Freezing Accessories

[Black Devil Dog]

I've been brewing on and off for a few years and recently started again, this time kegging and I am really happy with it.

Because I'm a bit of a lazy bugger, cleaning and re-cleaning things gives me the s**ts. So what I do with my stirrer, bottler, air lock etc, is as soon as I'm done using them I give them a clean/rinse and put them straight into my freezer. When I need them again I take them out plug them in and off I go, to date I haven't had any issues with infections and I wonder if the freezing process is sufficient to keep the items sterilized or am I leaving myself open to infection.

 

[Yob]

You are taking the piss right?

:huh:

 

[Phoney]

I think he's serial.

No, freezing does not kill germs and/or bacteria. Use napisan.

 

[manticle]

Freezing will retard most bacterial growth but it won't necessarily kill the bugs. Certainly won't come anywhere close to sterilising but neither will most HB practices.

The risk is there. Up to you whether you want to take it.

Cleaning is much more difficult/PITA than sanitising so if you are already cleaning to freeze, maybe look at finding easier ways to sanitise - spraying with starsan for example is incredibly easy.

 

[Black Devil Dog]

Thanks for your replies, as I said so far I haven't had a problem with infection but I think to be sure I will resort to more reliable methods. Cheers.

 

[glenwal]

cleaning and re-cleaning things gives me the s**ts.

You shouldn't need to re-clean anything. Remember that cleaning and sanitising are two different things. Clean your gear when your done, then sanitise before you use.

 

[Yob]

Nobody enjoys the cleaning side mate... well OK some weirdo's may.. but it's just one of those things you need to do, and need to do well in order to get the best (and consistent) end result. (especially on the cold side)

I thought my cleaning practices were up to par, in a recent comp all 3 judges noted a slightly sour finish to the beer (They said overall quite nice though :huh: )... TBH I cant pick it but if all 3 say the same thing then it's probably something to look at yeah? .. so it was back to the drawing board and had a good hard look at my processes. Sure enough I found something that was of concern... and now hopefully fixed.

Clean, Rinse, Sanitize.

:icon_cheers:

 

[fraser_john]

<snip>
I thought my cleaning practices were up to par, in a recent comp all 3 judges noted a slightly sour finish to the beer (They said overall quite nice though :huh: )... TBH I cant pick it
<snip>

Could be a very subtle house infection, what do you ferment in, plastic cubes, with/without tap? If it is a house infection then you would have gotten accustom to it and not notice it. I'd suggest a thorough review of fermentation/bottling equipment and perhaps a "scorched earth" policy for the next three months.

 

[Yob]

have started to replace certain things like bottle wand, hose, taps etc. Have also numbered FV's and am going to keep better notes (I say this to myself every year )

I guess my bottles may be due for a major clean as well... it's been a while since they have had the big process.

:icon_cheers:

 

[fraser_john]

I recently lost three batches due to an infection inside my stainless ball valve, I had NEVER pulled it apart and cleaned it in 10 years of brewing, but I sanitise my stainless conical using pressurised steam. I guess I must have developed a really heat resistant bug, or, had gotten a bit slack about how hot I got the fermenter tap before shutting the steam off.

Either way, three batches * 8 hours each (prep, weigh, crush, mash, sparge, boil, wash, clean, ferment, transfer, wash etc etc etc) is 24 hours of wasted time!!!! All that lost for an extra 10 minutes on each batch sanitising..........

Each batch since then has been sensational.

 

[Black Devil Dog]

It was something that I started doing a couple of months ago, because up until then after using the items I would clean them, dry them and put them in the drawer where I keep all sorts of things until they were required again. When I got them out I re cleaned them, sanitized them and then I thought there must be another way, so after cleaning I just put them straight into the freezer. It is a clean environment without much chance of contamination, I would have thought.

It's no biggie, but to be on the safe side I might dispatch with the practice.

 

[joshuahardie]

after cleaning my transfer tube, i put it in the freezer.

Just a throwback to getting mould grow in my camelbak because it is hard to get it completely dry.

Maybe it is a stupid idea....but I don't think it has caused me an issue?