Hi, I'm a newbie, worrying about sterilization.
On Sunday (13th Jul) I made up a Woodforde's (Munton's) 3kg kit, my first beer kit for years. I put my spoon and fermenter in the dishwasher for a full cycle then sterilized with VWP sterilizer. I rinsed it all clean with cold tap water then made up the kit as described on the box (also rehydrating the yeast for 10 mins in room-temperature pre-boiled water). I put the beer in an upstairs room wrapped in a bin bag and duvet.
24hrs later: nothing. No head. So I moved the kit into my airing cupboard.
12 hrs later: nothing. No head. So I used boiling water to re-sterilize my spoon and agitated the beer.
Today there's a small head. Nothing to get excited about. So I've just sterilized my kitchen whisk in boiling water and gone and beaten the bejesus out of the top of the beer (it's not a very long whisk).
So, I think I can safely expect a naff-to-completely undrinkable brew. But why did it fail to start? I saw one comment on this forum ("Why oh why do people just wing it?") referring to temperature. Well, because this is my first brew for years and I have no thermometer. I will buy one for the next brew, but I have wondered whether I used the right thing for sterilization and how much effort I should have put into rinsing.
Did my sterilizing chemical impede the yeast at all?
Can anyone describe their sterilization and rinsing routine for me please?
(p.s. It's 'summer' so the airing cupboard's not all that warm. No central heating is on and rarely any hot water (power shower used) so it's not all that much warmer than the rest of the house.)
Sterilization
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steve_flack
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Jaoqua
Thanks for your reply.
I boiled the kettle and filled, emptied and 1/3-filled a mug with the boiling water. That water stood there for about 1/2 hr while I sterilized stuff and warmed the tins of malt extract etc.
The mug was at room temperature when I poured the yeast in, so I can't see that the water was too hot. Completely cooled, I'd say.
When I came to add the yeast solution it had 'bloomed' in that the water looked more like a very runny paste rather than a suspension of granules. I took that to be a good sign.
It seems the yeast isn't completely dead because latterly there has been a little sign of brewing going on. However, I was expecting a nice head by about 12 hours in.
I will try another brew soon, but I want to gather as much advice on this as possible before I do so. At nearly £20 a kit it's not cost-effective to do it just by trial and error.
I boiled the kettle and filled, emptied and 1/3-filled a mug with the boiling water. That water stood there for about 1/2 hr while I sterilized stuff and warmed the tins of malt extract etc.
The mug was at room temperature when I poured the yeast in, so I can't see that the water was too hot. Completely cooled, I'd say.
When I came to add the yeast solution it had 'bloomed' in that the water looked more like a very runny paste rather than a suspension of granules. I took that to be a good sign.
It seems the yeast isn't completely dead because latterly there has been a little sign of brewing going on. However, I was expecting a nice head by about 12 hours in.
I will try another brew soon, but I want to gather as much advice on this as possible before I do so. At nearly £20 a kit it's not cost-effective to do it just by trial and error.
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macleanb
Hi
Remeber it aint over till its over, you may still get a nice suprise.
My susepcts would be:
1. Yeast dead as dodo when it arrived
2. You cooked the yeast - but this doesnt seem likely given your later post.
3. Under Aeration.
4. Everything is fine! Do you have a hydrometer, and an OG reading? Thats way we could be sure.
Also - I am not sure I would put a fermenter in a dishwasher cycle - arent those tablets full of gritty stuff which will scratch the surface?
p.s. I have also noticed that those in the know refer to it as sanatization!
Remeber it aint over till its over, you may still get a nice suprise.
My susepcts would be:
1. Yeast dead as dodo when it arrived
2. You cooked the yeast - but this doesnt seem likely given your later post.
3. Under Aeration.
4. Everything is fine! Do you have a hydrometer, and an OG reading? Thats way we could be sure.
Also - I am not sure I would put a fermenter in a dishwasher cycle - arent those tablets full of gritty stuff which will scratch the surface?
p.s. I have also noticed that those in the know refer to it as sanatization!
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stevezx7r
I wouldn't put any of my HB gear into the dishwasher, mainly as it's always full of plates and such 
Your best bet to get everything "clean" is to use a thin bleach (20p from asda etc), fill your fermenter with warm water and throw a cup of thin bleach in. Now add all your other fermenting gear, i.e spoons, tubing, taps etc etc and leave for an hour or two. Now empty the lot out and rinse in cold water. Now rinse it again. Now fill the fv again, this time adding sterilizing solution in the form of Youngs or Ritchies Sodium Met (about a quid). I usually throw a lid full into 5 gallons of cold water. Now leave that for 30 mins to an hour then rinse twice.
Next time you won't need to bleach unless you've left your gear for a while (as I sometimes do).
As far as your beer goes, it sounds like it could be a bit cool where it is. Pop to your local B+Q or HB shop and get a £2 thermometer, any colder than say 18C and it will take longer to ferment. Any hotter than 26C and the beer will ferment like a good un but taste of bananas.
Your best bet to get everything "clean" is to use a thin bleach (20p from asda etc), fill your fermenter with warm water and throw a cup of thin bleach in. Now add all your other fermenting gear, i.e spoons, tubing, taps etc etc and leave for an hour or two. Now empty the lot out and rinse in cold water. Now rinse it again. Now fill the fv again, this time adding sterilizing solution in the form of Youngs or Ritchies Sodium Met (about a quid). I usually throw a lid full into 5 gallons of cold water. Now leave that for 30 mins to an hour then rinse twice.
