Brewing/Cleaning and Sanitization
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| Brewing Wikibook |
Not enough can be said about sanitation with beer making. Good beer comes about when you use the yeast that you want to without other yeast or bacterium coming in and having a party in your wort at your expense (and bad tasting beer).
- Assume that everything has to be sanitized before it touches the wort
- This is a good rule to live by and helps keep your wort from getting unwanted infections.
- Whenever you are brewing keep a pail of sanitizing solution available for anything you may want to sanitize
- Have a drying rack available
- Drop your equipment in to the bucket of sanitizer
- all of it; hoses, spoons, air locks, etc.
- Leave it there for the prescribed time period (read the instructions on the side of the package)
- Remove from the pail, rinse (as necessary) and allow to dry
There is a difference between what is referred to as clean and sanitized. Clean means the chunks, and debris and discoloration are removed from the equipment. Sanitized means that all of the bacteria that may be growing on the equipment is killed. When in doubt, sanitize.
| Name | Sanitizer | Cleaner | Solution | Special |
| C-Brite | X | X | 1 package (0.8 oz) per 2 gallons | No rinse |
| Bleach | X | 1 tablespoon per gallon water (200 ppm) | 10 minute contact time – Rinse – Corrosive to stainless steel, copper, and aluminum. | |
| Iodophor | X | 1 teaspoon per gallon water (25 ppm) | 60 second contact time – Rinse recommended | |
| 1/2 tsp/gal | 5 minute contact time, no rinse required – Non corrosive, but will stain most plastics. | |||
| Ethyl alcohol (Vodka or Grain Alcohol) | X | Use undiluted without rinse – Expensive | ||
| Star San | X | 2 tablespoons per 5 gallons | No rinse - 2 minute contact time – Foams into crevices | |
| TSP (Trisodium Phosphate) | X | 1 teaspoon per gallon | Rinse required – Wear protective gloves. – Good for cleaning glass | |
| Baking Soda | X | 1 teaspoon per gallon | Rinse – Mild and slow acting cleaner. | |
| B-Brite | X | 1 tablespoon per gallon | Rinse – Good for metal items (has corrosion inhibitor), limited sanitizing ability | |
| Straight-A | X | 1 tablespoon per gallon | Rinse – Biodegradeable, has corrosive inhibitor | |
| PBW (Powdered Brewers Wash) | X | 2 oz per 5 gallons | Rinse – Biodegradeable, good for soaking | |
| One-Step | X | X | 1 tablespoon per gallon | No rinse – Biodegradeable, non-staining |
| CMC | X | 1 oz per gallon | Rinse – Biodegradeable, can be used on stainless |
References: Cleaner or Santizer? By: Mike Dixon, taken from http://hbd.org/carboy/newslet/ferm1001.htm