what best cleaning stuff to use
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louis macneice
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I clean with either washing up liquid and hot water or a cheap oxi cleaner and I sterilise with dilute unscented household bleach...I am a cheapskate.
In many brews I have only had two infections. The first was cause by impatience and over checking the FV. The second was even more stupid, in that I pitched the infected slurry into a second batch of wort. I haven't done either of these things since. I may be a cheapskate but I try to learn.
Cheers - Louis MacNeice
In many brews I have only had two infections. The first was cause by impatience and over checking the FV. The second was even more stupid, in that I pitched the infected slurry into a second batch of wort. I haven't done either of these things since. I may be a cheapskate but I try to learn.
Cheers - Louis MacNeice
rummynose27
Active Member
Is starsan no rinse n where's best place to buy?
Thanks
Yes, it's no rinse.
Most of the online home brew stores stock it so it's best to add it to an order from wherever you usually buy from to keep delivery down. You don't need much, I bought the smallest bottle about 6 months ago and it is still almost full.
For the fv/general crud removal..sodium percarbonate then the star San equivalent from malt miller....both bought from malt miller and last ages. The sodium percarbonate is marginally more expensive than the same amount off flea bay but the other acid based stuff is way cheaper than star San. The sodium percarbonate I just chuck a few spoons in then hot water and leave it do its thing then rinse, with the acid based i worked out using a syringe that a cap full with around 5 litres of water for the sanitising.
Works for me!
Cheers
Clint
Works for me!
Cheers
Clint
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A word of warning with VWP. I have pretty much always used this as its the only one I can get locally and rinsed with tap water (which I know is not necessarily sterile), but have always had homebrew twang. I brewed with just tap water originally, but then went on to bottled water and still had the twang. I then started treating water with a campden tablet the night before to get rid of the chlorine and chlorides and use that to rinse after cleaning with VWP and the twang has gone. I am planning on moving to another steraliser when I go all grain soon.
nigelnorris
Beavis at Bat
sodium percarbonate for me just for the convenience. Tenner for a kilo which will last me a whole year.
BeerCat
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Both my boilers have brown marks on them and even scrubbing with a brillo does not shift much. Was wondering how much PBW you use a litre? I have tried but didn't help much so i guess i didn't use enough. Like you say its expensive. Thanks
BlackIsland
An Ode to Beer
I've tried several cleaners and sanitizers over the years, and in the end settled on three that pretty much do the job for me.
Starsan for a no-rinse sanitiser. I buy a large bottle and it lasts me years. Someone said it has a shelf life, but according to Charlie Talley from 5-Star, as long as the pH is below 3, it's effective. Some people say once it gets cloudy, it's toast, but I've tested the pH of my cloudy starsan and it's been below 3. I don't want to have to measure it, though, so I toss it when it gets cloudy. I make up 5 gallons at a time, keep some in a 2 gallon pail for brew/bottle say, and some in a spray bottle. I'm lucky to have tap water that is so low on dissolved minerals that it nearly matches RO water profiles. I think this helps my starsan last longer.
Sodium percarbonate for a hot-water soak cleanser. Works miracles. I use 99+% sodium percarbonate, so I use a lot less than I did when I used a generic oxyclean. I ferment in glass carboys, so a shy tablespoon of this into hot water and an overnight soak means I don't have to scrub.
Oxalic acid cleaners. Not sure what the equivalent brand in the UK would be, but here it's Bar Keeper's Friend. I use 2 forms, once is a liquid spray and the other is a liquid with a powder that is squeezed on. It takes the beerstone off the sides of my boil kettles with a little bit of elbow grease.
Starsan for a no-rinse sanitiser. I buy a large bottle and it lasts me years. Someone said it has a shelf life, but according to Charlie Talley from 5-Star, as long as the pH is below 3, it's effective. Some people say once it gets cloudy, it's toast, but I've tested the pH of my cloudy starsan and it's been below 3. I don't want to have to measure it, though, so I toss it when it gets cloudy. I make up 5 gallons at a time, keep some in a 2 gallon pail for brew/bottle say, and some in a spray bottle. I'm lucky to have tap water that is so low on dissolved minerals that it nearly matches RO water profiles. I think this helps my starsan last longer.
Sodium percarbonate for a hot-water soak cleanser. Works miracles. I use 99+% sodium percarbonate, so I use a lot less than I did when I used a generic oxyclean. I ferment in glass carboys, so a shy tablespoon of this into hot water and an overnight soak means I don't have to scrub.
Oxalic acid cleaners. Not sure what the equivalent brand in the UK would be, but here it's Bar Keeper's Friend. I use 2 forms, once is a liquid spray and the other is a liquid with a powder that is squeezed on. It takes the beerstone off the sides of my boil kettles with a little bit of elbow grease.
Removing labels - http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=63664
Glossary button top of page - http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/glossary.php
Glossary button top of page - http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/glossary.php
You need hot, soapy water and one of those stainless steel scouring pads. Make light work of the most limpet-like labels and the glue that bonds them but won't touch the glass. When you've tried all other methods and failed miserably you can thank me in your own time. Aren't those letters acronyms for models of sports cars?
