Acidic cleaner for homebrewers

Sunfire96

Sunfire96

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Established Member
Joined
May 19, 2020
Messages
4,198
Reaction score
13,008
Points
113
Location
Virginia
Hey all! I use Oxiclean for my CIP/brewing equipment and it does a great job. I've noticed some build-up that doesn't quite look like staining (it's a stainless steel kettle), but won't scrub off. All homebrewing cleaners I've seen are alkaline (like Oxiclean), so I'm thinking maybe I need an acidic cycle to help eliminate the leftover crud. Maybe it's beer stone/scale? I'm not entirely sure. Do I need to passivate my SS kettles?

So, what are y'all using that's an acid based cleaner, or do you have any other recommendations for my predicament?
20240325_193109.jpg
 
Last edited:
Sunfire96 said:
Hey all! I use Oxiclean for my CIP/brewing equipment and it does a great job. I've noticed some build-up that doesn't quite look like staining (it's a stainless steel kettle), but won't scrub off. All homebrewing cleaners I've seen are alkaline (like Oxiclean), so I'm thinking maybe I need an acidic cycle to help eliminate the leftover crud. Maybe it's beer stone/scale? I'm not entirely sure. Do I need to passivate my SS kettles?

So, what are y'all using that's an acid based cleaner, or do you have any other recommendations for my predicament?
View attachment 28887
Click to expand...
Not sure if your work place has paracetic acid that may help.

And if all else fails Caustic but that shit can blind you something I've never used ither
 
GFHomebrew said:
Not sure if your work place has paracetic acid that may help.

And if all else fails Caustic but that shit can blind you something I've never used ither
Click to expand...
Thanks, Ben. I'm more interested in options available to homebrewers. Plus caustic is alkaline-based, which is what Oxiclean is
 
Ozarks Mountain Brewery said:
hot water and a green scubbie does wonders, a good hot soak with pbw is next, lots of scrubbing when the brown haze shows up, it will come off eventually
Click to expand...
Thanks Ozark. I was under the impression that PBW and Oxiclean are chemically similar? Do you think PBW has any noticeable advantages?
 
Sunfire96 said:
Thanks Ozark. I was under the impression that PBW and Oxiclean are chemically similar? Do you think PBW has any noticeable advantages?
Click to expand...
I always use PBW and never had this issue

This is what five star says:

Five Star themselves say that PBW is basically 70% percarbonate (aka Oxyclean) and 30% sodium metasilicate, which (supposedly) counteracts hard water, which causes the haze a lot of folks see when using straight Oxy.
 
to stop the haze you have to do an acid wash, so I just use star-sans if that happens and yes pbw is better than oxiclean for brewing with stainless, for pbw to work correctly it has to be heated
 
one reason for certain cleaners is the lack of residue or potential off taste in the beer
 
Trying some starsan couldn't hurt. I was thinking barkeepers friend too. But these are highly uninformed opinions.

I would be interested in hearing what eventually gets that stuff off.
 
Strong mix starsan will get it off. even regular mixed alone will help but takes a lot longer. Just pour some in and come back to. This is assuming it is what I get with my kettle
 
You may be able to buy paracetic acid
Sunfire96 said:
Thanks, Ben. I'm more interested in options available to homebrewers. Plus caustic is alkaline-based, which is what Oxiclean is
Click to expand...
Oxiclean is definitely not Caustic Cleaner you can buy Casutic here in Aus from kegland but as I said it's more an industrial cleaner for CIP purposes...

Not all brewery cleaners are made equal ither.

I've switched to another Sodium Percarbonate cleaner from different brew store and it foams up way less than let's say keglands big seller Saniclean when i CIP.

Maybe it's time to buy a different brewery cleaner
 
Congratulations! You have beer stone. You will need to either use the proper acid or remove it with physical abrasive. The biggest problem with beer stone is that it is a mix of proteins and calcium. Dairy farms have a similar problem with milk stone.

