Opened a bottle I bottled 3-4 days ago. The smell was terrible, and the taste too. I almost puked. I used water from the shower hose. Read that the showerhead can be full of bacterias. I removed the showerhead before filling water, but can it be that the showerhose is full of bacterias too?
Cider down the drain :(
- Thread starter CiderJoe
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scott78
Well-Known Member
not sure Joe, i would have thought if it was the water used to make up a cider kit then it would have been bad before you bottled it.
Cononthebarber
Landlord.
Yes that's true...the water from your boiler doesn't get to actual boiling point so is not sterile and stays in the tank for indeterminate periods so can build up bacteria and other nasties...its fine for showering etc but not for brewing. If you just used the hose then you should steralise the hose before use. In fact be extremely careful to steralise everything that will come into contact with your brew then you eliminate any chance of infection :thumb:
I would just put it down to experience and try again :
I would just put it down to experience and try again :
Cononthebarber said:Yes that's true...the water from your boiler doesn't get to actual boiling point so is not sterile and stays in the tank for indeterminate periods so can build up bacteria and other nasties...its fine for showering etc but not for brewing. If you just used the hose then you should steralise the hose before use. In fact be extremely careful to steralise everything that will come into contact with your brew then you eliminate any chance of infection :thumb:
I would just put it down to experience and try again :
Thank's for the info. I will use another water source the next time. :)
Cononthebarber
Landlord.
You are best using water from your cold tap which comes direct from the mains supply (usually your kitchen tap), some bathroom cold taps (especially upstairs ones) come from a water storage tank which again will not be sterile and could harbour bacterias which will affect your brews...
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Cononthebarber
Landlord.
Yeah I think Starsan is a non-rinse steriliser isn't it? So you could just rinse it with the starsan and leave out the hot water?
Never use anything that's been through a hot tank for food use. It's got all kinds of **** in it. Would you make tea with stuff out of your shower hose?
My cold water mains is good, if yours isn't you can try to treat it (Campden will deal with some stuff), or filter it, or boil it, or use bottled.
The coldwatertank thing is mostly in the south - I grew up with only the kitchen cold being safe to drink, down in Somerset, but up here in Yorkshire the norm has always been for all cold taps to be run from the main.
My cold water mains is good, if yours isn't you can try to treat it (Campden will deal with some stuff), or filter it, or boil it, or use bottled.
The coldwatertank thing is mostly in the south - I grew up with only the kitchen cold being safe to drink, down in Somerset, but up here in Yorkshire the norm has always been for all cold taps to be run from the main.
Bloody hell you're brave :lol:
Shower heads are a breeding ground for legionnaires and all manner of other nasties. Even if the shower is mains fed or combi boiler fed the shower will be literally filled with bacteria, it's no wonder that the ferment was all wrong.
If you want to be certain of mains water just turn the tap on and try to stop the flow. If you can't, its mains. Kitchen sink cold tap is always mains fed, so I would recommend just using that and chalking it up to experience.
No wonder folks are warey of homebrew
Shower heads are a breeding ground for legionnaires and all manner of other nasties. Even if the shower is mains fed or combi boiler fed the shower will be literally filled with bacteria, it's no wonder that the ferment was all wrong.
If you want to be certain of mains water just turn the tap on and try to stop the flow. If you can't, its mains. Kitchen sink cold tap is always mains fed, so I would recommend just using that and chalking it up to experience.
No wonder folks are warey of homebrew
Cider Joe.
I'm not being nasty or anything, and this post is made in good faith with a desire to keep you from harm. But may I suggest before brewing anything else, you treat yourself to a good book on the way to brew beers and ciders especially on sterilisation procedures before you do yourself or others any harm. Brewing like you have just described is a sure way of contacting many stomach illnesses which are nasty uncomfortable and can be fatal. In every book and article I have read the importance of using clean sterilised equipment, good clean ingredients is upper most.
