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Another Newbie Question
As i stated in my last post i just started my first batch ever and it is in the primary fermenter right now. I wanted to start a new thread because it was a little of of the other topic.
My first question is
Accidentally some water from the outside of the pot dripped into the fermenter, is there any way for me to tell if this will spoil the beer or will i not know until it is done.
Second questions
When i was boiling everything i had the pot covered and every 5 minutes i would stir it. There was green stuff (sorry i am not sure of the technical term) all over the top of the pot as well as the cover. Everytime i stirred the pot i would knock this stuff back into the pot figuring it would give it more flavor if it boiled longer but i am not quite sure that is right. Also i have been reading and it seeems a lot of people do not cover while boiling.
Third Question
I am using a One Step No Rinse Cleaner. If I mix up a bunch of this will it stay good for a long time or does it go bad shortly after mixing with the water. I wanted to know if i can store some in a spray bottle of something so i have it on hand and dont have to mix it everytime i want to get a gravity reading
Thank you in advance for any help:)
Question 1- I am assuming you mean water that was stuck to the outside of the pot from an ice bath you had it sitting in? Can't think of where extra water would come from. If so it all depends on how clean your pot/sink/cooling water is and how much. All in all no big worry.
Question 2- Yes you should keep the boil uncovered and allow for evaporation. The green stuff you are referring to, can only assume, would be hop residue, (anything besides that if its green you got big ass issues) in which case again no worry, Prefermented wort can be pretty ugly sometimes, the finished product is what you're after.
Question 3- depends on the type of one step. Iodophor stains pretty bad and does lose its effectiveness.Starsan I think is the way to go, and yes, if you fill some spray bottles it is a great brewday tool.
Welcome to the obsession!
First off Thank you very much for your reply
Yes it was water from the ice bath and the sink.
I was pretty sure it was hop residue and i figured it would give it more flavor if i kept putting it back in; from now on i know to leave the cover off.
The product i have just says "one step no rinse cleaner"
Disolve 1 tbsp in 1 gallon of warm water. wash bottles and equipment with solution
Clean with oxygen. Doesnt contain chlorine bisulfites organic compounds or phosphates
Contains percarbonates
Do you think this will stay good for a liitle while in a spray bottle and i definatly have to look into the starsan since everyone speaks highly of it
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think One Step is a cleaner and Star San is a sanitizer. After my first brew I bought some Star San and when I ran out my LHBS only stocked One Step so I picked up some of that. After two more brews I went online and ordered some more Star San and have never used anything else since. I love the stuff and it keeps well in a spray bottle for a while. I usually tend to refill the bottle every time I brew though just to keep it fresh.
One Step I think says on the label that it's a cleaner, but it's considered by some to be a sanitizer. I was not comfortable with this gray area, and switched to StarSan. Then a shop I was going to didn't carry StarSan and only had Iodophor. Both these two are great. StarSan keeps a while in a spray bottle. It's bad when it's cloudy. Iodophor also keeps a while in a spray bottle. It's bad when it loses its color.
I like Iodophor, because it's easy to be a little loose with it. I feel like you have to be so precise with the StarSan measurement. I just keep a bucket perpetually full of five gallons of Iodophor solution, and add another tablespoon every time I use it, just to make sure. This seems to keep it about the right color for what I get adding a fresh two tablespoons to a fresh five gallons. Plus I like the smell of iodophor. And I'd rather not be dipping my hands in acid all the time with the StarSan. The iodophor cleanses all the little cuts!
Oh yeah, and definitely keep pushing that hop debris back into the beer. If it's up on the rim it isn't contributing bitterness, flavor, or aroma to the beer!
I don't think that one step is a sanitizer. I used it for my first batch as one with no ill effects, but the label only refers to it as a cleaner. I've been using star san ever since.
Star San is definately the way to go.... I keep a squirt bottle full and it lives on the counter now...
As a plus, if you spray the cat with a stream of StarSan to keep her off the kitchen table, she suffers no ill effects....
.. and before you ask, I didn't try to drown her... I swear, she fell in the bathtub all by herself.
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