Sterilisation

[dandanni84]

Can sterelisation tablets which are sold for babies bottles be used in place of steriling powder I got with my kit? I have some left over from when my son was on bottles. Would be a shame to waste them?

 

[strange-steve]

You probably could but if it's chlorine based then be sure to rinse it well afterwards, even if it says it's a no-rinse steriliser.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I use milton tablets all the time, 15 minute contact time and no rinse, as SS says if making beer probably best to rinse to be on the safe side, having said that i am sure more than one member doesn't and they have never had a problem.

 

[MickDundee]

I use milton tablets all the time, 15 minute contact time and no rinse, as SS says if making beer probably best to rinse to be on the safe side, having said that i am sure more than one member doesn't and they have never had a problem.

I use Milton for beer, don't bother rinsing and never had any issues in the 6 brews I've done it with.

I'm sure someone on here phoned or emailed Milton about the no-rinse thing and they confirmed the chlorine levels aren't enough to taint the beer. Don't know about other brands though.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I remember that thread, the member even put some in his mouth to see what would happen, nothing did.

I poured milton into a DJ of wine when topping up (i thought i had already filled the jug with water) we couldn't taste it so decided to drink it anyway (after reading his experiment) it did us no harm.

 

[strange-steve]

Personally I wouldn't risk a day's work and 20 litres of beer by not rinsing. People may not bother and get away with it, but that one time when you have to pour the lot down the drain will make you think twice. This isn't one of those brewing myths that seem to circle around, people do and will continue to end up with undrinkable beer due to not rinsing chlorine based sanitisers. It only takes a small amount of chlorine to react with phenols to produce TCP which has a taste threshold in the parts per billion and no amount of aging will get rid of it.

 

[MyQul]

This little question/discussion pops up on a regular basis. Can I use milton (tablet?). And there's always one or more members saying, 'I dont rinse, have been doing this for ages and never had any problems'. I alway rinse if any chlorine based product if it goes anywhere near my kit.
I agree with SS. Your going to cry if you have to chuck 23L of TCP tasting beer. It only takes 5 mins to rinse, why risk it?

 

[Fil]

If you have used bleach for years with no probs great, i am chuffed for you, I have had less success especially when trying to neutralise all the chlorine with sodium met. imho 1 x tcp tainted brew is 1 too many..

Afaik best vfm cleaner is generic unscented laundry oxi, and the budget sanitisers are the no-rinse options of starsan or videne, while videne costs �£5-�£10 per 500lm it represents a few years supply(3-4?) i never managed to finish a bottle before switching to starsan, i didnt like the short active life.. , and starsan @ �£10-�£15 a bottle represents at least a 5year supply.

a �£2.50 1kg bucket of astonish laundry oxi is sufficient for cleaning a dozen brews or so. 1 to 2 x scoops per up to 5 gallons of warm water and l lil soak cleans everything off i use jerrycans as FV's and have no problem cleaning any kraussen out of the handles..

while bleach and bleach based sanitisers are cheaper the level of rinsing required (3 x minimum) diminishes their appeal dramatically.

Starsan isnt the kill all I once thought it was, It turns out its really only an antibacterial and can be less effective against wild yeasts,

the latest darling no rinse sanitiser is PAA which is a much more dangerous chemical neat and requires sensible handling, especially if atomising.
and is only available in 5l @ reasonable prices http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-LITRE-P...-FOOD-MACHINERY-PLANT-SANITISER-/201389774939

 

[DarrenSL]

I have the same doubts about starsan as Fil so switched to PAA for a while.

You can buy it in 1L sizes here:

http://www.bonnymans.co.uk/products/product.php?categoryID=1414&productID=6255

 

[ericmark]

I make kits, the fermentor is filled with tap water, how every well I clean and sterilise the fermentor I can't remove the chance that the water has bugs in it. All I can do is cross my fingers, yes I clean out after each brew, but no point going OTT when your using tap water, I always rinse of the fermentor after cleaning with what ever I have used. The idea of not rinsing was so as not to get any bugs from tap water. So with kits rinse every time. If doing all grain then maybe not allowing tap water near the vessels may be good, using only boiled water to rinse with. Then you can keep you beer for 5 years without it going off. Personally it never lasts that long.

 

[ElChemist]

I've used Milton, I've used Starsan, I've used VWP. Everyone has their darling. The guys who take it all very serious will chop and change and worry about every little thing. Its beer, I drink it to enjoy it, not to get all serious into it. I'm not a brewery and beer lasts 4 months at best. Each to their own, and there is some great advice on here, but its your brew fella, your boat, you paddle it.

Use the Milton, its not a problem, if you wanna rinse it, rinse it, if you dont. Dont. Given the hops are antibacterial, once you've boiled your wort with hops in it, you have to try pretty hard to infect your beer. Just get some Starsan for the next one...

 

[Dutto]

........ Then you can keep you beer for 5 years without it going off. ...........

Five years? For beer? :hmm::hmm::hmm:

I'm assured that some Forum Members drink wine before five months have elapsed! :whistle: :whistle:

 

[Pawlo7671]

Yes you can is the answer, people seem to get hung up on which way to sanitize when really the best option is just sanitize !! sanitize one way or the other, clean your brew area / room, get rid of any moldy fruit or bad smells, make sure the kitchen sink is clean, remove any stinky sponges or dish cloths, in general remove anything that may harbor bacteria as it makes sense in terms of brewing and its good house keeping too, I saw a picture once of a guy brewing up and there was a pile of trash in the corner of the kitchen and he'd placed his FV right next to an old stale yogurt pot and the cat's bowl.
personally I use VWP and Starsan, VWP to give things a good overnight soak and starsan for the day to day stuff.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Five years? For beer? :hmm::hmm::hmm:

I'm assured that some Forum Members drink wine before five months have elapsed! :whistle: :whistle:

Some members drink it before 5 days have elapsed, you appear to be developing a strange obsession with this subject, feel free to open a thread in the wine forum where these members can discuss this further.

 

[strange-steve]

Yes you can is the answer, people seem to get hung up on which way to sanitize when really the best option is just sanitize !!

You'll notice that nobody here said not to use it, however sometimes questions such as this require more than a straightforward yes or no answer. The issue here is not whether or not Milton works as a sanitiser, it does. But when there is a potential side effect of undrinkable beer then that should be explained so that the op can then decide for himself. Obviously there are many ways to sanitise but not all are ideal.

 

[Pawlo7671]

Actually Steve, if you read the OP he is simply asking weather or not these tabs can be used, no mention of side effects etc so to be fair Steve you just validated my point there

 

[strange-steve]

As I said, some questions require more than a simple yes or no answer. A little extra information might be considered helpful by some.

 

[BeerisGOD]

I have the same doubts about starsan as Fil so switched to PAA for a while.

You can buy it in 1L sizes here:

http://www.bonnymans.co.uk/products/product.php?categoryID=1414&productID=6255

this stuff re-usable Darren?

 

[DarrenSL]

No, once diluted it dissociates into vinegar and oxygen so you need to use it within a day or so. But you only need 3ml per litre so it lasts a while.

[Apologies to the OP for going off topic!]


And top tip Pawlo on the importance of keeping your brew space clean :thumb:

 

[CraftyZA]

So what does chlorine do to beer? I've used liquid milton for my first few brews. Switched to mangrove jack detergent and sanitizer.


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