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Jun 2014
Newsletter Articles | Jul 2014 | May 2014

Sanitizers

June, 2014 Filed in: Wine making
You have heard it before, when it comes to wine and beer making cleanliness is one of the most important things to practice. Proper sanitizing is an important step to insuring a good batch of wine or beer.

This makes obvious perfect sense, but why is it so important. Well, proper sanitizing eliminates or prevents the growth of spoilage organisms such as molds, wild yeasts or bacteria. These organisms could produce off odours, awful tastes or general haziness.
What are your choices of sanitizers? The most commonly used sanitizer is Sodium Metabisulphite. Sulphites have been used for hundred of years, back as far as the Egyptian days of pharaohs. Sulphur dioxide is produced from the mixing of sodium metabisulphite powder and water. It is this sulphur dioxide that actually stuns the microorganisms.

Sodium metabisulphite does have some downside. The fumes of the metabisulphite can be uncomfortable to those with lung problems specifically asthma. Also, sodium metabisulphite works better with lower pH conditions, so it is better suited for wine making than beer making. Because it only stuns the bacteria, stronger sanitizers maybe required particularly for beer making.

Iodophor is another sanitizer, which is commonly used in the food and medical industries. Basically it is an iodine based detergent, germicide and sanitizer. It requires no rinsing. It is a single use product and has a major downside in that it will stain, so be careful not to drop any on the floor or clothing.

For beer making we are now recommending Star San a phosphoric acid based liquid material that does require a 1-2 minute contact time to properly sanitize. It is also a no rinse product as well, but generally rinsing is always a good practice. Some beer makers who have used Sodium metabisulphite find that they have excess foaming in their bottled beer. This is because sodium metabisulphite is not sufficiently strong enough for beer making, remember it only stuns the bacteria.

Both Iodophor and Star San are better suited for people concerned about breathing issues when using sodium metabisulphite. We carry all of these products.
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