The practice of removing the majority of microorganisms from equipment, utentils, fermentors, bottles etc. that comes into contact with the cooled wort. Poor sanitation can contaminate the wort, producing off-flavors.
28
votes
6answers
3k views
How likely is contamination in an average batch?
I sanitize everything; carboy, bottles, bottle caps, tubing, funnels, etc; because I was essentially told that my beer would turn to deadly poison without it.
I accept sterilizing the lot once ...
13
votes
3answers
3k views
What is the difference between Clean, Sanitized and Sterilized?
What is the difference between
Clean,
Sanitized and
Sterilized?
12
votes
4answers
5k views
Can OxiClean be used as a sanitizer?
Many batches ago I abandoned the sanitizing solutions sold (at ridiculous markups) from standard homebrew stores in favor of OxiClean Free. My logic at the time (being out of sanitizer, and at a ...
12
votes
3answers
1k views
No-rinse acid sanitizer - is there a risk?
My homebrewer friends recommend the StarSan acid sanitizer, hands-down. I tried it once and it foamed everywhere and left a bunch of rings in the carboy and the bottles. It made me paranoid that it ...
12
votes
2answers
929 views
Sanitation & Dry Hopping
Is there any risk of wort infection by not sanitizing hops before dry hopping?
11
votes
3answers
744 views
What is the best way to sanitize vanilla pods?
I Am planning on adding a vanilla pod to secondary in my next brew. What is the best way to sanitize it before it goes in?
11
votes
5answers
2k views
How Do You Sanitize Your Carboys?
When sanitizing your carboys, do you fill them all the way up (6+ gallons) with sanitizer or do you put in less and swirl it around?
This may depend on what type of sanitizer is being used. I'm using ...
11
votes
6answers
2k views
[WIKI] Bottle Sanitizing Techniques - Pros & Cons
What are the pros and cons of each bottle sanitizing method? Let's look at time, equipment, quality of sanitation, and other factors.
Post one answer for each method. Edit the answers if you have ...
10
votes
3answers
2k views
Do I need to sterilize my top-off water?
I just purchased my first kit and am about to brew it (tonight!).
The instructions provided indicate that after cooling the wort and tranfering it to the sanitized carboy I need to top it off with ...
10
votes
8answers
3k views
Sanitizing oak chips
Going to try using dry oak chips in my secondary fermenter. How do you recommend sanitizing the chips before adding them?
9
votes
4answers
1k views
Using StarSan in Airlock
Just getting started on home brewing and I used boiled water in my airlock. I've seen that some places recommend using sanitizer as the airlock "fill". Is it ok to use straight up StarSan in there or ...
9
votes
3answers
4k views
Consequences of infection in a beer?
Everyone learns during their first brewing experience that you have to carefully sanitize anything that touches your wort after the boil to avoid infection.
What happens when wort gets infected? How ...
8
votes
7answers
467 views
How do you sanitize the outside of your racking cane?
I'd love to hear the creative ways which folks have come up with to sanitize the outside of their racking cane.
Sanitizing the inside is straightforward - siphon some sanitizing solution through the ...
8
votes
5answers
2k views
Boiling bottle caps
I've always soaked my bottle caps in sanitizer before using, but a friend of mine suggested boiling (throw in the same pot with priming sugar) instead because the cooties can theoretically hide from ...
8
votes
2answers
434 views
Brett, Pedio, Lacto. Reuse and kegging
I have 6 gallons of a bretted whit that has been sitting in the basement for 8 months and a Pedio/Lacto/Brett Dubbel that has been working for about 7 months.
If I wanted to reuse these cultures ...
7
votes
2answers
710 views
How long does StarSan last?
I keep StarSan in a spray bottle for easier sanitizing during brew day.
How long does the StarSan last in that bottle? Is it good forever?
7
votes
1answer
467 views
How can you use an oaken barrel for secondary fermentation?
I may be able to get my hands on a oaken barrel that I'd love to age a Scottish ale in. What can I do to sanitize it adequately and minimize oxygen exposure?