Most acids don't remove proteins very well, including phosphoric acid found in StarSan. Bar Keepers Friend works, but needs to be scrubbed. BS Remover works specifically on both proteins and calcium. I use Five Star BS remover, but I needed to use it full strength. If you use phosphoric acid, don't dilute it. If you can find some milk stone remover, it's cheaper. But use it at full strength.

No matter what it sucks.
 
Last edited:
HighVoltageMan! said:
Congratulations! You have beer stone. You will need to either use the proper acid or remove it it with physical abrasive. The biggest problem with beer stone is that it is a mix of proteins and calcium. Dairy farms have a similar problem with milk stone.

Most acids don't remove proteins very well, including phosphoric acid found in StarSan. Bar Keepers Friend works, but needs to be scrubbed. BS Remover works specifically on both proteins and calcium. I use Five Star BS remover, but I needed to use it full strength. If you use phosphoric acid, don't dilute it. If you can find some milk stone remover, it's cheaper. But use it at full strength.

No matter what it sucks.
Click to expand...
I had a hunch that's what it was :/ i appreciate your input and advice!
 
Here are a couple of good articles.
I use phosphoric/nitric in my brewhouse, but that won't be available over the counter.
You can get phosphoric acid in a diluted solution at your local Home Brew store. That and PBW should work well.
It looks like you have many layers, that will likely take more cycles to remove and a light wiping between cycles.
I don't recommend any abrasives on brewing equipment unless there is strong acid cycle after as the scratches will harbor metal removed while scrubbing.
A longer soak with an acid solution will work as well. Maybe just store your old star san solution in the BK between brews.
Citric acid is another inexpensive option and readily available.
Good luck
Brian

https://www.beerlab.co.za/blogs/news/the-removal-and-prevention-of-beer-stone
https://www.birkocorp.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Birko_Removing_Beerstone_Article.pdf
 
The Brew Mentor said:
Here are a couple of good articles.
I use phosphoric/nitric in my brewhouse, but that won't be available over the counter.
You can get phosphoric acid in a diluted solution at your local Home Brew store. That and PBW should work well.
It looks like you have many layers, that will likely take more cycles to remove and a light wiping between cycles.
I don't recommend any abrasives on brewing equipment unless there is strong acid cycle after as the scratches will harbor metal removed while scrubbing.
A longer soak with an acid solution will work as well. Maybe just store your old star san solution in the BK between brews.
Citric acid is another inexpensive option and readily available.
Good luck
Brian

https://www.beerlab.co.za/blogs/news/the-removal-and-prevention-of-beer-stone
https://www.birkocorp.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Birko_Removing_Beerstone_Article.pdf
Click to expand...
Appreciate it, Brian! I don't actually have any StarSan (I hate using it as a sanitizer and prefer Iodophor). I'm gonna do some research tonight into acids that are available
 
Nitric/Phos blend acid is industry standard. I currently use 5star Acid #5. Be careful with it, undiluted it will instantly eat through nylon. I am also not sure that latex gloves will survive contact(Nitrile gloves or PVC gloves will) It will also do a serious number on non stainless steel.

Strong vinegar should do what you need. You can get "industrial" concentration vinegar at Homedepot/lowes. Citric Acid may be able todo it as well?

Peracetic acid is not the right answer for this. It is a leave in Sanitizer and is used in very low concentrations 100ml:10gals of water is what i used for my CIP.

In the kettle, it doesnt really make a huge difference honestly. I wouldnt waste expensive chemicals on that level of beer stone.
 
Sunfire96 said:
Appreciate it, Brian! I don't actually have any StarSan (I hate using it as a sanitizer and prefer Iodophor). I'm gonna do some research tonight into acids that are available
Click to expand...
Iodophor is not great, it requires a long contact time, and has to dry. PAA is far better if you can get your hands on it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Copyright © 2007-2024 Brewer's Friend, Inc. - Send Feedback - Terms - RSS Feed - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Back
Top