Vinegar As A Sanitizer

[AZCoolerBrewer]

I’ve been using vinegar to sanitize my hummingbird feeder and extra wash container and it has been extremely effective. The first time I set up the feeder I used StarSan because I had been brewing that day. It had a little mold when I refilled it after a couple weeks. Temps averaging in the mid sixties. I didn’t think that was too bad considering the feeder is open to air and the birds bring bacteria themselves, the second time I filled it, I again used StarSan to sanitize and after a week found the very beginnings of mold. The last three times I have used vinegar (full strength) and don’t see any mold at all at refill. After getting good contact on all surfaces, I rinse thoroughly and then fill and hang my feeder.

This anecdotal unscientific experience makes me think that vinegar could be an effective sanitizer. The big con for me being, even if the vinegar is rinsed all away, the idea of it might make me taste vinegar in the finished beer even if it didn’t exist and the pro being how effective and available it would be especially post apocalyptically. I mean with corona virus and all you never know if society might break down.

Is there anyone who low key uses vinegar as a sanitizer and just never says so for fear of ridicule? Could this be the next wave of sanitation without representation?

 

[bracconiere]

fear of ridicule?

HA, i laugh in the face of ridicule! i don't sanitize, just pasturize....

 

[Miraculix]

If the vinegar is not pasteurised, it contains living acetic bacterias which you really don't want in your beer.

Otherwise, I know that in Germany it's common practice to wipe the pot where bread is stored in with a cloth that's been dipped into vinegar to prevent mold. But what works well for mold doesn't have to work well for all the other microorganisms.

 

[bracconiere]

But what works well for mold doesn't have to work well for all the other microorganisms.

does it kill mold or just the spores?

 

[Miraculix]

does it kill mold or just the spores?

I don't know!

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Based on the sticky in this forum topic, vinegar is not widely used. It seems interesting to me since the vinegar itself seems to be a pretty good surfactant and the PH is pretty low at 2.4, Lower than StarSan. Additionally, it is a "natural" product that is used as an ingredient in food. The only downside from my perspective is that it is not a no rinse product. I think that it would show up as an off flavor in relatively small amounts, so rinsing after sanitation would be a requirement I think. The vinegar I used for cleaning my hummingbird feeder is distilled, so I don't think there is any live acetobacter cultures in it.

 

[bracconiere]

I don't know!

just asking because when i clone mushrooms, i give them a good long soak in dilute bleach water to kill spores, but it doesn't kill the actual mycilium....

edit: and as far as vinegar for sanitizing for beer, obviously it's not going to acetobacter.....lol

 

[Miraculix]

Based on the sticky in this forum topic, vinegar is not widely used. It seems interesting to me since the vinegar itself seems to be a pretty good surfactant and the PH is pretty low at 2.4, Lower than StarSan. Additionally, it is a "natural" product that is used as an ingredient in food. The only downside from my perspective is that it is not a no rinse product. I think that it would show up as an off flavor in relatively small amounts, so rinsing after sanitation would be a requirement I think. The vinegar I used for cleaning my hummingbird feeder is distilled, so I don't think there is any live acetobacter cultures in it.

Yes, the distilled one would be also the one I would use. I got to buy some for my bread.... Last one got moldy.

 

[RPh_Guy]

OK here are the facts:

• Acetic acid does not kill yeast (look up the actual procedure for yeast washing --the pH is dropped to around 2 and doesn't significantly damage the yeast).
• Acetic acid does not kill bacteria as well as other sanitizers.
• Mold is not a problem for decent brewers because mold requires large amounts of oxygen to grow.
• Star San's action is due to the DBSA, not the phosphoric acid alone.

 

[Bilsch]

If you want to kick that vinegar into gear then just add hydrogen peroxide to it. Now you have peracetic acid and that will kill it all.