Sanitise new kit?

[kochosensei]

Ordering my first bits of brewing kit and wondering if I'll need to sanitise everything before I use it for the first time?

 

[iceo]

if it comes in contact with your brew then i would say yes.

 

[honeymonster]

Better safe than sorry!

I got one of the Coopers starter kits and it said on the DVD just to rinse it but I cleaned and sanitised anyways.

You wouldn't want to ruin your first brew over something so easy!

 

[godfrey]

good to get into the routeen from the start

sanitise everything :thumb:

I nearly lost my first brew due to bacteria

managed to save it with a sugar bomb

brought all the slime to the surface so I could scoop it out

never going to make that mistake again !!!

 

[honeymonster]

managed to save it with a sugar bomb

What the heck is that??? I'm sure it won't be nearly as exciting as it sounds!

 

[godfrey]

managed to save it with a sugar bomb

What the heck is that??? I'm sure it won't be nearly as exciting as it sounds!

I dumped half kilo of sugar into my brew
it throthed up like an eruption
and all the scum and slime was in the throth
when I scooped the throth out
it settled to slim/mucus in the bowl

no more infection :thumb:

good job I had plenty of head space in my FV

 

[ibrewthereforeiam]

Ordering my first bits of brewing kit and wondering if I'll need to sanitise everything before I use it for the first time?

Yes, anything new you get that comes in contact with the beer past the boiling point should be sanitized. In fact, cleaning is 90% and brewing is 8% and 2% is trying it when it comes to brewing beer.

 

[MyQul]

Just to back up what everyone else say sanitise EVERYTHING just to make sure. I do, I cant afford to loos a brew to infection. I even sanitise my brita water filter jug for my filtered water, including the filter (with boiling water). I also do my hands with sanitizing gel (I get it free from work, so I think what the heck cant do any harm)

 

[kochosensei]

Yeah, better to be safe than sorry I suppose. Better get me marigolds on...

 

[PD]

dont forget to sanitise the marigolds first........ :grin:

 

[Ian...]

Nah... disagree... too much paranoia about sanitation! My grandad brewed beer in the bath, and generations before him weren't able to sanitize! Good cleanliness is quite sufficient!

 

[honeymonster]

Nah... disagree... too much paranoia about sanitation! My grandad brewed beer in the bath, and generations before him weren't able to sanitize! Good cleanliness is quite sufficient!

Sanitization and good cleanliness are pretty much the same thing though aren't they?

Just because they didn't use a sanitizer product doesn't mean they didn't sanitize their equipment.

Whatever the method the end result is the same, nice clean sanitary kit! :grin:

 

[ibrewthereforeiam]

I agree cleanliness is extremely important 100%. Although, I have seen some sneaky bacteria get into some batches of beer I didn't think would happen...so I truly have become paranoid about sanitization.

Basically the difference between clean and sanitized is...wiping an area free of dirt and grime is clean. Killing the germs in that area is sanitized.

 

[GavH]

I didn't sanitise a thing for my first brew: just pulled it all out the box and cracked on and it seemed to be fine, although the difficulty is, with no other kit to act as a frame of reference, how did I really know? I've sanitised everything since and each kit has been a lot better but then that could equally be because I've been buying better kits and have developed a better understanding.

That said, I do agree that there exists possibly a degree of paranoia over sanitation. I've read of people sanitising the scissors they use to cut open the yeast packet and of folk boiling priming sugar before for the spcefic purpose of killing any nasties prior to adding it to bottles or a barrel. In my experience (limited, but thus far infection free), that's simply OTT. Good cleanliness and a sensible level of sanitation does the trick.

 

[Antony]

DO however, clean your tin opener, instead of dipping years of bean concentrate around the rim of your cans

 

[honeymonster]

DO however, clean your tin opener, instead of dipping years of bean concentrate around the rim of your cans

I'll go one better, I have a dedicated brewing tin opener . It does still get sanitized every time tho!