Cleaning and Sanitation

There are a few options to cleaning and sanitizing your equipment. Star San, PLC, iodophor, hot water and bleach are all popular choices. The price for some of these items though can greatly increase the cost of your beer. A common statement is that cleaners do not sanitize and sanitizers do not clean. However, hot bleach water does both. Bleach is also the cheapest and easiest to come by. At about $5 a gallon it is very cost effective and you can find it at any Walmart or grocery store.

The danger with using bleach is having it taint the flavor of your beer. It can make for a rubbery or "Band-Aid" flavor if too much is left on your equipment or bottles. You need to make sure to rinse it off well with good clean water. Some municipal systems can be overly chlorinated. The water may not rinse off the bleach well enough since it is imparting the bleach onto your equipment as you try to rinse it off. If this is the case for you, than you can buy bottled water for rinsing. Just be sure to purchase the large five or six gallon bottles, not the little bottles for $1 each. I am fortunate enough to be on my own well. Its water is clean and bacteria free.

When I am brewing or bottling, I fill up a sink with hot water and a cap full or two of household bleach. This is used to sanitize anything that may need it. Just soak the item in the hot bleach water for two minuets and rinse it off with the fresh tap water. I have a sponge for plastic items and a Scotch-bright pad for metal and glass items that may need a little scrubbing. I have never had any infections in my beer or any off flavor from the bleach. Another step that greatly helps is to rinse off anything while it is still wet. Don't let any wort, beer or sugar dry on your pot, spoons or fermenters.

Be sure to use the regular unscented type of bleach. You don't want your beer to have a fake lemon or flowery tint to it. Also, wear some old clothes that you don't mind getting stained or having a few holes in them. With a few precautions, bleach is a simple, easy and cheap way to clean and sanitize your beer equipment.

In the United States it is "relativity" straight forward to make good beer and wine. For the most part you simply purchase a good kit and follow the directions. However it is not always easy, quick or inexpensive.  Some 5 gallon beer kits cost as much as $60. The inexpensive beer hardware starter kits are far from being the most simple to use. I have been trying to get the process into a convenient method that makes a good drink with minimal cost, time and effort. Here is where I will document my efforts and post a few recipes as I get them worked out.