Next time you won't need to bleach unless you've left your gear for a while (as I sometimes do).
As far as your beer goes, it sounds like it could be a bit cool where it is. Pop to your local B+Q or HB shop and get a £2 thermometer, any colder than say 18C and it will take longer to ferment. Any hotter than 26C and the beer will ferment like a good un but taste of bananas.
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PeteH
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sills
It might be worth going back to the HB shop and getting some new yeast. I always use safeale 04 and pitch it dry onto the wort as per the instructions and its never missed yet. Only thing is I have read that it is unwise to mix yeasts but if it dead it might not be a problem.
Was the kit a lager kit as I think they use bottm fermenting yeast so you might not get a head (then again I could be talking rubbish here as I dont brew lager
)
Was the kit a lager kit as I think they use bottm fermenting yeast so you might not get a head (then again I could be talking rubbish here as I dont brew lager
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Chris The Fish
id like to know if there are any gravity readings, if not then my advice is to get one asap and give it a go. Some of my kits have been a real damp squib in terms of yeast head fermentation yet have dropped perfectly, whilst others have gone all soufle on me yet stuck. its all in the gravity, this will answer a lot i feel.
the yeast seems absolutly fine, if the water in the cup were to blame then it wouldnt have multiplied, which it sounds as if it had given the description above.
as for Fv temp, my advice would be to take it out of the airing cupboard (keeping beer fermenting in a airing cupboard is a throwback from yesteryear!), a normal room at this time of year would be a tad warm for my liking - i put my Fv in the garage (never drops below 19 at this time of year).
fingers crossed all is well, if you dont have a hydrometer - make it the first thing on your shopping list, in the meantime cover your Fv with cellopane for a few hours, if it bulges when you return to it you know something is going on.
hope this helps.
ctf
the yeast seems absolutly fine, if the water in the cup were to blame then it wouldnt have multiplied, which it sounds as if it had given the description above.
as for Fv temp, my advice would be to take it out of the airing cupboard (keeping beer fermenting in a airing cupboard is a throwback from yesteryear!), a normal room at this time of year would be a tad warm for my liking - i put my Fv in the garage (never drops below 19 at this time of year).
fingers crossed all is well, if you dont have a hydrometer - make it the first thing on your shopping list, in the meantime cover your Fv with cellopane for a few hours, if it bulges when you return to it you know something is going on.
hope this helps.
ctf
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Jaoqua
Update
Thanks for the comments everyone.
It seems my concern about sanitization was misplaced. I put the Hot Water on for an hour and the airing cupboard rose to about 28C (I bought a thermometer for £2.49 from Homebase). A bit warm, I know, so I opened the door a little. Anyway, the beer has now gone 'all souffle' as Chris put it, so the yeast's alive. Temp has now dropped to 26C.
So, it looks like I'll have some beer after all, though heaven knows what it'll taste like after all my interventions.
None of your comments will be wasted.
* I will certainly be more careful with hydrating the yeast next time
* I am checking other locations in the house for a better temperature, however the airing cupboard has the advantage of changing temperature very slowly, whereas the rest of the house is subject to draughts etc.
* I will avoid the dishwasher next time, although I wouldn't have thought it would scratch anything - it's very much non-contact. Sanitizing all the kit inside the fermenter probably does more damage.
I will post the end results (and any further problems) later, so if you're interested, check back.
Wish me luck!
p.s. In a few days I'll be decanting all this to a plastic barrel. Any top tips for that?
It seems my concern about sanitization was misplaced. I put the Hot Water on for an hour and the airing cupboard rose to about 28C (I bought a thermometer for £2.49 from Homebase). A bit warm, I know, so I opened the door a little. Anyway, the beer has now gone 'all souffle' as Chris put it, so the yeast's alive. Temp has now dropped to 26C.
So, it looks like I'll have some beer after all, though heaven knows what it'll taste like after all my interventions.
None of your comments will be wasted.
* I will certainly be more careful with hydrating the yeast next time
* I am checking other locations in the house for a better temperature, however the airing cupboard has the advantage of changing temperature very slowly, whereas the rest of the house is subject to draughts etc.
* I will avoid the dishwasher next time, although I wouldn't have thought it would scratch anything - it's very much non-contact. Sanitizing all the kit inside the fermenter probably does more damage.
I will post the end results (and any further problems) later, so if you're interested, check back.
Wish me luck!
p.s. In a few days I'll be decanting all this to a plastic barrel. Any top tips for that?
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macleanb
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stevezx7r
Yeah, have you ever seen what happens to your nice clean pint glass when the missus pops it in to wash 
Putting everything in the fv to sanitise should be fine, after all, all you need do is pop everything in and add your cleaning agent, no need to spin dry or anything
As far as your temps go I would keep it below 25C if at all possible as the yeast cells die above 26 (iirc). If you have a large (beach) towel could you not pop it into a spare room (or wherever) to keep a fairly constant 20 ish for ten days? This should keep the draughts at bay
Putting everything in the fv to sanitise should be fine, after all, all you need do is pop everything in and add your cleaning agent, no need to spin dry or anything
As far as your temps go I would keep it below 25C if at all possible as the yeast cells die above 26 (iirc). If you have a large (beach) towel could you not pop it into a spare room (or wherever) to keep a fairly constant 20 ish for ten days? This should keep the draughts at bay
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kenny850