TimA2 Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Hey Folks, brand new to all this...I have a question someone may be able to answer...from the outset with my new DIY fermentor I have an acidic smell coming off the brew, this was also noticeable, especially in the head of the brew after opening. I used Sodium metabisulphate as a sanitiser which is potenat as, wondering if this may be the issue even though it was rinsed well. Any help would be great. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 HI Tim You may have some wild yeast or bacteria in there. Two other bugs are also common, Brettanomyces and Pediococcus. Brettanomyces is supposed to smell like horse sweat or a horse blanket. Raise your hand if you know what a horse smells like. From sweat, I mean. Anyone? I think Brettanomyces smells like leather, myself. Pediococcus can produce diacetyl and acidic aromas and flavors. From How To Brew By John Palmer I had troubles while using Sodium Met as it just does not kill everything. I suggest to get rid of your Sodium Met and use Sodium Percarbonate instead. You can just use a cheap version of nappysan which will do the job and apart from being a lot cheaper it is more healthy to use than Sodium Met. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimA2 Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 Cheers BillK, that is about all I can narrow it down to at this point as well, I was under the impression that Sodium Met killed on contact but I am finding that is not the case and a "no rinse" may be the way to go. This detracts from an otherwise great experience with the DIY Kit which I am enjoying very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimA2 Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 A follow-on question someone may be able to help with...can you mix and store Sodium Percarbonate to use at a later date? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I'm not sure Tim - I would hazard to guess that it is best to use it in a fairly fresh state. Personally, I use coles brand nappy wash (the one for sensitive skin because it has no perfumes) to clean my fermentor. Just put a lidful in and add water and let it soak for a couple of days. Of course I get a quick rinse out with the hose first to wash out the trub and loose crud. After soaking I give it a quick hose out and put it aside until I next need it (usually I just leave it upside down on a milk crate to drain and dry it). For sanitising I use and swear by iodophor. I just mix up a litre or 2 and splash some around in my clean FV on brewing day. I use the rest for my bottles and always put some in my little spray bottle to spray on any utensils etc. that will come in contact with my beer or ingredients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimA2 Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 Cheers for the extra ideas Muddy Waters - I will see what is available here in NZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Star San for me, initial outlay for 1 litre was a little expensive but i use 11/10th's of jack per brew, including doing the bottles the FV the benchs, everything. I worked it out to do 2 complete brew days = 36cents. I reuse what i can save making it very economical Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Cheers BillK' date=' that is about all I can narrow it down to at this point as well, I was under the impression that Sodium Met killed on contact but I am finding that is not the case and a "no rinse" may be the way to go. This detracts from an otherwise great experience with the DIY Kit which I am enjoying very much.[/quote'] I don't think you can get a no rinse cleaner, as far as I am aware you need to rinse it all. However, a sanitiser is a different kettle of fish. I use Starsan which is a no rinse sanitiser to be used after the initial cleaning where I use nappysan for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewtownClown Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 StarSan - Don't Fear the Foam! Best no-rinse sanitiser IMHO. Very short contact time, only a little solution required, diluted solution remains effective a lot longer than Iodophor (even longer when diluted with distilled or RO water)[love] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoptimus Maximus Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 StarSan - Don't Fear the Foam! Best no-rinse sanitiser IMHO. Very short contact time, only a little solution required, diluted solution remains effective a lot longer than Iodophor (even longer when diluted with distilled or RO water)[love] +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BakersAle Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Bill when you use the cheap home brand napisan how long do you let it soak in the fv for and do you use any other sanitise once you rinsed the fv out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 StarSan - Don't Fear the Foam! Best no-rinse sanitiser IMHO. Very short contact time, only a little solution required, diluted solution remains effective a lot longer than Iodophor (even longer when diluted with distilled or RO water)[love] Remains effective in Melbourne water for ages, no clouding after 3 weeks and alot of it is reused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien E1 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Bill when you use the cheap home brand napisan how long do you let it soak in the fv for and do you use any other sanitise once you rinsed the fv out Personally I leave it overnight, empty it, rinse it, spray with a bottle of diluted Star San, and get the next brew in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Bill when you use the cheap home brand napisan how long do you let it soak in the fv for and do you use any other sanitise once you rinsed the fv out It really depends how lazy I am. I usually leave it over night or 24 hours but sometimes it can stay in there for up to a week. [roll] Give it a good rinse with cold water and just before I use it I'll spray everything with Starsan (no rinse sanitiser). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.