7
votes
2answers
531 views
Keeping a bottle of no-rinse sanitiser
Some sanitisers, like star-san, chemipro oxi and betadine are no-rinse in certain dilutions. Star-san can additionaly be kept diluted in a bottle for months and used whenever one wishes. Can the same ...
7
votes
2answers
435 views
How difficult are the plate-based wort chiilers to clean? Do they require filtration before the wort goes through them?
I'm considering getting one of those "Therminator" style wort chillers as an upgrade to the coil. I plan on gravity feeding the wort through and pumping back into the kettle until my wort is nice and ...
6
votes
3answers
356 views
cleaning vs. sanitizing
I have made over 50 batches of homebrew, and I have a confession: I rarely CLEAN my equipment. I take a quick look to see if there is any visible debris/dust, etc., and if so, I will spot clean it or ...
6
votes
4answers
1k views
preparing fruit for secondary
What is the best method for preparing different fruits for fruit additions into secondary fermentors?
There are issues of sanitation and good fruit to wort contact, via chopping, slicing, mincing or ...
6
votes
1answer
308 views
Best way to store empty kegs
After using, then cleaning a keg with PBW, what is the best way to store the cleaned keg? I may not use the keg for a while, and I would like to avoid mold growing in any residual water (for ...
6
votes
2answers
217 views
Hopping In Secondary
I'm brewing an IPA that calls for the addition of hops when I rack to secondary. I have pelletized hops still sealed in their plastic packaging and I'm wondering if they can be added to the secondary ...
6
votes
5answers
2k views
How long do sanitized bottles keep?
If you sanitize a bunch of bottles and store them upside down on a tree or in a box (still upside down); how long can you store them like that before you feel the need to resanitize them?
Is there a ...
6
votes
4answers
1k views
Sanitization practices when dry hopping in a muslin bag
I've had good results, have always done it the same way in recent years, but always question myself when I dry hop.
Weigh-out my pellet hops
Scrub my hands with soap an water
Drop a weight, a muslin ...
6
votes
2answers
756 views
Is it okay to store a batch of mixed star-san?
I use a spray bottle with star san, so I don't use a lot of it each time I brew.
Is it okay to store the rest in a bucket and then refill my spray bottle when I need some?
I've read that it should ...
6
votes
1answer
669 views
What do I need to refurbish a corny keg?
What do I need to prepare a used corny keg (picked up at a flea market say) for brewing?
Should I replace the seals?
Do I need a special tool to remove the posts?
What products and techniques ...
5
votes
3answers
631 views
Do you reuse Io Star Iodophor Sanitizer?
I understand that Io Star Iodophor Sanitizer is reusable, but it seems cumbersome. Do you reuse this sanitizer?
5
votes
4answers
320 views
Homebrew sanitisation in a Pinch
So it's that time of year where none of the local shops are open (at least in my area) and I am itching to put on a new brew but haven't got any sanitiser.
I thought some Napisan (I believe AKA ...
5
votes
2answers
114 views
Necessary to clean bottle tree?
So I recently purchased a bottle tree (not sure how I went so long without one) for drying/storing my sanitized bottles. Is it is overkill to sanitize the bottle tree in sanitizing solution as well?
...
5
votes
2answers
985 views
Beer tastes like sanitizer
I've used a no-rinse iodophor sanitizer both times I've brewed. Both times the beer seems to taste a bit like sanitizer. Is it possible I am using too much sanitizer? The last beer I brewed was an ...
5
votes
3answers
812 views
Cleaning out beer lines
How often do you need to clean out your beer lines when using a home draft system?
What type of cleaner do you use?
Can I leave sanitizer in the tubing when a line isn't in use?
4
votes
4answers
161 views
Would placing the fermenter tank in a tub of water be a good way to handle hot environments?
Summers where I live typically have 80F nights and it can easily pick up to 95 degrees during the day.
I have a plastic trash can (which I bought for this purpose) that I have filled up with water. ...
