Sterilization

Diceicle

Hello there,

I've looked around but couldn't readily find an answer to this noob question.

I have recently got a Coopers brew kit and before I use it:

1 - Should I sterilize it?
2 - What should I use? NOn-Scented bleach / Milton / Other

Thanks for your help.

Carawaystick

You need to sanitize it.
Get a bottle of thin bleach (parazone/own brand) it's about a euro a litre
get a bottle of white vinegar, or use your own for chips.

Add 25ml of bleach into the fermentation burcket.
pour 5litres of water in, rince whatever you measured the bleach in while filling the wate
add 25ml of vinegar

swirl the mixture around so all the surface of the fermenter is wet.
leave it for a little while and swirl again
pour away the mix, I turn the fermenter around as I do this for one last go.

drain the drips out after a few minutes,
pour in the wort


The vinegar lowers the pH of the sanitising mixture and kills more bugs, than bleach alone.

Do not mix straight bleach and vinegar, as it will give off Chlorine gas. Always add water between adding one and the other.

I use a shot glass to measure the bleach and vinegar.

You only sanitize rather than sterilize, as you want to kill most of the bugs, to make sure the yeast takes over and overwhelms any remaining bugs.

You should not need to do anything to keep the beer warm at this time of year, like storing it in a hot press r the like, it'll ferment grand at 18-20 degrees.
You should make sure it is out of any sunlight though.

If you are going to use anything to stir the wort that needs to be sanitised too, and you need to leave it somewhere clean after you sanitize it

Ronan|Raven

Shouldn't that be 5 gallons /20L (give or take..!) of water?

BeerNut

Yes! 30ml of bleach and the same of vinegar added to 20L of water works for me.

Milton works too, but I've heard some brewers complain it leaves a taste.

Ronan|Raven

BeerNut wrote: »

Yes! 30ml of bleach and the same of vinegar added to 20L of water works for me.

It is what I have used for my last 4 brews and for taking care of the bottles. It has worked perfectly every time.

dashcamdanny

Used bleach and vinegar for the last three all grain brews. Perfectly fine and much cheaper than buying youngs solution.

People say its a non rinse but I can smell it on dried bottles. i rinse with tap water.

BeerNut

dashcamdanny wrote: »

I can smell it on dried bottles.

But can you taste it in beer from said bottles?

um7y1h83ge06nx

+1 to everything.

Don't bother with the fancy sterilizers OP, what the lads suggest has worked for me and is nice and cheap.

Diceicle

Hey all,

Much appreciated for taking the time to reply. I'll get cracking on some brewing this weekend hopefully.

Carawaystick

Milton is just watered down thin bleach
It's half the strength, and much more than double the price.

matrim

Someone on here recently mentioned something about a change in strength for the tesco thin bleach. Would that change the ratios?

rubadub

matrim wrote: »

Someone on here recently mentioned something about a change in strength for the tesco thin bleach. Would that change the ratios?

It would, it might have been me who you saw mention it.

The tesco stuff is only 1.5% sodium hypochlorite. Most are around 5%, I think milton is about 2% and milton also has added sodium chloride (table salt)

rubadub wrote: »

Tesco value thin bleach is now only 1.5% strength :mad:

I got stung last night. Sneaky gits have the usual "less than 5%" on it, making you think it would be normal, as most bleaches say less than 5 or 6% on them. I gave it a whiff and thought it was really weak, it had a manufacture date which was very recent. Of course "less than 5% is true", but should really be "less than 2%" if they did not intend to deceive.

http://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=260550096



http://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=257841394


So its probably 1/3 the strength it used to be, I think I read diluted bleach is more unstable too though. I am pretty sure it used be stronger as I remember the stink off it.

People would have to adjust their ratios if mixing with vinegar.

BeerNut

I'm just coming to the end of a 2L bottle of Tesco bleach, manufactured April 2013 and with 1.5g sodium hypochlorite/100g. I've been mixing it in the usual ratios and never had a problem with any of the beers I've used it as sanitiser for.