No rinse?

[rusty274]

Hey guys,

First time using starsan. I have mixed up a large batch and about to sanitize my bottles. I have washed them and now I am dunking them in a sink full of starsan. There is a lot of bubbles in the bottles? Everyone says no need to rinse starsan but it seems like a lot inside the bottle. Should I rinse them or just get the beer in?

On a side note are bottling trees worth getting or just a waste on money?

Thanks

 

[mikeybycrikey]

I don't rinse and have had no problems, plus as you fill you get a neat foam snake coming out! As for the bottling tree I forked out for one and would do it again if I started bottling again, Pretty pricey but so damn convenient. Could always just drill a heap of holes in some wood and have a homemade jobbie?

 

[OzPaleAle]

I was only using Starsan for a little while bottling before kegging but I found because you are filling from the bottom of the bottles with the bottle filler it seemed to just push most of the foam out the top as the liquid level rose.

 

[wereprawn]

I have recently started using starsan myself.While worrying initially,the bubbles have become my friend.As the bottles fill the bubbles come to the top and foam out of the top.All those bubbles make it easy to see how much the bottle is filling and avoid overflows.Starsan will not affect flavour.
cheers.

 

[mkstalen]

Don't fear the foam.

Rinsing a no-rinse sanitiser defeats the purpose of using it in the first place.

 

[stm]

As above - foam is good. It's no rinse. And a bottle tree is highly recommended, makes handling bottles much easier. Along with one of those spring loaded bottle rinser/squirter things, you can get through sanitising the bottles very quickly and with only about 2L of the starsan solution rather than a sinkful.

 

[MelbourneDave]

I personally like to rinse. I know everyone loves no rinse but to me I can't stand seeing those bubbles going in my beer and yes I've read how it breaks down in the beer etc etc. I like to keep my beer as pure as possible and have never had a problem with rinsing. Because I rinse I can also make up my solution stronger than usual for their little soak I give them.

If you plan on bottling for a bit then definitely get a bottle tree. Only 25 bucks or so and one of the best purchases you'll make.

 

[JDW81]

Because I rinse I can also make up my solution stronger than usual for their little soak I give them.

While rinsing is totally up to you, there is absolutely no reason to mix up your starsan solution and stronger than recommended. All you are doing is wasting money for no additional benefit.

Totally agree on the bottle tree though. Makes bottling so much easier.

JD

 

[edschache]

On the topic of the bottle tree - my missus had 2 plastic stacking shoe racks (think horizontal bit of plastic 2 foot by 1 foot with legs on either end) that have wholes just bigger than the neck of a tallie (the bottle not the brewer). After a shoe culling one of them disappeared to the man cave where it is now used for draining bottles. My other rack is a similar design made out of ply wood (made by the bloke I bought my fermenters and bottles off). A bit of ply and the appropriate hole saw will get you something that holds them and then you just need some legs to hold it off the surface you sit it on. This design takes up more room on your bench but works for me.

Don't stress too much about the starsan particularly if you're bottle conditioning your beers (i.e. you put the beer in flat with some sugar to carbonate it). Basically as soon as it is diluted in the beer, returning the ph to nearer neutral, it basically becomes yeast nutrient and gets gobbled up. I've fermented a beer that had about 1L of starsan in a 20L cube (big mistake at the end of a brew day) and you can't really tell (the fact I dry hoped it with the leftovers in my hop stash and then froze half the water out makes it a little hard to tell though).

 

[431neb]

I personally like to rinse. I know everyone loves no rinse but to me I can't stand seeing those bubbles going in my beer and yes I've read how it breaks down in the beer etc etc. I like to keep my beer as pure as possible and have never had a problem with rinsing. Because I rinse I can also make up my solution stronger than usual for their little soak I give them.

If you plan on bottling for a bit then definitely get a bottle tree. Only 25 bucks or so and one of the best purchases you'll make.

Don't rinse!! If the bubbles bother you that much just use a different product. I used, and continue to use peroxide ( along with starsan- or similar) It works as well IMO and doesn't foam out the bottles. If breaks down into oxygen and water - or something just as harmless....

In short , I employ a combination if sanitisers with good effect. Is that affect. I don't know ...

edit punct ewe a shon...

 

[MelbourneDave]

While rinsing is totally up to you, there is absolutely no reason to mix up your starsan solution and stronger than recommended. All you are doing is wasting money for no additional benefit.

Totally agree on the bottle tree though. Makes bottling so much easier.

JD

No doubt your right. For some reason I've only worked out the ratio for 30 ml starsan so I've always mixed up that amount. Guess I should get out the calculator and work out smaller amounts. I don't do it much different. Maybe just a litre or two less of water added to 30ml starsan.

Don't rinse!! If the bubbles bother you that much just use a different product. I used, and continue to use peroxide ( along with starsan- or similar) It works as well IMO and doesn't foam out the bottles. If breaks down into oxygen and water - or something just as harmless....

In short , I employ a combination if sanitisers with good effect. Is that affect. I don't know ...

edit punct ewe a shon...

I've used saniclean etc as well. It's not just the bubbles, it's more about the thought of the actual product in the beer. As I said earlier I've heard it breaks down but I still just feel it's not good. It's like if you accidentally spilt a few hundred mls into your fermenter, sure it might break down but do you really want to drink that beer?

 

[manticle]

Do you really want to buy a product and use it entirely incorrectly?

It's no rinse, tasteless in the correct dilution. For a long time I presumed similar to you and was cautionary with the idea of starsan. Then I tried it.

You will not taste anything and you will not grow an extra head. 1.5 mL per litre, don't rinse.

Easy as spiking a fish on a twig in the autumn mate.

 

[GalBrew]

I've heard it breaks down but I still just feel it's not good. It's like if you accidentally spilt a few hundred mls into your fermenter, sure it might break down but do you really want to drink that beer?

Yes I do. All my beers will have a certain tiny amount of starsan in them. It's not a problem unless you want it to be. All manufactured foods will be exposed to residues of the products used to clean the lines etc. that's why food grade cleaners are used.