4
votes
3answers
148 views
vanilla beans in a porter
Just brewed up a porter and going to be transfering into secondary tonight, I also want to put vanilla beans into the secondary. The question I have is how to make sure that the beans are sanitized ...
4
votes
3answers
559 views
Recycling/Reusing Bottles?
Are Glass Beer Bottles safe to recycle/reuse? Since I can't know who drank out of it and what could be in it, I want to be sure that this is safe to do.
What type of disinfection reagent would I use, ...
4
votes
4answers
380 views
Yeast Starter Stopper & Sanitization
I'm going to be making my first yeast starter, for a higher gravity beer.
While reading starter guides, and watching videos, I've noticed that there are several different techniques and opinions for ...
4
votes
2answers
48 views
Sanitize the bottle capper?
When bottling, is it wise to dunk the bottle capper in sanitizing solution or is that overkill?
4
votes
1answer
351 views
What's the minimum safe immersion time to sanitize something with StarSan?
How long should I keep something immersed in StarSan/swish it around for to ensure that it's as sanitized as I could reasonably hope it'll be?
I know everyone has a rule of thumb for this (I use 1min ...
4
votes
4answers
189 views
How to clean the inside of a blowoff hose
I soaked my blowoff hose in PBW for an hour or so, then rinsed and let dry. There is still light amounts of residue visible. The only brush I own is a carboy brush which I don't think will fit ...
4
votes
1answer
141 views
Moldy taste appearing months after bottling
I brewed and bottled an English Ale in August, and, after a few weeks in the bottle, promptly drank most of the 5 gallons.
However, I'd heard some advice to leave a few bottles for a few months to ...
4
votes
4answers
195 views
Extract brew, sanitizing hop strainer and tap? First brew day!
Last night I made my first ever extract brew.
The brew day went pretty well. As I have a 32 litre brupak boiler with a hop strainer and tap I cooled the wort with cold bottled water straight in the ...
4
votes
1answer
272 views
How can I use my oven to sanitize equipment
I want to sanitize and dry off my plate chiller using my oven. What temperature do I need to set the oven to, and how long do I need to hold that temperatures for?
4
votes
3answers
298 views
Removing Fruit From Secondary
I recently brewed a peach hefeweizen and I added 7lb of fresh peaches to the secondary. I just chunked the peaches and popped them into the carboy. I have siphoned the beer out for bottling and now ...
3
votes
3answers
573 views
What amounts and times should I use to clean/sterilize my brewing equipment?
There are actually 2 questions here. The first one is more of an opinion (although I would like to know), but the correct answer will only be awarded for the second question.
I have been researching ...
3
votes
3answers
508 views
Airlock re-sanitization after minor blow-off
I had some minor blow-off enter (and exit) my airlock during the most active part of fermentation. The krausen has since gone down significantly, and there is no worry of the airlock getting clogged.
...
3
votes
3answers
889 views
Can the plastic caps on PET bottles be re-used?
My brew kit came with 750mL plastic (PET) bottles & screw-on caps, which I've used. The "safety seals" are broken, but I thought they were more an indicator of product tampering than a functional ...
3
votes
3answers
679 views
What will happen to this un-sanitized batch of Wheat beer?
So my brother-in-law (great guy, btw) sent me a brew kit, ingredients, and instructions. Except the instructions never went over the whole "sanitation thing"... So, uh oh... I didn't sanitize the ...
3
votes
1answer
472 views
Sanitizing Second Hand Equipment (plastic fermenters etc)
Would you ever use second hand brewing equipment?
What's the best way of making sure it's absolutely clean?
Ordinarily, for something like this, I'd just buy new (so you know where it's been), or ...
3
votes
4answers
254 views
Sanitising and adding homebrew additives
A few questions pertaining to brewing additives:
How would you sanitize orange zest, whole nutmegs, and cinnamon sticks for use in a brew?
When would you add the aforementioned items to the ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
Does C-Brite require rinsing
I've read online that C-Brite:
Does require rinsing
Does not require rinsing
Does not require rinsing if you let it dry
Does not require rinsing but you should or your beer will have off flavors
...
