How clean is a fermenter

[bonk1972]

I wash my vat out with bleach after every use but normally senatise straight away and put another brew in....is the smell left from the last brew... is that normal or should I try and clean it until the smell is gone

 

[jyo]

Get some sodium percarbonate and soak your fermenters for a couple of days. It's great stuff, cheap and they will shine and smell superb.

 

[Dave70]

I only ever use bleach, about a 50/50 mix from a spray bottle and a good scrub (not a scourer) with hot water. Never had an infection in so far.
A day or two in the sunshine and the brutal Aussie UV rays get em smelling fresh also.

Sodium perc is a ripper for general cleaning to be sure.

 

[Screwtop]

When it comes to plastic fermenters. You can clean them and sanitise them. But getting rid of the aroma left behind from the previous beer/cider/ginger beer/hop aroma is very difficult. Some carries over!

Since moving to double and triple batches I have done enough side by side tests using Stainless and Plastic fermenters to prove this well enough to my satisfaction.

Screwy

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

When it comes to plastic fermenters. You can clean them and sanitise them. But getting rid of the aroma left behind from the previous beer/cider/ginger beer/hop aroma is very difficult. Some carries over!

Since moving to double and triple batches I have done enough side by side tests using Stainless and Plastic fermenters to prove this well enough to my satisfaction.

Screwy

Screwy did you prove that the smell carried over in plastic gets transmitted into the beer or that the plastic FV just still smells a bit like previous batches?

 

[Spiesy]

So glad I switched to stainless, for a number of reasons.

The aroma of 8000 previous brews is but one of them. Fwiw, I always soaked my plastic fermenter in sodium perc and hot water. Never seemed to get rid of the lingering aroma.

Have not had this problem with stainless, now up to 6-months of constant use.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

So glad I switched to stainless, for a number of reasons.

The aroma of 8000 previous brews is but one of them. Fwiw, I always soaked my plastic fermenter in sodium perc and hot water. Never seemed to get rid of the lingering aroma.

Have not had this problem with stainless, now up to 6-months of constant use.

I concur, just wonder if the aroma that stays in the fermenter actually has noticeable effect to anyone on the finished product? I haven't noticed the aroma of say a hefe in my pale ale I brewed after it in the same FV.

Don't get me wrong I'm all for stainless and plan to get there one day to eliminate permeability, ease of cleaning and just cos it's damn shiny. But interested to know if anyone can pickup a difference in taste or aroma?

 

[Screwtop]

Screwy did you prove that the smell carried over in plastic gets transmitted into the beer or that the plastic FV just still smells a bit like previous batches?

Side by sides proved only that beer fermented in plastic had a different aroma and tasted different. The second half fermented in stainless tasted clean, more hop bright and more like whatever the beer style was that was being fermented. One plastic fermenter would produce an acetaldehyde like aroma/flavour. I had been working on my brewing processes for many years in an attempt to get rid of these flaws. Began using stainless and soon found that the flaws were related to the various plastic fermenters I had been using. Other brewers have visited and tried my split batch beers and all have been able to identify a difference. The common description is that the half of the batch fermented in stainless has a clean taste and aroma or is less like homebrew

So glad I switched to stainless, for a number of reasons.

The aroma of 8000 previous brews is but one of them. Fwiw, I always soaked my plastic fermenter in sodium perc and hot water. Never seemed to get rid of the lingering aroma.

Have not had this problem with stainless, now up to 6-months of constant use.

Similar here, and so frikkin easy to clean!


Screwy

 

[stux]

I've found that a good go in tthe sun can get rid of fermenter odor from a clean fermenter

 

[S.E]

I use hot caustic to clean my plastic fermenters and cubes and have never noticed any beer/hop aromas carry over from the previous brew.

I have noticed that after I have cleaned them (takes about 5-10 minutes) they don’t smell of anything, just clean. But if I don’t use them immediately and leave them for a few days they smell of new plastic again.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

I've found that a good go in tthe sun can get rid of fermenter odor from a clean fermenter

Aren't all the UV'ers worried about UV degradation of the plastic changing it's properties and whilst being more "sterile", leeching unwanted chemicals from the plastic into the beer?

