why would my LHBS recommend onestep?

[baystatebrew]

I just swung by my LHBS and wanted to pick up a few things, one of which was star san. of course they were sold out, and had a huge truck out front unloading supplies, buried in which was the starsan i wanted.

the guy at the shop said "just use onestep" anyone who reads up on this stuff at all knows that onestep is not the go to option for homebrewing. they apparently "chose not to apply" for FDA recognition as a sanitizer (which I assume they would have if their product were a sanitizer). everyone in here says the stuff has minimal qualities as a sanitizer, if any. i'm seeing a lot of comparisons to oxyclean.

anyway I'm thinking the reason the guy at the LHBS pushed onestep is either 1. b/c it is not selling, 2. because he doesn't really know his s*it, or 3. all of the above.

in fairness to the guy at the LHBS, there's a little debate on onestep and there are pros/cons to the product as a sanitizer. but after reading a variety of postings and reviews, there really does seem like more of a consensus that onestep should not be used as a sanitizer for homebrewing, and if it is used, it is like 3rd or 4th on a list of preferred products.

just wondering how others react to this. as a new brewer you kind of look at the guy at the LHBS as a kind of sage...but i'm not so sure that's always a very good idea.

 

[BillyBroas]

It's unfortunate, but a lot of LHBS staff don't know sh*t. A lot do know their stuff, but new brewers don't know the difference. You're right, you look up to them. I think there's a thread around here somewhere about all the silly things they've told people.

I always tell brewers to use a variety of sources for information. Double check everything. And like you mentioned, don't use One-Step as a sanitizer when you can use a sure thing like Stan San or Iodophor.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

IIRC, it does exhibit properties as being a sanitizer but with a inordinate anount of contact time that results in long submersion. I am okay with the labeling thing. Labels cost money. Bleach is known to be a sanitizer too but the stuff you add to the laundry doesn't carry the label for food processing, IIRC.

I also have it on high authority that BLC and PBW are the same product too. Concentration varies but labeling applies to some jurisdictions as law requires.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

I never had any problems with one step when i used it. Never had an infection. However, Foam is your friend.

 

[riverfrontbrewer]

I never had a problem when I used one step.

 

[BillyBroas]

I never had any problems with one step when i used it. Never had an infection. However, Foam is your friend.

I never had a problem when I used one step.

A lot of people haven't had any problems with it, and I'm not surprised. My thing is - if there is doubt, why risk it when there is a no-risk option out there?

 

[riverfrontbrewer]

A lot of people haven't had any problems with it, and I'm not surprised. My thing is - if there is doubt, why risk it when there is a no-risk option out there?

Because there is no such thing, so sometimes personal preference comes into play? I have been happily using star san for a while now, but I wouldn't call it the magic bullet either.

 

[BillyBroas]

Because there is no such thing, so sometimes personal preference comes into play? I have been happily using star san for a while now, but I wouldn't call it the magic bullet either.

True there's definitely personal preference, but in this case it's just logical to use a product (star san or iodophor) that has less risk. If there is a problem, it is more likely due to user error than the product itself. For all the money and time I put into a batch of beer, I wouldn't risk using something that has such serious doubts. That's just my preference though

 

[baystatebrew]

i appreciate everyone's advice. i am pretty new but have had no problems using onestep. i guess that wasn't really my concern though. it just seems to me that, since it seems everyone is at least agreed on the fact that sanitation is extremely important to the homebrewing process, it is not a waste of time digging into the details/specs of the various sanitation products on the market. so, it just seems to me that just because i've never had any problems with onestep, that isn't a good reason to continue using it in the future. i could sanitize with old bathwater and my beer might turn out fine every time, but that doesn't mean i brewed with sanitary gear. it just seems like there's a difference between causality and correlation/coincidence: just because the end result was fine doesn't mean you didn't get lucky. i don't know. i guess i'd rather have hard facts to justify use of a sanitation product, rather than a tally of past successes with that product without knowing why it works or doesn't work.

