12
votes
Accepted
What are the most crucial moments for beer contamination?
Just before you add yeast.
Your wort will not be heated again
Wort is full of nutrients, fullest it was or will be
Temperature is optimal for microbiological growth
No competition with other microbes
...
- 3,718
7
votes
Accepted
Can I assume that an unopened glass jug containing the juice I want to ferment is sanitary?
Unless you were planning on heating the juice itself to a high enough temperature to kill anything in it, it's not really going to matter. Any bacteria or wild yeasts present on the inside of the ...
- 153
7
votes
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Should I rinse my equipment after sanitizing with Star San HB Five Star?
No rinse needed, if you follow the description on the bottle for the proper mix. If I remember correctly, the sanitization compound gets deactivated at a pH that's normal for brewing.
There is a nice ...
- 628
7
votes
How do you let water sit until the chlorine vapours off without any contamination?
Chlorine you can boil off before use, usually a hard boil for 20 minutes will get rid of Chlorine. Unless your water district uses a binder which is rare.
Chloramine cannot be boiled off and needs to ...
- 18.5k
7
votes
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Accidentally used 100% unsanitized gear for brew - should I toss it?
Your brew is fine. If there's a problem it will be obvious when you taste it. Relax.
- 106
6
votes
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Is it acceptable to use a UV sanitizer light on a finished product?
I don't think it's a good idea, but might depend on product. You know why brown bottles are more popular than green or clear? Because light creates bad flavor and aroma in most beers. In my country it'...
- 3,718
6
votes
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Contamination concerns when removing stopper?
As jsled says you have no worries. You are doing the right things, not touching it or putting it down. If just for a few seconds to check on the brew you'll be fine, also you will gain experience ...
- 7,018
6
votes
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Risks of Iodophor
Iodophor's active ingredient is iodine, which is toxic to humans in sufficient doses. The recommended dilutions of iodophor are sufficient to sanitize surfaces and assume that all but a trace of the ...
- 782
6
votes
Accepted
Will this spoil?
Since it's on secondary, contamination risk is low, but for contaminants that have contact with the drink from now on. If the hair is there since the beginning of the fermentation, any possible ...
- 106
6
votes
Can I Use My Sanitizers(PBW, Starsan) For Personal Hygiene?-CORONAVIRUS RELATED
No. Use soap and water. Wash your hands for 20-30 seconds and make sure you wash your whole hand.
I have no idea what dilution you would have to use to maintain efficacy or what dilution you would ...
- 7,018
5
votes
How to clean little bottler
I would advise popping it out and cleaning it every time, cleanliness is next to godliness or at least next to not having contaminated beer.
- 7,018
5
votes
Accepted
How paranoid about cleaning & sanitization?
The other advice looks good so far. Having a generally clean work space and equipment is very important, and the fully sanitizing equipment only really matters for things that will come in contact ...
- 933
5
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Can I reuse a bottle that had a sour lactobacillus beer in it?
Bacteria like to hang out in soft surfaces like rubber and plastic, which for us usually includes things like buckets, hoses, and o-rings. Also any metal fittings for your valves, etc.
Glass bottles ...
- 3,417
4
votes
Contamination concerns when removing stopper?
No, you don't need to worry about contamination based on what you describe.
- 10.1k
4
votes
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Adding cold water to malt extract brew
Sanitation is paramount. That said, these are normal instructions for most early brewers. Mostly its because when people get started its assumed they don't make an investment in 8 gallon pots (...
- 36.2k
4
votes
Do I really need to sanitise my equipment for 10 minutes?
Before I write my answer, let me say that I'm not sure what's available in the UK. Here in the US, many of us use a product called StarSan, a no rinse sanitizer. However, you can't sanitize a surface ...
- 1,152
4
votes
Accepted
How to clean little bottler
Yes, if it can be taken apart and reassembled without damaging it. I would disassemble clean and store. Then sanitize and reassemble the valve and sanitize the bucket as a whole before use.
A clean ...
- 18.5k
4
votes
Accepted
Are there levels of contamination in a beer or is it a case that it's either "contaminated" or "not contaminated"?
First, technically all beer is contaminated, since you pitch yeast. And yes, I'd say pretty much all homebrew (and even commercial beer) is contaminated to some extent. The type and severity of ...
- 33.4k
4
votes
Can a bad odor from an empty fermenter be a sign of contamination?
I have had a few 'smelly' plastic fermenters in my time, never has greatly impacted the beer coming out of them. If you are concerned then letting a bicarbonate of soda solution sit in them overnight ...
- 7,018
4
votes
Beer having an aroma more like wine/champagne
Simple and IMHO best advice is to continue with the brewing/bottling process as normal. Nothing that has been written above indicates any immediate problem. I would advise not so much opening and ...
- 5,631
4
votes
Spraying Starsan over fermenting wort
Starsan IIRC is a mix of phosphoric acid and a wetting agent (surfactant) to get the solution to stick to the walls of a vessel. While one might be able to do it - I do not advise using starsan to ...
- 5,631
4
votes
Accepted
Is it OK to bottle condition using previously contaminated bottles?
If the bottles are very contaminated say with sediment sticking and or even if they have been open for a while and have fungal growth inside. You still don’t need to throw away, do the following:
...
- 536
4
votes
Will this spoil?
I am 95% confident that everything will turn out well. I wouldn't worry about any of it. Mead is difficult to get wrong assuming the fermentation is moving along and if you just leave it alone. ...
- 3,417
4
votes
Can I Use My Sanitizers(PBW, Starsan) For Personal Hygiene?-CORONAVIRUS RELATED
No. Not because they might not be effective, but because they are not made with your skin in mind. Their pH values, either acid or alkaline, are not compatible with your skin, and products for ...
- 3,655
3
votes
Do I really need to sanitise my equipment for 10 minutes?
Note that this product is both a cleaner and sterilizer. The contact times on the label seem to be more directed at cleaning so it's difficult to figure how much time is required for sterilization of ...
- 1,432
3
votes
Do I need to sanitize my cacao nibs?
No, just toss them in there. The beer is nearing the end of fermentation and will have a sufficiently inhospitable environment for any contaminants to flourish. The acidity, alcohol, and yeast itself ...
- 241
3
votes
How Long to Dry Tubing After Sanitizing?
Will this small amount of iodophor liquid affect taste?
Not if it was properly diluted
Should I rinse with hot water before using?
Arguably, your materials will be less sanitized if you do. If ...
- 2,178
3
votes
Accepted
Best way to clean moldy fermentation bucket
StarSan is a sanitizer, not a cleaner. I'd use Craftmeister alkaline cleaner. Amazing stuff and makes PBW look weak. Or just buy a new bucket.
- 33.4k
3
votes
Recycling/Reusing Bottles?
If you thoroughly rinse and dry your bottles after use and store them in a dust free place, all you need to do before reusing is sanitize them. The sanitation methods above are good, and you can also ...
3
votes
Do I really need to sanitise my equipment for 10 minutes?
I would always recommend following the labeled instructions.
Most sanitizers work by oxidizing or rupturing the cell walls of microbes. This doesn't happen instantly.
- 18.5k
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