 

[S.E]

Aren't all the UV'ers worried about UV degradation of the plastic changing it's properties and whilst being more "sterile", leeching unwanted chemicals from the plastic into the beer?

I’ve had two cubes and a fermenter go brittle and crack leaving them in the sun.

A few weeks ago I was preparing to clean a cube that hadn’t been used for a few months. It had been outside in a mostly shaded aria. I was tapping the lid on the top of the cube to knock out the rubber ring and the top of the cube shattered.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

I’ve had two cubes and a fermenter go brittle and crack leaving them in the sun.

A few weeks ago I was preparing to clean a cube that hadn’t been used for a few months. It had been outside in a mostly shaded aria. I was tapping the lid on the top of the cube to knock out the rubber ring and the top of the cube shattered.

Suspected so... I keep all my cubes empty or full inside a closed cupboard in the garage, no light or heat swings that way. Whilst soaking / cleaning they are inside for an amount of days so get *some* UV, but yeah definitely not keen to leave outside in the sun.

 

[S.E]

Suspected so... I keep all my cubes empty or full inside a closed cupboard in the garage, no light or heat swings that way. Whilst soaking / cleaning they are inside for an amount of days so get *some* UV, but yeah definitely not keen to leave outside in the sun.

Ideally I would prefer to store my cubes in doors but just don’t have room for them all. I have a brew cupboard in the garage but it’s mostly filled with sacks of grain.

 

[stux]

I've had an entire batch of cubes (8) go brittle and crack after been left in the sun for many months. So glad I realized while cleaning them rather than filling.

But I'm not advocating extended periods in the sun.

 

[Screwtop]

Never used Caustic to clean fermenters only brew plumbing and vessels. Used to clean my fermenters with Sodium Perc, then sanitise with Bleach/Vinegar Solution. Immediately after rinsing they smelled of bleach/vinegar, but after a while they smell the same as they did prior.

Would never store outside in the sun, maybe a large ozone generator, ................. nah SS fermenters are cheaper

Screwy

 

[mongey]

mine must be really dirty . I usually just clean it straight after bottles with a sponge and water and then give it a good sanitise with left over idophor from bottling


then before putting on a new batch give it another wipe down sponging and then santiise again

done 8 or 9 brews no with no problems but maybe I should be cleaning better ?

 

[Rod]

I believe plastic fermenters under a microscope would look like a sponge with lots of little holes

the better the plastic , ie food grade the smaller the holes

but still there

I soak my fermenters in PSR and the stain disappears which indicates a better clean

would like a conical stainless fermenter but could not lift it in and out of the temperature controlled fridge

 

[Mr. No-Tip]

My fermenters have a certain smell after cleaning but i wouldn't say it's carry through. I never get IPA in a kolsch.

As for using bleach. Crazyness. Companies research and create no rinse sanitisers for a reason.

 

[Screwtop]

My fermenters have a certain smell after cleaning but i wouldn't say it's carry through. I never get IPA in a kolsch.

As for using bleach. Crazyness. Companies research and create no rinse sanitisers for a reason.

Yes they do, to be used as a SANITISER.

Different jobs for different chemical agents.

Sodium Percarbonate = CLEANER (breaks down organic matter)

10% Bleach/Vinegar Solution = DISINFECTANT

No Rinse Solutions = SANITISER
Disinfectants STOP bacteria and sanitisers SLOW down bacteria.
The scientific reason behind the difference of disinfectants and sanitisers is the dilution. Disinfectants must have higher capability for killing pathogenic bacteria compared to that of a sanitiser. According to EPA requirements a disinfectant must kill 99.99% or more of specified bacteria whereas sanitisers must kill at least 99.99% of three specified bacteria within a specified time period.
Disinfectants stop the growth of microorganisms.
Sanitisers reduce the amount of microorganisms to a safe level but cannot kill them since they don’t contain the killer chemical agent that a disinfectant does.

Lots to learn!

Screwy