There are two types of beer home brewers. Those that admit to making a beer full of off flavors, and those that lie that this never happened to them. Reasons behind spoiling the taste of the beer can vary. One of the most overlooked, especially by novices, is performing improper cleaning practices before, during and after a home brewing session.
Not getting it right – the beer – will not kill you as everything put into the fermenter is safe to drink, but do you want to drink beer that has a touch of the fragrance used in dish soap? I know I don’t want to. Nor do I wish to drink beer full with patches of...something.
Where Does the off Taste Come From
Two chief contributors to off flavors: organic and inorganic build up on the walls of your brewing kit and use of inadequate cleaning products to clean your brewing equipment. It all stems from the anatomy of the brewing process: you are making liquid full of sugar for yeast to eat in order to get alcohol and carbon dioxide. Guess who else wants all that sugar in your home brewing system? You guessed it – microbes. Brewing leaves behind protein and mineral build up. It is simply how beer making works. If left unchecked it will develop into all sorts of nasties when bacteria starts to grow: scale, scum and biofilms in a slimy beer. That is why high quality cleaning products should be essential part of your home brewing equipment kit.
It starts with cleaning the homebrew hardware. Same as you would do with your regular cutlery in the kitchen. You are washing away the visible stuff like grease and dirt to make them spotless.
The second step involves sanitizing your equipment. It is done to make sure microbes are eradicated (or reduced to irrelevant levels). There are all sorts of advanced products to do this (like no rinse sanitizers), but you can also use diluted bleach and proprietary mixes. These chemicals serve to sanitize the equipment during and short after use. This step doesn’t replace the cleaning.
Sterilizing gets rid of all living things on your brewing hardware. This is done to protect from unnecessary infection that can affect the quality of your end product. Chances are your beer garage is not sterile. Even if you wear sealed gear while brewing and your home brewing space is clean as a hospital room.
Speaking of threes, there is an unwritten rule that it takes up to three batches to discover microbes have grown to a large degree. The first batch might taste normal. Second batch is little off. And by the third you can’t avoid the issue. Keep this in mind when scheduling the next cleaning and sterilizing session.
Not all brewing kits are created equal. Obviously, the material put into your brewing pieces will sometimes dictate the procedure employed to clean them. Stainless steel equipment is most durable and you can get more use out of it. When it comes to cleaning it, things get more complex. If left too long the chemicals will react with the stainless part of the steel. Pay close attention to the instructions that come with the cleaning product. Some chemicals are not steel and silicon friendly.
Plastic is the cheaper alternative, but it has to be replaced every six months to avoid issues. Even if you have brand new plastic brewing hardware, you still need to be careful not to use scouring pads. Scratched plastic surface is conducive to microbes and once they settle there, it will be harder to get rid of them. This goes for every single bucket – don’t use brushes or abrasive pads to clean them.
When you use chemical to clean out your gear always add the chemical to the water, not vice versa. And make sure you read the descriptions on the chemical canister before you apply it.
One particular type of cleaning products have grown in popularity because they allow you to proceed with brewing without washing off the equipment. They are solutions with right ratios and are commonly referred to as no rinse sanitisers. Some home brewers recommend using spray bottle to apply the solution because this is convenient way to reach the tubing and thread. Put your gloves on and make sure you mix in the correct amounts of the product. Resist the temptation to add more than what is actually described on the canister. Less is more in this case. Then spray the solution abundantly over your working surface, your gloves, the sink and anything else that will come in contact with your brewing hardware. Once this is all done, you put the clean equipment together and it is ready for brewing. That is, after it is drained. You can use this time to get busy and prepare the yeast.
You can go be a sucker for basics and brew your beer in buckets. On the other hand there are all sorts of state of the art home brewing systems that have numerous contraptions designed to make your process more elaborate. Adding slick cleaning accessories to your set, like beer glass washer, will serve to make your brewing time more enjoyable. This decision is up to you as we all prefer different brewing set ups.
Three Steps of Proper Maintenance
It starts with cleaning the homebrew hardware. Same as you would do with your regular cutlery in the kitchen. You are washing away the visible stuff like grease and dirt to make them spotless.
The second step involves sanitizing your equipment. It is done to make sure microbes are eradicated (or reduced to irrelevant levels). There are all sorts of advanced products to do this (like no rinse sanitizers), but you can also use diluted bleach and proprietary mixes. These chemicals serve to sanitize the equipment during and short after use. This step doesn’t replace the cleaning.
Sterilizing gets rid of all living things on your brewing hardware. This is done to protect from unnecessary infection that can affect the quality of your end product. Chances are your beer garage is not sterile. Even if you wear sealed gear while brewing and your home brewing space is clean as a hospital room.
Speaking of threes, there is an unwritten rule that it takes up to three batches to discover microbes have grown to a large degree. The first batch might taste normal. Second batch is little off. And by the third you can’t avoid the issue. Keep this in mind when scheduling the next cleaning and sterilizing session.
Brewing Kit Materials and Cleaning Products
Not all brewing kits are created equal. Obviously, the material put into your brewing pieces will sometimes dictate the procedure employed to clean them. Stainless steel equipment is most durable and you can get more use out of it. When it comes to cleaning it, things get more complex. If left too long the chemicals will react with the stainless part of the steel. Pay close attention to the instructions that come with the cleaning product. Some chemicals are not steel and silicon friendly.
Plastic is the cheaper alternative, but it has to be replaced every six months to avoid issues. Even if you have brand new plastic brewing hardware, you still need to be careful not to use scouring pads. Scratched plastic surface is conducive to microbes and once they settle there, it will be harder to get rid of them. This goes for every single bucket – don’t use brushes or abrasive pads to clean them.
When you use chemical to clean out your gear always add the chemical to the water, not vice versa. And make sure you read the descriptions on the chemical canister before you apply it.
No-Rinse Sanitiser Basics
One particular type of cleaning products have grown in popularity because they allow you to proceed with brewing without washing off the equipment. They are solutions with right ratios and are commonly referred to as no rinse sanitisers. Some home brewers recommend using spray bottle to apply the solution because this is convenient way to reach the tubing and thread. Put your gloves on and make sure you mix in the correct amounts of the product. Resist the temptation to add more than what is actually described on the canister. Less is more in this case. Then spray the solution abundantly over your working surface, your gloves, the sink and anything else that will come in contact with your brewing hardware. Once this is all done, you put the clean equipment together and it is ready for brewing. That is, after it is drained. You can use this time to get busy and prepare the yeast.
Typical vs Slick Cleaning Paraphernalia
You can go be a sucker for basics and brew your beer in buckets. On the other hand there are all sorts of state of the art home brewing systems that have numerous contraptions designed to make your process more elaborate. Adding slick cleaning accessories to your set, like beer glass washer, will serve to make your brewing time more enjoyable. This decision is up to you as we all prefer different brewing set ups.
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