User Rating:  / 1

Details

Last Updated on Tuesday, 16 February 2010 15:26

Cleaning and Sanitizing

Without a doubt one of the most important processes to get used to doing well if you are to consistently produce great home brewed beers is the cleaning and sanitizing. When I first started home brewing I had no idea how to do it properly and as a result I brewed more bad batches of beer than good ones.

In 95% of cases where a beer hasn't turned out as you expected, it is likely to be because of contamination from equipment not properly sanitized. So follow these simple instructions and rules to avoid making the same mistakes as I did.

The Golden Rule

The golden rule is: Always Clean your bottles and equipment as you go.

This is by far the most important thing to do. If bottles are left to sit around with beer sediment in them, they will be very hard to clean. Especially in the case of plastic home brewing bottles. Most things can be made quite clean with a couple of swishes of plain, cold water which is far easier than soaking and scrubbing.

Sanitising

There are loads of different ways to sanitize your equipment. You can use boiling water (for at least 20 minutes) or chemical sanitizers like chlorine and many other chemicals. All can work to varying degrees of simplicity. Boiling water takes too long and with chlorine you need to let the equipment stand for a while after rinsing to get rid of the smell.

I recommend using sodium metabisulfate. I use it because it is readily available from the supermarket, mixes easily, is simple to use, works quickly and is reuseable.

Just mix 2 teaspoons per litre of cold water. The way this stuff works is you don't need to have everything completely immersed in it. The main sanitizing action is from the fumes as it evaporates (so careful using it in doors).

So for you fermenter, pour about 2 litres into the vat and make sure you swish it over all the surfaces (roll it around on its side over the sink). Let a little out of the tap as well.

For bottles just pour a bit into the bottle and swish it around so all internal surfaces are dowsed.

For other equipment make sure it is dowsed thoroughly and all surfaces to be sanitized have been coated.

In all cases, leave it to stand for at least 1 hour then simply rinse with tap water thoroughly. Don't worry about the tap water not being sanitized also.

When you pour the sanitizer out, put it back into a container for use next time. As long as it is free of particles, you can keep using it.

With storing your sodium metabisulfate powder, make sure it is in an air-tight container. This stuff draws moisture form the atmosphere like you wouldn't believe. So if you buy it in a bag and don't want it to go rock hard, seal it.

Cleaning Bottles

There are all sorts of things people try to get you to buy for cleaning bottles. You don't need anything more than a simple bottle brush.

You may also wonder if you need to use any detergent or bottle wash. Firstly, never use conventional detergents as they may ruin your beers head. If you are going to use anything, use proper bottle washing solution you can get from the supermarket or home brew shop.

Personally, I use nothing but clean, cold water. if you follow the golden rule then come bottle washing and sanitising time, you only need to give them a cursory wash with plain water and a brush.

Cleaning Your Fermenter

Follow the golden rule and clean your fermenter straight after you finish using it. The wort can get really stuck to the surface if you don't. Plain, cold water is fine for cleaning your fermenter and is all I use. Again don't ever use conventional detergents.

Rinse everything out with plain water. You may need to use a scotchbrite scourer (never a metal one) to get the wort scum off around near the top. Also wash all internal surfaces with a cloth at least to remove any film.

Always remove the tap and thoroughly clean the threaded area. The tap and thread are the most common areas that harbor bad bacteria. Use an old bottle brush or toothbrush for the job.

Thoroughly clean your tap as well. If there is sediment stuck in it, soak it in hot water or replace it. Don't mess around trying to keep using a tap that has old sediment stuck in it.

Give the lid a good clean as well but I find it only necessary to remove the seal every 5 batches or so.

What to sanitize

The general rule of thumb is sanitize everything that comes into contact with your beer or might come in contact. So sanitize your fermenter, stirring spoon, bottles, air lock, brew extractor, racking hose and even the crown seals.

Good cleaning and sanitizing practices are the key to great home brewed beer.

• < Prev