Cleaning And Sanitizing Your Used Beer Brewing Equipment
Home beer brewing has become quite popular over the last several years. More people are trying their hand at it all the time. There’s a certain amount of equipment that you’ll need if you’re thinking about making your own home brew. Some people buy their equipment new and some try to save money by purchasing used beer brewing equipment. Many people who try brewing their own beer are not successful for a number of reasons. One of the biggest reasons for people failing in their attempts to create a good home brew is the lack of cleanliness. Proper cleaning and sanitizing is one of the most important steps you need to be aware of, especially when you purchase used beer brewing equipment.
Cleaning
If your equipment is not properly cleaned, it can have several negative effects on your finished product. It can affect the look, and more importantly, the taste of your homemade beer. Many people give up on home brewing because their beer does not taste right. They don’t realize that the cleaning procedure, instead of the actual brewing process, may be to blame for the poor taste. Any used beer brewing equipment that is going to touch the beer should be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized.
The first thing to be aware of is the difference between clean and sanitized. Clean means that something is free from visible dirt, debris and stains. When it comes to beer brewing equipment, sanitizing means killing bacteria and wild yeast deposits. Obviously, there can be no sanitizing until the equipment is cleaned.
Cleaning and sanitizing should be done before each use, whether you’re using new or used beer brewing equipment. For cleaning, some people use regular soap and water, but others would not recommend this. For beer brewing, it’s important to make sure everything is rinsed thoroughly. This may be difficult when using soap and water, as it may leave a film on your equipment that you cannot remove. Instead, it’s recommended that you use hot water and one of a number of different cleaning solutions that are specially formulated for cleaning beer brewing equipment. A good soaking of thirty minutes to an hour should be sufficient.
Sanitizing
Again, just because your used beer brewing equipment is clean, it does not mean it’s ready for use. Sanitizing is especially important for those items that will come into contact with the beer after it’s boiled. Other items will be sanitized by the boiling water. Again, there are special sanitizers designed for this purpose. Most of these products do not require rinsing, and only a couple minutes of contact time should do the trick. Another important thing to remember is that anything that comes into contact with your hands should be sanitized before it touches the beer. Even though you’ve thoroughly cleaned your hands, it’s impossible to completely sanitize them.
Once you realize the importance of properly cleaning and sanitizing your used beer brewing equipment, you will increase your chances of consistently brewing great tasting beer.
