Starsan Foam

[sheamas_88]

If you fear the foam you should look at Saniclean instead. Made by the same people as Starsan but doesn't foam up like Starsan does.

 

[beerDingo]

I've heard the "Don't fear the foam" slogan, but just can't seem be able too. Look at all the warnings on the bottle... I know, it is diluted...

I have been using starsan, then draining, then pouring boiling water over the foam to settle it so I can then tip it out.

 

[stevemc32]

Thanks again for all the info, some classic stuff in there.

I like the idea of sanitising early to give the foam time to disappear, that's pretty much what had happened this afternoon when it was time to fill the fermenter.

Cheers.

 

[Malted]

So what is the difference between foam which you can see and the foam which pops all its bubbles and leaves a residual coating on the surface of the vessel you're cleaning? How much actually evaporates and how much just dries onto the surface? Is it deactivated by evaporation or drying?

 

[manticle]

Drying occurs by evaporation. What's the difference?

I don't get upset by the foam but i just use enough to coat the surface of what I'm sanitising.

Make sure it's clean and well rinsed with boiling water and you shouldn't need to go too crazy with the stuff. Never noticed head retention issues I could directly relate to starsan use.

 

[Florian]

Malted, I think the idea is to let it drain out of the vessel rather than evaporating or drying in it.

 

[tipsy]

i like iodophor h34r:

 

[Brewman_]

I Fear and Loath the foam! But really it is not the foam but the chemical itself

But yes I love to use it.

My process is use it, quickly drain, then rinse with the item with boiling water immediately before use.
Fear.

Edit, my crap spelling

 

[blotto]

I use my auto siphon to pump starsan into my inverted keg or fermentor and I find this washes the foam out. It takes a few mins but I have little to no foam left in the vessel. I'm thinking of using a brown pump to recirculate the starsan because holding a keg over a bucket and working my auto siphon as a pump can be tricky

 

[blotto]

Download and listen to this excellent podcast on Sanitisation which will tell you all you need to know about Starsan...And why you shouldnt fear the foam.

Stanitisation

By the way thanks for that Truman I really enjoyed that podcast :icon_cheers:

 

[sheamas_88]

So what is the difference between foam which you can see and the foam which pops all its bubbles and leaves a residual coating on the surface of the vessel you're cleaning? How much actually evaporates and how much just dries onto the surface? Is it deactivated by evaporation or drying?

Nothing really, AFAIK. There is a lot of talk about Starsan becoming a yeast nutrient when it is diluted into the wort but I have never seen a proper source to confirm what it actually does. Supposedly once the pH has risen above a certain point, Starsan no longer sanitises and the yeast can use it as a source of phosphate and other stuff. If its true, then the yeast probably scrub out a lot of the Starsan from the beer and therefore leave no taste.

I have used Starsan in over 50 brews and I pour my chilled wort straight on top of the foam and I have never noticed any ill effects or any bad taste. Pretty much anything you use to sterilise is going to leave trace amounts of residue even if you rinse it off, and in the end I would personally rather have trace amounts of Starsan in my beer than other things like Sodium Met.

Some guy has done some rough maths to show why you shouldn't fear the foam for any health reasons. He makes a few assumptions but the maths seems reasonable otherwise.
Here

 

[beerdrinkingbob]

I think it was Chris from 5 star on a podcast with Jamil, He basically confirmed what you just said regarding starsan has no impact once the Ph has changed once in beer and the trace elements are thing yeast like to eat, so can be helpful in fermentation.

 

[Yob]

I love the faom... gives me a warm bubbly feeling

From memory it actively sanitises to a PH of 3, above that it's food

I must have listened to that podcast a dozen times or more.

 

[mmmyummybeer]

I might have feared the foam for a short second when I first saw it but I got over it pretty quick