Sterilising Equipment

[Jed_Trently]

Greetings,

I'm completely new to the home brew process and would appreciate a little guidance. What is the best way to sterilise my equipment?

This is my starter kit: http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk...r_Kit_With_Barrel_Equipment.html#.VGcqdsl1Hbg

I've got some VWP chlorine steriliser, and the instructions on the ale kit explain somewhat how to go about clean your equipment, but I have a few questions.

Clean all equipment? Not just fermenter and keg?
Submerge them fully? Maybe in a bath or something similar?
What's the best thing to use for this? Sponge?
Should I use latex gloves to minimise contamination?

Any other feedback is appreciated

Thanks, Jed

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Welcome to the forum, there is an excellent thread on sterilising here - http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=28039

I will leave the rest of the questions to the beer brewers. :wink:

 

[adam18]

Hi Jed,

Yes you should sterilise everything, I usually make up a gallon of steriliser in my fermenting bucket and dump everything in there. As long as they are covered in the solution you don't need to sponge them or anything, just turn the bigger stuff so all bits of it come into contact with the solution. I also put the lid on my fermenter and roll it about a bit so all the inside gets covered.

I wouldn't bother with gloves but I usually dunk my hands into the solution for a minute or two before I start. To be honest I am never super careful and I have never had a bad batch.

Ad

 

[Dads_Ale]

I use VWP a lot but you do have to rinse all the equipment well after use.

may be worth getting some Star San as well which is a no rinse steriliser. Do the main cleaning with the VWP then give it a squirt of pre mixed (a little goes a long way) star san just before use.

 

[Brew_Mike]

I clean with hot water and a microfibre cloth, this shifts pretty much everything. If something is being stubborn or in my carboys I use PBW., and sanitise with starsan,

Remember that you only need to coat the surface with sanitiser you don't need to fill you FV and keg. Also remember that everything pre boil only hast be be clean as the boil will sanitise everything.

 

[Jed_Trently]

Awesome guys!

Thanks for the feedback. It's a lot more clear now what I'm meant to do. I can't wait for the ale to complete.

Yeah that non rinse stuff has really caught my eye.

When I do sterilise everything, should I then rinse it with water before adding brew mix?

 

[MyQul]

Unless it's no-rinse sterilizer you'll want to rinse thouroughly with water (Which after few times of rinsing everything you'll find is a real PITA so no-rinse is deffo the way to go) as you don't want your beer tasting of sterilizer

 

[Covrich]

I go down the route of using vwp for starting my brew to give the the bucket and inistial equipment a good clean too.

But for bottling I use a no rinse santiser, rinsing 40 bottles out takes an age.