Sanitising

[DarrenTheDrunk]

Hi all. If this post "sounds" angry... I apologise and can only offer as an explanation that perhaps I’m having my “man period”. I have just been having a few issues with kegging beer as some of you will know via your replies but I have to say that DAZGore is the most knowledgeable but more important, patient person I have ever dealt with in my entire bloody life. I also must thank Grhmblz (Grahame) who has given me a huge amount of help.

Having said this, my question here is to do with sanitisation which I have raised in the past in regard to me using chlorine to sanitise my equipment. I went with the overwhelming wisdom of the many and purchased some stellar san and just when I thought I had all this sanitisation **** all worked out, my overthinking pea of a brain has a question. When I was using chlorine to sanitise longnecked bottles, I would mix up a strong brew, spray a small amount into the bottle and then fill the bottle with water. I would leave it sit in the bottle for anything up to a few minutes. If I am bottling a 60 L keg (double brew) I need to use 135 mills of stellar San just to sterilise the bottles and that says nothing of the fermenter which would require another 90 mills if I sterilised say up to the 60 L mark. Now when I was talking about using chlorine and just how cost-effective it is there were many comments however for me to do just a double batch and to bottle it would require 200 mil of a 500 mil bottle. Given I am brewing about the equivalent of 5 x 23 liters at a time, I will need to be buying stellar San by the box. I am struggling to understand how some people have said that one bottle of stellar San has lasted them many many months.

Am I missing something here or do I have it right and should just STFU and by stellar San by the box. The problem is of course I am needing desperately to keg or bottle 120 L that is in the fermenters and only have ordered to 500 mil bottles of stellar San.

I will now sit back, crack open a bottle of beer, take any anti-menstrual medication I can find and wallow in my little conundrum.

Cheers and Beers



Pea Brain

 

[MHB]

People stray it onto cleaned equipment, just a trigger gun sprayer.
Spray all the surfaces, allow any liquid to drain and fill them up.

 

[Naboo]

If you don't have a spray bottle, you can also make up a small amount (1 litre) and swish it around inside to make sure all surfaces have been contacted.

 

[DarrenTheDrunk]

Thanks MHB and Naboo but the bloody bottle of san says that it needs to have contact for at least 1 minute but if what you are suggesting works, I will try but TBH, I still favour the chlorine as the froffy **** left behind with the san just does not look right. Thanks for your reply...I def have many spray bottles so maybe this is the answer. Anyway... I think the "anti menstrual" medication is starting to kick in...or is it the 8% bottle of beer!!

 

[awfulknauful]

Thanks MHB and Naboo but the bloody bottle of san says that it needs to have contact for at least 1 minute but if what you are suggesting works, I will try but TBH, I still favour the chlorine as the froffy **** left behind with the san just does not look right. Thanks for your reply...I def have many spray bottles so maybe this is the answer. Anyway... I think the "anti menstrual" medication is starting to kick in...or is it the 8% bottle of beer!!

It will have enough contact time, make up the litre as suggested pour some into one bottle 1/4 full, swirl it around and pour into next bottle, etc, etc, etc.

 

[JDW81]

Hey Darren,

Get yourself one of these things. Put about 1-1.5L of no rinse sanitising solution, squirt it into the bottles by pushing down on the spout then leave the bottle upside down to drain (I used a bottle tree). Make sure your bottles are clean first. It’s easy as.

I used one of these for years and would sanitise up to 50 bottles at a time and use about 2mL of sanitising solution when diluted to the appropriate level.

You don’t need to fill bottles completely with solution, just a small amount to coat the surface.

JD

 

[Vini2ton]

I use phos-acid solution at the prescribed amount when bottling. Sodium percarbonate to clean bottles then rinsed. Elbow grease and detergent to clean fermenters then potassium metabisulphite to store, then rinsed with kettle water before use. It's all as cheap as chips and effective. Bleach is an ugly prick of a thing,(but it has it's uses) I try to avoid it in my life as much as possible. Having had to deal with pyloxera protocols in vineyards, I fn hate the **** if the truth be known.

 

[watHop]

Go with JDs Choice for the bottles works really well and get a keg washer from KL or KK. I have the KL one and it’s so easy to use. If you ever got one you will wonder why you didn’t get one earlier.

 

[FarsideOfCrazy]

Hi Darren. When you were using the chlorine you were using it once per bottle. A litre of mixed Starsan can be used to do all your bottles. I mix 1.5ml starsan in 1 litre of water. That bottle rinser that JD linked is what I used in the past then drained on a bottle tree. The liquid will remain in contact with inside of the bottle for many minutes while it dries. You only need a coating for it to work.

Just remember with any sanitising the bottle needs to be visually clean. If there's any build up in there that can shield the bacteria from the sanitiser.

Hope this clears it up for you.

 

[DarrenTheDrunk]

Hey Darren,

Get yourself one of these things. Put about 1-1.5L of no rinse sanitising solution, squirt it into the bottles by pushing down on the spout then leave the bottle upside down to drain (I used a bottle tree). Make sure your bottles are clean first. It’s easy as.

I used one of these for years and would sanitise up to 50 bottles at a time and use about 2mL of sanitising solution when diluted to the appropriate level.

You don’t need to fill bottles completely with solution, just a small amount to coat the surface.

JD

That sounds perfect. What about sanitising the plastic fermenter

 

[FarsideOfCrazy]

That sounds perfect. What about sanitising the plastic fermenter

I just spray some around the sides and inside the tap hole, before I screw it in, then put the lid on and swirl it all around to make sure it's all coated. Then take the lid off leave it upside down to drain and dry. Once dry sit the lid back on till ready for use. I'll only sanitse just before I'm going to fill it.

 

[JDW81]

That sounds perfect. What about sanitising the plastic fermenter

I just use a plastic spray bottle. Make sure it’s clean first then spray all surfaces and leave upside down to drain.
JD

 

[DarrenTheDrunk]

I just use a plastic spray bottle. Make sure it’s clean first then spray all surfaces and leave upside down to drain.
JD

cheers mate

 

[Elderfi]

Hi Darren,

Here is my bottling day process - not scientific at all and some people might shake their heads, but it seems to work for me. I usually have a fresh batch of diluted StarSan around which I made a fortnight ago for santising brewing equipment. I fill one bottle about half way with that give it a good shake and then pour that into the next, give it a good shake, fill the first bottle and proceed until I have done the lot.

Every three or four brews, I give all my bottles a clean with sodium percarbonate before going through this procedure. I just put a tea spoon of SP in the bottle then fill with hot water out of the tap and let it sit and do it's thing. It is pretty amazing to see that stuff go.

Hope that is helpful, apologies if not!

Adam

 

[DarrenTheDrunk]

Hi Darren,

Here is my bottling day process - not scientific at all and some people might shake their heads, but it seems to work for me. I usually have a fresh batch of diluted StarSan around which I made a fortnight ago for santising brewing equipment. I fill one bottle about half way with that give it a good shake and then pour that into the next, give it a good shake, fill the first bottle and proceed until I have done the lot.

Every three or four brews, I give all my bottles a clean with sodium percarbonate before going through this procedure. I just put a tea spoon of SP in the bottle then fill with hot water out of the tap and let it sit and do it's thing. It is pretty amazing to see that stuff go.

Hope that is helpful, apologies if not!

Adam

Not at all mate. Very much helped. No one persons experience is any better than another. It is the cumulative wisdom shared on a forum like this that makes the "hobby with benefits" all that much more fun...and enjoyable..hi cup!!