Beer brewing is relatively easy and safe, if you abide to the rules of hygiene and use common sense. Water should be as fresh as you can get either straight out of the mains, bottled, or even separately boiled and cooled. Don't cut corners or you will do some harm.
Legionaries disease can easily be present in hot water tanks ( theres an outbreak up in the North East at the moment ) it KILLS
I'm not being nasty or anything, and this post is made in good faith with a desire to keep you from harm. But may I suggest before brewing anything else, you treat yourself to a good book on the way to brew beers and ciders especially on sterilisation procedures before you do yourself or others any harm. Brewing like you have just described is a sure way of contacting many stomach illnesses which are nasty uncomfortable and can be fatal. In every book and article I have read the importance of using clean sterilised equipment, good clean ingredients is upper most.
Beer brewing is relatively easy and safe, if you abide to the rules of hygiene and use common sense. Water should be as fresh as you can get either straight out of the mains, bottled, or even separately boiled and cooled. Don't cut corners or you will do some harm.
Legionaries disease can easily be present in hot water tanks ( theres an outbreak up in the North East at the moment ) it KILLS
fbsf
Landlord.
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Indeed.
But of course there is the other option.
Don't spend £14 on a cider kit and sugar. Spend £13.20 on 22L of cheap supermarket apple juice, and make a Turbo Cider instead. Far better taste and no chance of nasties.
But of course there is the other option.
Don't spend £14 on a cider kit and sugar. Spend £13.20 on 22L of cheap supermarket apple juice, and make a Turbo Cider instead. Far better taste and no chance of nasties.
SgtMustache
New Member
ANY water from the tap, be it from the hot or cold, has bacteria in it. You HAVE to sterilize it, I don't care what anyone says. I don't care if it has chlorine in it or not, boil it.
If it hasn't boiled for 5 minutes, don't use it.
Any hose from a shower head is also contaminated. Bacterias love plastics, they move right in. I found out the hard way one year when tapping maples for syrup, to expand operations I tried the (cheaper) plastic taps. Worked fine the first year, but the next year even with boiling they still contaminated the next year's run of sap, and I stayed with the metal taps from then on.
Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize!
If it hasn't boiled for 5 minutes, don't use it.
Any hose from a shower head is also contaminated. Bacterias love plastics, they move right in. I found out the hard way one year when tapping maples for syrup, to expand operations I tried the (cheaper) plastic taps. Worked fine the first year, but the next year even with boiling they still contaminated the next year's run of sap, and I stayed with the metal taps from then on.
Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize!
Quantum freak
Active Member
You've got me worried now as I used the shower head to rinse of the sterilising solution when cleaning before getting a brew on??????? Its a Wherry that im brewing and so far (11 days in) it smells good, like beer. Have I got away with it this time? Should I not use it for rinsing either? :shock: :shock:
nope should not be used even for rinsing unless you have a combi boiler in your house and no hot water tank.
Anything repeat anything that's going to come into contact with, touch, brush against, snuggle up to your beer MUST be sterile.
Even mains cold water is not sterile really and when you are providing the perfect environment for yeast to grow and multiply you will also be providing an ideal growing environment for any other nasties that happen to come near your beer.
Anything repeat anything that's going to come into contact with, touch, brush against, snuggle up to your beer MUST be sterile.
Even mains cold water is not sterile really and when you are providing the perfect environment for yeast to grow and multiply you will also be providing an ideal growing environment for any other nasties that happen to come near your beer.
Quantum freak
Active Member
The only saving grace here is I dont have a hot water tank!!! I have an electric shower, and a combi for heating and hot tap water!
I consider this a very lucky escape and a strong lesson learned :nono: :nono: :nono:
Well.......I hope it was a lucky escape, it smells fine so far!
:
I consider this a very lucky escape and a strong lesson learned :nono: :nono: :nono:
Well.......I hope it was a lucky escape, it smells fine so far!
:
