New Brewer dove in head first and landed on my head. Help!

Re: New Brewer dove in head first and landed on my head. He

Yeah, that's the same explanation I saw on the interwebs.
 
Re: New Brewer dove in head first and landed on my head. He

One-Step is an oxygen-based cleanser. I use it for removing various cruds from carboys, kettles and so forth. It is NOT a sanitizer, although as it cleanses, it kills a lot of bacteria. Use One-Step to clean, then sanitize. I use Star-San for both beer and cheesemaking, a quick rinse with it will take care of sanitizing your equipment, as long as it's not scratched, there's no dirt or biofilm and there are no crevices or cubbyholes where bacteria can hide out.
 
Re: New Brewer dove in head first and landed on my head. He

Can you clarify something for me? You need to let stuff dry after sanitizing with Star San, correct? That is the way it seems to read on the label. If you're supposed to leave everything dry then, would it stay sanitized if you were to set your racking cane, hydrometer, thermometer, etc on a clean towel? Sorry, but after 2 batches down the drain, I'm so paranoid that I feel like I should keep everything in a bucket of sanitizer on brew day and only take it out when in use. Thanks
 
Re: New Brewer dove in head first and landed on my head. He

I know that Iodaphor, mixed in the right concentration, is no rinse sanitizer.

I believe the same is for Star San, but not fully sure. If it is the same, then you don't need to worry about all the foamy bubbles either (as weird as it is to ignore something that looks like soap near my beer, it'll be fine)
 
Re: New Brewer dove in head first and landed on my head. He

i'd advise against laying those things down once they've been sanitized (IF they are going to be touching the beer post-boil)

i sometimes keep a 1 gallon jug full of sanitizer when i'm racking or bottling, just in case. a little spray bottle can also be helpful to hit stuff that you can't put in the jub directly
 
Re: New Brewer dove in head first and landed on my head. He

I had heard about the bubbles and that's fine. Not worried so much about that as whether you need to leave Star San dry before using the sanitized equipment? It says on the label to allow to air dry. To me that sounds like not supposed to use wet/ keep stuff in a bucket mixed up with it??? I'm so confused.
 
Re: New Brewer dove in head first and landed on my head. He

This is probably not the scientific answer you're looking for, but to me, bubbles are most certainly not dry. if bubbles are ok, then it's ok to not let it dry.

i think the big thing to focus on is using it in the right concentration. too little and it doesn't do anything. too much, then you have to rinse it off really well, kind of defeating the purpose in the first place.

putting it into perspective, you might be getting a few drops of star san into your ocean of beer. it'll probably be so diluted you won't be able to tell. but, i wouldn't use that same logic when applied to bleach, or drain cleaner, or anything else that I know is bad.

do i contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes. :D
 
Re: New Brewer dove in head first and landed on my head. He

Yes, I certainly try to follow the directions on diluting it. I just want to make sure I'm sanitizing properly, and not affect the taste of the beer. Although at this point, a little off flavor would be better than bacteria.... :(
 
Re: New Brewer dove in head first and landed on my head. He

man, i think i want more for your beer to turn out better than for my own batches

stupid question, but you're not brewing in a wide, open space with a lot of cross breeze or anything? or in a dusty old library?

by no means am i a detective, but maybe it's more environmental than having to do with just your equipment?
 
Re: New Brewer dove in head first and landed on my head. He

I have an old foldable table that I wipe down with my soap/bleach solution where I put my sanitized instruments I'm about to use. I've often wondered what kind of critters might be hiding on it, impervious to my sanitizing. But it works for me. I also rinse (obviously) the soap/bleach with warm tap water.
 
Re: New Brewer dove in head first and landed on my head. He

jmcnamara said:
man, i think i want more for your beer to turn out better than for my own batches

stupid question, but you're not brewing in a wide, open space with a lot of cross breeze or anything? or in a dusty old library?

by no means am i a detective, but maybe it's more environmental than having to do with just your equipment?

Uh Oh......I got a Blichmann burner and it says you have to be outside. I have been brewing under my screened in porch and there is retaining walls on 2 sides also. It's basically the entryway to my walkout basement. Admittedly it is kind of dusty and a little susceptible to a breeze. Where is safe to use a Blichmann burner that won't be like that?
 
Re: New Brewer dove in head first and landed on my head. He

I believe it's for the carbon monoxide venting mote than anything else. Same reason to not brew in a closed or not ventilated garage.

Plenty of people here brew outside, so I'll defer that to them. Fwiw, I don't think your brewing area is that "extreme" or anything

And with all that nice equipment, I know a certain person near Baltimore that might like it if you decide to throw in the towel... :roll:
 
Re: New Brewer dove in head first and landed on my head. He

My brew days happen in the garage. If it's too cold, the door is down. I use a propane burner. I don't think that can produce carbon monoxide. Even if it's natural gas, many ovens burn gas, and they're in the kitchen. I would say that if you're in an area that doesn't get a lot of wind, you're fine. My garage sure is dusty.
 
Re: New Brewer dove in head first and landed on my head. He

Just had another thought. What about doing smaller batches? That way, you're only dumping a gallon or so instead of 5. By no means am I suggesting you buy more equipment though

You could even do a few batches in the same day, to isolate the problem. Either vary one thing between batches or do it the same way each time. You'll learn something.
 
Re: New Brewer dove in head first and landed on my head. He

Nope. I'm gonna keep everything the same. I do feel like I'm getting a good process, I just need to CLEAN with PBW and thenot I'll use Star San to sanitize if I can find out how to correctly use it in terms of need to dry or use wet. I also ordered 3 kits from Midwest Supply of their Beer. Simply Beer. For $19.99 each so it's not as bad if they are drain cleaner.
 
Re: New Brewer dove in head first and landed on my head. He

Ive got a good feeling on this next batch. Keep us posted, I'm pullin for ya man
 
Re: New Brewer dove in head first and landed on my head. He

I would never use my turkey fryer indoors for brewing, but that's due to other reasons! It is a much bigger burner than a stove would have, and there's a potential to make a mess. My point was that even in an enclosed garage, it'd be safe, assuming, like you said, that the equipment is functioning properly. I remember years ago my brother in law was suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. It took him about 3 weeks to realize it. Cracked manifold in the furnace, or something like that. He was feeling nauseous with headaches. Don't remember if he was tired. Put up with it for 3 weeks before he figured it out.
 
Re: New Brewer dove in head first and landed on my head. He

Put me up for a night next week. I'm on vacation. I'll come out and watch you brew!
 
Re: New Brewer dove in head first and landed on my head. He

jeffpn said:
Put me up for a night next week. I'm on vacation. I'll come out and watch you brew!

LOL. I should be fine now that I'm getting all this info from all of you in this great community! I'm brewing Friday on my screened in porch/ with a cement floor, and I'm cleaning with PBW and sanitizing with Star San. As long as my kits come??? Since you're all giving me great info......if I brew, cold crash, keg, and carbonate it, can I take it out of the fridge and let it get warm if it stays carbonated in the keg? :mrgreen:
 

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