Help! have I killed my beer with Chemsan!

David Woods · Nov 2, 2024

Yesterdays brew completed and using the no chill method in a cube - I just realise I left about 1/2 litre of Chemsan in the cube when transferring. Ouch!

I searched here and seemed to get the OK - albeit with Starsan, but reading elsewhere getting conflicting stories between "it's fine" and "don't go near it".

I don't mind so much if the taste is altered a bit - it's beer after all - but a bit concerned about safety and poisoning my guests! The Chemsan was a fresh batch mixed as per instructions.

It's a 23L batch.

Would really like some help with this before I commit to fermenting it. What an idiot!

Thanks

Agentgonzo · Nov 2, 2024

David Woods said:
Yesterdays brew completed and using the no chill method in a cube - I just realise I left about 1/2 litre of Chemsan in the cube when transferring. Ouch!

I searched here and seemed to get the OK - albeit with Starsan, but reading elsewhere getting conflicting stories between "it's fine" and "don't go near it".

Would really like some help with this before I commit to fermenting it. What an idiot!

Thanks

I've accidentally left around that amount in the bottom of my fermenter before adding the wort into it. The beer turned out fine and you couldn't tell there was any starsan in it.

Twostage · Nov 2, 2024

Not done that (yet :laugh8:

) but I would reckon that if the yeast are OK then you will be.

RichardM · Nov 2, 2024

I've done the same with Starsan, the beer was fine.

peebee · Nov 2, 2024

The dilution is documented as 10ml in 5L, or 1ml in 0.5L ... a 0.2% solution. If you stick to the directions (uh?), which you should.

0.5L (1ml neat Chemsan) has been diluted with 23L wort.

Put like that it puts the risk to yourself as insignificant. The most poisonous substance is isopropanol ... I don't think it'll be at a level to worry about (1ml, with everything else, in 23,000ml ... we're talking isopropanol not Novichok!).

As for "killing your beer", I doubt the yeast will notice it's there.

It does illustrate, this stuff is a contact poison for microbes (active principal "benzenesulfonic acid", a surfactant). It only needs spraying lightly on a surface, not soaking anything in litres of the stuff! (For days on end).

David Woods · Nov 2, 2024

Many thanks all,

I have stuck it in the fermenter anyway - the wort looked and smelled OK - very scientific! Too much work to think about chucking it away. I imagine I have drunk worst things in my time anyway!

If I don't come back you will know what did me in, otherwise I will let you know the outcome in a few weeks.

Cheers!

Madhouse · Nov 5, 2024

I forgot about physics when cold crashing a pilsner and sucked a pint of sanitiser back into my brew, it was a 10L batch and it was noticeable in the beer, but then a pilsner's not got the kind of flavours to bury the taste of my error. Your brew's bigger and chances are has more than Saaz to give you a hand.

Got my fingers crossed for you, let us know how it goes.

David Woods · Nov 5, 2024

Well the first hurdle has been cleared - it's fermenting vigorously so the yeast are happy!

This Pilsner is going to be dry hopped with Galaxy as an experiment so should have some flavour profile. I used quite a lot of Saaz in the boil - maybe 150g as they were low AA. So hopefully will get away with it!

Agentgonzo · Nov 5, 2024

David Woods said:
Well the first hurdle has been cleared - it's fermenting vigorously so the yeast are happy!

When the pH of starsan raises (which is what will happen when you dilute it with lots of wort) then it stops being a "bug killer" and actually becomes a yeast nutrient (I don't undertstand the chemistry of this, but it's quoted by FiveStar a lot). So the end result is that you've added a bunch of yeast nutrient to your brew! (I'm assuming here that chemsan and starsan both behave the same)

Help! have I killed my beer with Chemsan!

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