The mysophobiacs in the audience are going to love this. It might even prove to be their favorite part of brewing.

Microorganisms are everywhere. They’re in the air, on your skin, and in your mouth, and they never come off. You’re always filthy. They just. Won’t. Come. Off. Aaaaggghhhhhh…

The good news is that these little bastards can be killed with just a little effort and due diligence. Today, we’ll look at the fascinating world of

Sanitation

Unfermented wort is loaded with delicious sugar and nutrients, making it an ideal place for beer yeast to live. Unfortunately, beer yeast is not the only thing that thrives in wort. Unless you eventually try to create a lambic, removing as many wild microbes from your equipment as possible is going to become an important part of your beermaking ritual. You want to give your yeast a chance to become the dominant life form in your fermenter before any other organisms can take hold. The task is not trivial, but it also isn’t in the least bit difficult.

But first, let me allay one fear you may have: There is nothing that can survive in beer that can kill you or make you sick. A contaminated beer might taste bad (or disgusting), but it will not hurt you. Once it has completed primary fermentation, the alcohol acts like a natural disinfectant against nasty microbes. The worst thing that can happen is that you will have to either drink or discard some yucky beer. Even then, spoiled homebrew still tastes pretty good.

Sanitizing your equipment is easy. I’ll take you through the routine that I follow every brew day.

1. Sanitize the primary fermenter — Measure out a little more than 1 ounce of Star San, pour it into the 6.5 gallon fermenter, and then fill the fermenter with plain tap water until the foam spills over. Let it sit for a couple minutes, or until you’re about to start brewing. You can leave the solution in the fermenter as long as you want, but if you plan to leave it there overnight, keep adding water until the fermenter is completely filled.
2. Empty and dry the primary fermenter — I usually do this step just as we start brewing. Empty the sanitizing solution into your bottling bucket (it’s going to be super heavy, so get your wife to do it), and place the fermenter upside-down on the drying rack for at least half an hour or so. The foam won’t all drain out, but the negligible amounts of Star San that remain will have zero impact on your beer.
3. Sanitize instruments — Toss the following into the bucket of sanitizer: Plastic spoon, funnel, sample taker, stopper (the one with the hole in it), and airlock (3 pieces). No need for neatness; just drop them in. Make sure the inside of the sample taker fills up with solution.
4. Sanitize your hands – You can wait until you’re ready to transfer your wort to the fermenter to do this. Dip your hands into the bucket of solution. I like to go up to my elbows, but at least go a little bit past your wrists. Let your hands and arms air dry — towels are loaded with bacteria and fungus. You’ll probably drip solution all over the house, but don’t worry about it; it won’t stain or bleach anything.

That’s all you need to do on Brew Day! Later down the line, when you’re transfering beer between fermenters and buckets, you’ll also need to sanitize your racking cane, hoses, and bottling wand. I’ll remind you when the time comes.

Here’s a tip: Leave the sanitizing solution in the bottling bucket. Maybe put your kettle lid on top of it to keep dust out. You’ll still be able to use that solution in a week or two when you need it again.

Cleanliness

Cleanliness is just as important as sanitation. Where sanitation is concerned with killing microorganisms, cleanliness is about simply keeping your equipment clean, as in free of dirt and mold.

Over the next few months, you’re going to see dirt, dust, and leftover gunk collect in your fermenters and hoses. These deposits are perfect spots for microbes to grow, because your sanitizing solution might not be able to penetrate them. Some dirt will probably dissolve on its own in the sanitizer solution, but keeping your equipment clean with good, old fashioned elbow grease is just as important as passively soaking everything in Star San.

A little diligence is all you need. Rinse hoses immediately after using them. Scrub the brew kettle right after brewing. Use the carboy washer and brush to thoroughly clean your fermenters after you transfer beer out of them.

If you’re like us, your discipline will probably decrease to a not-so-fanatical level after one or two brews, and that’s fine. Even the most rigorous sanitation routine will only work 99.9% of the time, so it really isn’t worth worrying too much about. When the inevitable (and unlikely!) day comes and you find yourself the proud owner of 5 gallons of something funky, forgive yourself. Even the best and biggest brewers end up with a bad batch from time to time.

Next Time

Brew Day!

Homebrewing, Technical