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In nearly all the online videos from experienced homebrewers, they use Star San as a non-rinse sanitizer. However in the UK it is not widely available (only one site has it online and it is not available in any of my LHBS).
I did a quick search for alternatives and found mention of using Videne (an antiseptic solution used in medical surgeries). Has anybody used this in brewing? and is it as effective as Star San (i.e. effective sanisting, non-rinse, short contact time, no undesirable taste)?
I've not used it myself, but found that some high ranking members over at www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk use it. They say they got it at the Pharmacist at ASDA for about £4.50 for a 500ml bottle. This is then diluted to 2.5ml in 2000ml water, so it's going to last a while!
1.25ml/l is the usual concentration. 2.5ml/l is the maximum no-rinse concentration.
brewuk.co.uk has this advice:
I switched to videne many brews ago, using 1.25-1.5ml per litre of water to get a no-rinse solution.
How do I use it?
I use 500ml in a spray bottle to brew ( Great for spraying up taps, into tubes and bottles, for other things like FV’s I pour a small amount into it and rotate the FV, then a quick spray and tip out)
make sure everything is properly cleaned & rinsed with hot water first.
0.75ml per half a litre and also add a 0.5 teaspoon (2.5gms) of citric acid to increases and prolongs its effectiveness. Best use filtered/treated/bottle water as chlorine and water hardness can effect how long the solution lasts.
You can get citric acid from BrewUK, it looks a bit like table sugar, but it tastes foul if used in tea (trust me on that one I’ve made the mistake)!
The solution is the colour of cold tea. Over time as it loses its sterilizing potency as it looses its sterilizing effect it loses its colour. Also best stored out of light!
