 5 gallon bucket full of sterilizing water when brewing), then crimp off one end (or put a thumb over it), let some drain out so I don't get any in my beer, dunk the partially dry end in my beer, and let it go into a starter container, recrimp, then transfer over. I can do the whole process in as much time as it takes for me to use the stupid autosiphon.