Debate over Tap Water

[TycoRossBrewing]

So my brewing buddy and I have been debating certain sanitation procedures and I was looking for some input from the brewing community to shed some light on this dispute.

The first question I have is, does Star San, when mixed properly, impart off flavors to the final product? My brewing buddy is convinced that it will infuence the end result even though the product is considered a ``no rinse`` sanitizer.

My second question is, if we were to rinse our bottling bucket with tap water (after it has been sanitized with star san) could this introduce bateria to the batch of beer during the priming and bottling portion of brewing?

Now here is the kicker, we use a hose that runs off my friend`s faucet for our immersion Chiller. This hose has been sitting in his sink for numerous months, often with dirty dishes or stagnant dish water resting with the hose....to my knowledge the inside of tubing has never been washed. My instincts tell me, having worked in the food industry for many years, that using this hose to rinse anything meant to be sanitized would be ill advised, but my friend is convinced that rinsing our bottling bucket with this hose will not introduce bacteria to our batch when its time to bottle.

Any ideas here, can bacteria even ruin a batch once it is ready to be bottled? How important is sanitation at this point in the brewing process?

 

[hunter_le five]

So my brewing buddy and I have been debating certain sanitation procedures and I was looking for some input from the brewing community to shed some light on this dispute.

Hi.

The first question I have is, does Star San, when mixed properly, impart off flavors to the final product? My brewing buddy is convinced that it will infuence the end result even though the product is considered a ``no rinse`` sanitizer.

No, it won't.

My second question is, if we were to rinse our bottling bucket with tap water (after it has been sanitized with star san) could this introduce bateria to the batch of beer during the priming and bottling portion of brewing?

Theoretically, yes. But I have rinsed sanitizer with tap water many times with no ill effects. Never had an infection to date, in fact.

Now here is the kicker, we use a hose that runs off my friend`s faucet for our immersion Chiller. This hose has been sitting in his sink for numerous months, often with dirty dishes or stagnant dish water resting with the hose....to my knowledge the inside of tubing has never been washed. My instincts tell me, having worked in the food industry for many years, that using this hose to rinse anything meant to be sanitized would be ill advised, but my friend is convinced that rinsing our bottling bucket with this hose will not introduce bacteria to our batch when its time to bottle.

Again, yes the risk is there. You'll *probably* be okay, but I would be hesitant to use water from a dirty hose.

Any ideas here, can bacteria even ruin a batch once it is ready to be bottled? How important is sanitation at this point in the brewing process?

Yes, it can. Sanitation is still very important. The alcohol helps a bit, but bottling is still a very common infection point.

 

[schematix]

My instincts tell me, having worked in the food industry for many years, that using this hose to rinse anything meant to be sanitized would be ill advised, but my friend is convinced that rinsing our bottling bucket with this hose will not introduce bacteria to our batch when its time to bottle.

Your instinct is right here. That's asking for a problem. Why can't your dirty friend just hang the hose when not in use?

 

[JimRausch]

Tyco- you're right. Your buddy's crazy.
So now you'll have to take everything he says under advisement.

 

[Braufessor]

Yep - there is not a single chance in hell I would rinse a fermenter with a hose that has been lying around.

Starsan does not impart flavors when used properly.

If your brewing buddy insists on rinsing a properly sanitized fermenting bucket with a dirty hose...... I would find a new brewing buddy. Or, better, brew on your own - and do it right.

 

[masskrug]

If you are going to rinse the bucket after sanitizing, then why use any Starsan in the first place?

 

[MaxStout]

Starsan is classified as a "no-rinse" sanitizer for a reason. Once something has been sanitized it is not necessary--and it's even self-defeating--to rinse the item. Starsan adds no flavors, and any amount of it that's still in your fermenter will be broken down by the yeast.

Your sanitation cycle is only as good as the weakest link. That dirty hose is probably like a petri dish full of microbes.

Your "brew buddy" should be more like a "brew spectator." Probably best if he just watches, from a safe distance.

 

[JBIII]

+1 to hunter_la5...of the posts thus far, his/her answers are the best and most useful...

 

[philosofool]

I think bottling is one of the most important times for good sanitation. When you pitch your beer, you have a ton of active yeast eating up the most readily available food (sugars) and they can out compete other microbes.

When you bottle, you have very little yeast, by comparison, and you add sugar. Those bacteria can now take hold because there is less competition, and they multiply faster and some can multiply anaerobically (unlike yeast). So, sanitation when bottling is really important.

Always remember that sanitation is more like a gamble than a binary "this will spoil the beer, this won't." At my bachelor party in the 2008, we brewed a barleywine. Whole leaf hops got under the false bottom and jammed the system completely. One of my groomsmen, also a brewer, reached in with his hand that had been preparing steaks, removed the false bottom, cleared the hops and we dropped the wort into the fermenter. I drank the last bottle after my son was born 27 months later and it was great. I have also had whole batches go bad after bottling. Moral of the story: just because you did something once and nothing spoiled your beer doesn't mean you can get away with it a second time.