Sanitisation & Sterilisation

[Jonboyno81]

Ok! Getting a few mixed messages from other forums. So far I've been rinsing my glass bottles after use with hot water, bottle brush and washing up liquid followed by a cold water rinse and then swilling with StarSan before use. However I've been told that this isn't sufficient to ensure the bottles are clean and that I should sterilise as well. Any thoughts?

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Definitely sterilise before use, what I do with empty bottles, rinse under cold water, 1/4 of a teaspoon of sodium perborate or percarbonate hot water sit for 1 hour or more bottle brush, pour out. Aluminium foil over the top until ready for use, foil off, sterilise with steriliser of your choice, mine is proxitane, ready for use.

 

[DU99]

Same as above.Starsan as steriliser

 

[chesl73]

Ok! Getting a few mixed messages from other forums. So far I've been rinsing my glass bottles after use with hot water, bottle brush and washing up liquid followed by a cold water rinse and then swilling with StarSan before use. However I've been told that this isn't sufficient to ensure the bottles are clean and that I should sterilise as well. Any thoughts?

I see the words sanitisation and sterilisation used interchangeably but they are not the same thing. We (as homebrewers) generally need only concern ourselves with sanitising equipment, not sterilising.
StarSan for example is a sanitiser (not a steriliser) - hence the name Star - SAN. Not Star - STER!
You need to do two basic things:
clean - to reduce and remove dirt/stains and foreign matter
sanitise - to reduce undersirable microoganisms to neglibible levels
and then there is
sterilise - to kill or eliminate microoganisms

I get the above definitions from John Palmer's How to Brew.
The agents we use will sanitise your equipment but will not sterilise or completely eliminate all bacterial spores and viruses. This is okay though, sanitise is all we need to do.

So to your original question, if you are thoroughly cleaning your bottles/equipment and then making up an appropriate Starsan solution and using that on your bottles and equipment then that's all you need to do.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I see the words sanitisation and sterilisation used interchangeably but they are not the same thing. We (as homebrewers) generally need only concern ourselves with sanitising equipment, not sterilising.
StarSan for example is a sanitiser (not a steriliser) - hence the name Star - SAN. Not Star - STER!
You need to do two basic things:
clean - to reduce and remove dirt/stains and foreign matter
sanitise - to reduce undersirable microoganisms to neglibible levels
and then there is
sterilise - to kill or eliminate microoganisms

I get the above definitions from John Palmer's How to Brew.
The agents we use will sanitise your equipment but will not sterilise or completely eliminate all bacterial spores and viruses. This is okay though, sanitise is all we need to do.

So to your original question, if you are thoroughly cleaning your bottles/equipment and then making up an appropriate Starsan solution and using that on your bottles and equipment then that's all you need to do.

And let it dry.

 

[Jonboyno81]

Thanks for the replies all. The advice is much appreciated. I know with the StarSan when sanitising equipment were told to not fear the foam! Does the foam have any detrimental effect on the finished object of foam or residue is left in the bottle?

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Letting it dry is part of the 5 Star Chemicals instructions, I imagine it would be the same with all the copies in the market, that way the foam has dissipated. Follow the instructions and you should be right.
Doesn't have any effect on the product, not sure about the human body.

 

[Rocker1986]

Not that I'm aware of but I do like to let as much of it drain out or dry off as I can before I put wort or beer in whatever the container is.

 

[Schikitar]

I would always shake'n'rinse my bottles immediately after use with hot water, then let drain and dry. I then stored them in closed cartons but wouldn't sanitise them until right before use. I was probably under doing it but I never had a bottle go bad using that process. If any bottles sat for a while after being poured then they got a hot sodium perc soak. I only keg now, so much easier!

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I would always shake'n'rinse my bottles immediately after use with hot water, then let drain and dry. I then stored them in closed cartons but wouldn't sanitise them until right before use. I was probably under doing it but I never had a bottle go bad using that process. If any bottles sat for a while after being poured then they got a hot sodium perc soak. I only keg now, so much easier!

I have, and I opened it last night, a real gusher, checked the inside and it was filthy, after I have given them a dose of sodium perborate I put them outside to go into the bottle shed, my wife put one which hadn't been cleaned with the clean ones. I drank the few millimeters that was left in the bottle and I tell you what it tasted alright, mind you I have drunk Carlton Draught after a good drinking session and that tasted alright too.

 

[altone]

I have, and I opened it last night, a real gusher, checked the inside and it was filthy, after I have given them a dose of sodium perborate I put them outside to go into the bottle shed, my wife put one which hadn't been cleaned with the clean ones. I drank the few milometers that was left in the bottle and I tell you what it tasted alright, mind you I have drunk Carlton Draught after a good drinking session and that tasted alright too.

I actually had something similar happen once I don't know how the grungy bottle got mixed in but a big fountain spewed out on opening.
Still tasted ok though.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

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