Have any of you come across a new type of label that's more plastic than paper? It seems to be impervious to the usual soak method that gets paper labels off and always leaves behind a nasty glue residue. About the only good thing about them is that when you do get a corner up then the whole thing will come off without ripping. In fact you cannot rip them by hand at all. I can't think what's in it for the brewery in using these unless maybe they intend to refill and reuse without relabelling.
Cairngorm Brewery uses plastic labels exclusively, and they make 2 of my current top 3 beers, hence my question.
The Orkney Brewery also uses them (exclusively?)
I guess there is increased waterproofing, but I noticed that they all seem heavy on the gold foil. It must be an easier way to get good metal foils onto labels which are pure silver on the back.
Boiling water over the label softens the glue under them.
The Orkney Brewery also uses them (exclusively?)
I guess there is increased waterproofing, but I noticed that they all seem heavy on the gold foil. It must be an easier way to get good metal foils onto labels which are pure silver on the back.
Boiling water over the label softens the glue under them.
GhostShip
Junior Member
If you get glue residue on your bottles that you want to get rid of, lighter fuel will remove it very easily.
We have a saying here: "opinions are like arseholes - everyone's got one, and they often stink!" Which is what I thought would apply with your question, as marketing companies have spread a lot of crap on the Internet. But browsing through this thread I find a lot of good advice, so I thought I might throw my opinion in the mix:
Sodium Percarbonate (sometimes sold as "oxyper") is currently my favourite cleaner - it doesn't interfere with head, can be used no-rinse if left long enough or followed with enough acid steriliser, can shift just about anything with a bit of hot water and some time, is pretty economical and doesn't leave anything harmful to humans or yeast. Contrary to some marketing ****e, it is an effective sanitiser due to the oxygen released if it is left to soak. Unfortunately, you need enough solution to cover every surface and to leave it for some time, but it is still handy for stuff like kegs and stuff with lots of crevices that have to be soaked anyway.
Orthophosphoric acid-based sterilants (strictly speaking sanitisers, as they aren't very toxic to yeasts,) such as Star-San or any of the other phosphoric acid/sulfanic acid sanitisers of which some predate it. The great thing about this is that you usually just have to spray or shake it - the "surfactant"/foaming action of the sulfanic acid compound means enough will maintain enough contact with a reasonably clean surface for the requisite 2 minutes.
Boiling water. I continuously fill and boil the kettle during a brew to re-sterilise anything I have put down or dropped, then use the leftover water to fill the "airlock" if I am using one.
Some things I consider obsolete:
Bleach. Still recommended even by our Aussie Coopers, though I have not seen a bleach without scent and/or detergent here for years. It works, though it tends to persist and add flavours to your beer, and it kills everything.
Napi-San. Not sure if you have it here, but it is basically an expensive way to buy diluted sodium percarbonate, or oxygenated bleach, and I suspect contains things you wouldn't want in your beer.
Idophor and Peroxide-based sanitisers. They work - ask your mum or grandma if they were nurses in The War; Iodine and high levels of oxygen kill bad bacteria - the sanitising property of oxygen is used by oxyper, it's just that they are expensive and require a long contact time.
Sodium Percarbonate (sometimes sold as "oxyper") is currently my favourite cleaner - it doesn't interfere with head, can be used no-rinse if left long enough or followed with enough acid steriliser, can shift just about anything with a bit of hot water and some time, is pretty economical and doesn't leave anything harmful to humans or yeast. Contrary to some marketing ****e, it is an effective sanitiser due to the oxygen released if it is left to soak. Unfortunately, you need enough solution to cover every surface and to leave it for some time, but it is still handy for stuff like kegs and stuff with lots of crevices that have to be soaked anyway.
Orthophosphoric acid-based sterilants (strictly speaking sanitisers, as they aren't very toxic to yeasts,) such as Star-San or any of the other phosphoric acid/sulfanic acid sanitisers of which some predate it. The great thing about this is that you usually just have to spray or shake it - the "surfactant"/foaming action of the sulfanic acid compound means enough will maintain enough contact with a reasonably clean surface for the requisite 2 minutes.
Boiling water. I continuously fill and boil the kettle during a brew to re-sterilise anything I have put down or dropped, then use the leftover water to fill the "airlock" if I am using one.
Some things I consider obsolete:
Bleach. Still recommended even by our Aussie Coopers, though I have not seen a bleach without scent and/or detergent here for years. It works, though it tends to persist and add flavours to your beer, and it kills everything.
Napi-San. Not sure if you have it here, but it is basically an expensive way to buy diluted sodium percarbonate, or oxygenated bleach, and I suspect contains things you wouldn't want in your beer.
Idophor and Peroxide-based sanitisers. They work - ask your mum or grandma if they were nurses in The War; Iodine and high levels of oxygen kill bad bacteria - the sanitising property of oxygen is used by oxyper, it's just that they are expensive and require a long contact time.
Was given a barrel that needed a real good clean used Dr Johnstones from poundworld left to soak overnight good as new I now use it every so often on barrels and bottles. Normaly rinse barrels and bottles after use then when needed again use star san unless they get a little dirty then good old Dr Jhonstones comes out again