 

[riverfrontbrewer]

Share those facts with us when you find them bay st. Since they haven't paid the FDA some money they are "inferior"? I guess I was just "lucky" when I used it successfully for 9 years. Should we all start using straight bleach, or maybe gasoline? It kills bugs better than other things.

Please refer to the many other threads on this debate located at the bottom of the screen or use the fancy search function.

 

[jason.mundy]

Maybe he said to use one step because he didn't want to look through the boxes to find the star san.

 

[BillyBroas]

i appreciate everyone's advice. i am pretty new but have had no problems using onestep. i guess that wasn't really my concern though. it just seems to me that, since it seems everyone is at least agreed on the fact that sanitation is extremely important to the homebrewing process, it is not a waste of time digging into the details/specs of the various sanitation products on the market. so, it just seems to me that just because i've never had any problems with onestep, that isn't a good reason to continue using it in the future. i could sanitize with old bathwater and my beer might turn out fine every time, but that doesn't mean i brewed with sanitary gear. it just seems like there's a difference between causality and correlation/coincidence: just because the end result was fine doesn't mean you didn't get lucky. i don't know. i guess i'd rather have hard facts to justify use of a sanitation product, rather than a tally of past successes with that product without knowing why it works or doesn't work.

You'd probably like reading the document Revvy references in this thread.

 

[riverfrontbrewer]

Billy has a great point, do read the post and doc posted by Revvy, it has been quite some time since I have, but just above the references at the bottom it has a blurb about the effectiveness of hydrogen peroxide (the active sanitizer in onestep). I am not a onestep defender, but I think writing off a product that is effective isn't right.

I always tell new brewers that they need 2 things to make good beer, cleanliness and patience. So I def agree being sanitary is #1 priority.

 

[Strangebird]

While I am new to brewing, I use One-Step and probably will continue to. Personally, if it works and I have to have more contact time I'm okay with that. I'm leery about any iodine-based product because of the potential long-term health effects on your thyroid. StarSan, I'd like to know more about the ingredients.

In terms of a different industry, but similar situation, there are many local farms who follow organic practices but have not been certified by the FDA because of prohibitive yearly certification costs. They are still organic sans official label in my mind and I absolutely still support such businesses.

In the immortal words of Tommy Boy "Hey, if you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will. I got spare time. But for now, for your customer's sake, for your daughter's sake, ya might wanna think about buying a quality product from me. "

 

[jollytim]

To add my 2 cents, I've NEVER heard of anyone having a problem BECAUSE they used One-Step. I have, on the other hand, read of many, many people that had problems because they didn't follow directions..... no matter what the product.

Personally, I've used (and still do) Star-San, One-Step, and Bleach. I won't ever have a problem recommending any or all of them. They all work as sanitizers, as long as you use them in the proper manner.

 

[baystatebrew]

Since they haven't paid the FDA some money they are "inferior"?

all good points. i suppose the reason they chose not to apply as a sanitizer could be because of money, but that just seems suspect to me. if i were making a sanitation product and competing with Star San and Iodophor, who have that FDA approval (please correct me if I'm wrong but I think that is true), I would think if my product truly were a sanitizer, I too would get that designation. FDA has plenty of problems but in my opinion it carries weight with consumers, certainly over any other regulatory body of consumer products. onestep is going to have some difficulty labeling its products as cleansers (which it does) and trying to compete with products called sanitizers.

you could definitely be right that FDA approval is cost prohibitive. i just don't know.

also good to know you had success with 1step for 9 years. that definitely carries weight with a new brewer like me, despite some other info I've gathered, so thanks for the info.

 

[l1ranger]

http://www.ecologiccleansers.com/faq.html

i guess we can all draw our own conclusions

 

[baystatebrew]

interesting. all i've seen to date are issues regarding the FDA (an HHS agency) but this talks about the EPA regulating sanitizers. I'm thinking the EPA might regulate sanitizers in some industries, and the FDA in others. i don't know. i would think sanitizers for food production would fall under FDA not EPA. maybe the EPA regulates sanitizers for use in industries like agriculture or something. no idea.