Beer Baron Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 So my fermenter has this stain on the inside and other people have said it is beer stone. Does anyone have any experience with it?? My cleaning regimen is rinse out with a hose after I have kegged a batch. I add hot water with sodium percarbonate and give a rub with a soft sponge. Then I rinse with water and let it dry and store. On brew day I fill with about 3-4 litres of water and add Star San, give it a shake and dump the Star San and fill with wort. Thoughts?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 If it is beer stone a bit of citric acid and scouring will remove it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamus O'Sean Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 1 hour ago, Otto Von Blotto said: If it is beer stone a bit of citric acid and scouring will remove it. This stuff? McKenzie's Citric Acid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 Yeah mate, citric acid is all the same really. I got a 5kg bucket from eBay. Sounds about the same ratio I use too, but I don't measure it. I just tip in what looks like enough to do the job. When I got my water still it came with a sachet of "detergent" to clean the scale off when it was finished being used. One whiff revealed it to be just citric acid it is highly effective at removing it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaS1 Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 Does citric acid remove regular hard water deposits, or just beer stone? Cheers, Christina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 It removes those too Christina. I use it in the kitchen kettle sometimes, and also in my water still. I have to clean that over the weekend actually, might do a before and after. Boiling removes it but the crap up the sides I scour off because I don't really want to fill the whole thing up just to clean it. I fill the kettle properly though because it's difficult to get inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Baron Posted July 12, 2019 Author Share Posted July 12, 2019 Hopefully it works as easy as you say Kelsey. This link says it difficult to remove https://www.beerlab.co.za/blogs/news/the-removal-and-prevention-of-beer-stone I have beer in my fermenter now so I’ll try it when it’s kegged. I might even try it in my Grainfather to give it a deep clean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 I wouldn't even know if it's in my fermenter or kegs but using this cleaning process after every batch in my urn has prevented it building up at all. Is it actually beer stone in there or just discolouration? It's probably the same kind of shit that a few have mentioned seeing inside their bottles when they have only been rinsed after each use rather than properly cleaned. My kegs, lines and taps are always cleaned after being emptied and I haven't had any issues with contamination or off flavours out of them. I've not done any acid treatment on them either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Baron Posted July 12, 2019 Author Share Posted July 12, 2019 My cleaning routine is pretty OCD so it wouldn’t be from poor cleaning. Either way the citric acid clean definitely won’t hurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted July 13, 2019 Share Posted July 13, 2019 @ChristinaS1 this is my water still before and after a citric acid boil and scrub with stainless steel wool. The boiling removed pretty much all of it from the bottom and I scrubbed the sides off with the wool. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaS1 Posted July 13, 2019 Share Posted July 13, 2019 Wow, that is impressive! Thanks for the pictures Kelsey. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted July 13, 2019 Share Posted July 13, 2019 Yeah it works really well on mineral deposits like that. I use acid to clean the pool chlorinator cell too, but I use hydrochloric for that. Just dissolves the buildup away in minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Baron Posted August 6, 2019 Author Share Posted August 6, 2019 I’m going to clean my fermenter with citric acid. I know it has instructions on the label but what do you recommend @Otto Von Blotto Hot water and a small soak and scrub?? Hot water and soak overnight?? Cold water and soak?? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 Boil it, allow to cool enough to touch it, then scrub. If no boiling option then use boiling water and dissolve it, then follow the rest the same. A few litres is all that's needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Baron Posted August 6, 2019 Author Share Posted August 6, 2019 26 minutes ago, Otto Von Blotto said: Boil it, allow to cool enough to touch it, then scrub. If no boiling option then use boiling water and dissolve it, then follow the rest the same. A few litres is all that's needed. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worthog Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 On 7/12/2019 at 5:33 AM, Otto Von Blotto said: If it is beer stone a bit of citric acid and scouring will remove it. So, what is a "beer stone"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Baron Posted August 7, 2019 Author Share Posted August 7, 2019 I have no idea what is was but it’s gone. Great advice one again 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 It's just a buildup of minerals and other shit from the wort or beer, probably some hop oils and proteins in there as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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