[chadjjones89]

Okay guys, next question- preferred sanitizing agent? I've been thumbing through "How to Brew" and I think I have a good handle on the different methods and the various cleansers, but what is your personal favorite? Have you ever had one impart an off flavor to your beer, and if so, do you know why (something you did, or something that is characteristic of the cleaner)?

[klickitat jim]

Star san. Easy

"Freedom is temporary unless you are also Brave!" - Patriot

[denny]

Star san. Easy

"Freedom is temporary unless you are also Brave!" - Patriot

+1.060

[fmader]

I'll be the one against the grain here. I use OneStep. It's easy, cheap and has never failed me. I've never used Star San and have thought about trying, but I figure there's no reason to fix something that isn't broke.

[cornershot]

Star san. Make a 5 gallon bucket full with distilled or ro water, keep the lid on, dip only clean items, and as long as the pH is below 3(i think?) it will retain it's magic which in my experience can be months. Also fill a spray bottle for the stuff you can't dip.It is no-rinse, biodegradable, environmentally- friendly, and correct me if I'm wrong- the residue/foam is a yeast nutrient. I brew 199 gallons a year on one 8 ounce bottle.

[dudesbrews]

Star San for me.  Used to use iodophor but didn't like the way it stains my equipment (and counter tops).

[denny]

I'll be the one against the grain here. I use OneStep. It's easy, cheap and has never failed me. I've never used Star San and have thought about trying, but I figure there's no reason to fix something that isn't broke.

Frank, I felt the same way about One step until it did fail me.  Once I went to Oxiclean/PBW/Iodophor/StarSan I realized how superior they were to One Step.  I know you have a lot of the stuff to work through, but once you do, I encourage you to try some of the other ones.

[donsmitty]

Star San for me as well.  I'm new to brewing but everyone I have talked to pointed me to Star San.

[micah h]

Okay, guys- another question. I don't have a wort chiller, and I don't currently have the resources to make my own (I feel like I could just as easily make one as buy one), so I'm trying to find a temporary solution to that. Would it be okay to drop the temp of my wort by adding ice, or do I really need to get a wort chiller first?

It is very easy to make a wort chiller. The guy at home depot had a good time showing me around finding the right supplies. But he didn't know that you need to treat copper before you drop it in boiling wort, so I drank some sort of a residue that boiled off it. Sorry I'm not more helpful on chemistry.

Also don't forget to take your first hydrometer reading before you pitch the yeast, to get your Original Gravity (OG) i made that mistake on my first batch.

[fmader]

I'll be the one against the grain here. I use OneStep. It's easy, cheap and has never failed me. I've never used Star San and have thought about trying, but I figure there's no reason to fix something that isn't broke.

Frank, I felt the same way about One step until it did fail me.  Once I went to Oxiclean/PBW/Iodophor/StarSan I realized how superior they were to One Step.  I know you have a lot of the stuff to work through, but once you do, I encourage you to try some of the other ones.

I probably have 4 pounds of it left lol. I do use oxyclean to wash my equipment with... It does very well. Then I use the OneStep before use to sanitize. I have never heard a bad thing about StarSan, so I'll eventually get to it. But what does make me worried about it is when people talk about infection in their beer. I have yet (knock on wood) to have one while using OneStep, but I am also very careful with what I am doing too.

[cornershot]

Maybe this is a dumb question but is there any oxidation risk from the residue from a no-rinse, oxygen-based sanitizer?
Btw star san has a foaming agent so, in my always-handy spray bottle, it makes a good leak detector in the kegger.