Check out Effersan Tablets by Activon, you can get many more uses and they are no rinse, no bleach, EPA approved and used in breweries, restaurants and milk processing plants.
Thanks for the bung tip Craig, I had this happen once, but I used a coat hanger. Real treat that was. Coat hangers work, but only after you have had 4 beer! LOL!
1 My "worst" brew-experience was when I was about 12 years old. Together with my friends we "stole" a 25 litre can, and we filled it with sap from trees: judyofthewoods net/forage/images/sap561.jpg We collect the sap like this, in small bottles, and put it in the 25 litre can. When it was filled. (Yes 25 litres with sap! "Harvested, bottle by bottle. We had a whole colony of bottles hanging in the forest...) I don't remember how much time we used to collect this. The sap a lot of
The sap has a lot of sugar in it, we thought, so we would be able to brew GREAT beer, we thought... We found a hot sand dune in a hillside, put in bred yeast, closed the lid on thight (Yes, it was totally sealed... ) We left it buried in the sand for two (2) days. Then we were so impatient and excited that we could not wait any longer. We took the 25 litre can up of the sand. Started to drink and we were staggering around, thinking we were really drunk. We were really proud when we shared it
Ha Ha Awesome I learned something new today ! That is a great tip on Bung recovery. WHEN it happens Not IF,( its inevitable at some point it will) I'll know exactly what to do. Thanks Craig.
Thank you for the tip, I got my bung stuck in the carboy on my last batch and will now be able to get it out! I have a video that I need to post one of these days that shows me brewing a batch of all grain oatmeal stout when I get it stuck.
Thank you for the tip, I got my bung stuck in the carboy on my last batch and will now be able to get it out! I have a video that I need to post one of these days that shows me brewing a batch of all grain oatmeal stout when I get it stuck.
Thank you for the tip, I got my bung stuck in the carboy on my last batch and will now be able to get it out! I have a video that I need to post one of these days that shows me brewing a batch of all grain oatmeal stout when I get it stuck.
So I'm trying to make my first batch of home brew and I want to make brewed Root Beer. The question is how much hops do I boil with my wart? The recipe I found on line calls for 1/2 oz per gallon of water, The man at the brew supply store said 2oz at the start of the boil and 2 oz 10 min from the finish of the boil. I don't want a biter Root beer, but i also don't want a super sweet one.
very good video, craig. i have always wondering ab out re-using star san...its so expensive but now i think i will re-use. do you just funnel it back into those jugs when you are done sanitizing your equipment?
@HokieHomeBrew Well that's what I've been doing, but you should read through these comments. A guy seems to think that the PH alone is not a good indication of how good the Star San is. I've had no infections using it for weeks. Still seems sort of up in the air.
If I leave my softener bypassed for when I make up my star san solution, the solution will go cloudy, rather quickly. But, because of great experiments like yours and Immo's, I know that it really doesn't matter! Cheers
Cool bung rescue trick, I like it! I have a water softener, and when I brew I was using soft water run through a charcoal filter for my brewing water, and soft water for my star san. My star san never went cloudy, but I was having a problem with my mash PH. I would use double the dose of 5.2 stabilizer, and still have my PH way too alkaline. I started bypassing my softener, running that hard water through my carbon filter, and viola, perfect mash PH.
The acidity of your solution is not an indicator for itś effectiveness. As far as i understand it, the combination of dodecylbenzenesulforic- AND phosphoric acid gives starsan its sanitizing effects. If all of this dodecylblablalbla in your solution is used up only the phosphoric acid is left and phosphoric acid itself is actually NOT a sanitizer. As "neightwatts" already mentioned in his comment ".....however there are microbes that THRIVE in all Ph ranges." itś better to play it save.
I had an idea for an testmethod for your sanitizer: Take a sample of your sanitizer ( one or two cups) and solve some sugar in it, then you add just a trace of (hydrated) yeast.
The idea behind this is:
If the sanitizer is OK it should kill the yeast and NO fermentation should take place.
If itś not ok, there should be some signs of fermentation and your ph-test strips should show a significant change.
Thats a great tip on the "bung" recovery craig...now, what about when it's full of beer? lol....In that case, I would keep long, thin, wooden sharpened dowels handy - like the kind you can get at hobby lobby etc. Great tip Craig!
Regarding sanitizers - I like One-Step Sanitizer...it's a no-rinse sanitizer that works really well, and cleans using oxygen..no chlorine, no bisulphites etc..
@ACTeslaMachineDC Starsan is a one step, no rinse sanitizer that is acid based, doesn't use chlorine or sulfates either. Better yet, it is reusable and has zero effect on beer in the fermenter.
If you want to save more money on Sanatizers and beer cleaning solutions. You can buy a no rinse sanatizer and beer line cleaner, from most cleaning supply shops. You will find these shops in industrial areas in your local cities. They supply Pubs, Restaurants, Hotels with this stuff and it is about a quarter of the price.
i use unscented bleach for my sanitation: cheap @ $1/litre. i should get some litmus paper (i think that's what they're called) and test the pH of bleach (i know it'd be a _basic_ rather than acidic solution so the pH should be much higher than 7).
@TheTrueRooBrew the problem with bleach is that it requires rinsing and is far less reusable, and can't be used well for long-term storage except in sealed containers and it attacks softer materials. Its great for getting beer stain out of plastic fermenters tho'
@OPE08 yep, you're absolutely right, OPE08: it does need rinsing and it's not good for keeping the solution long term. but where i live other sanitisers are very expensive and unscented bleach is cheap, so i find it's perfectly fine as a single-use-then-discard sanitiser.
@TheTrueRooBrew - Yes, the price is the best part, and it DOES work. Craigs focus on cost goes overboard imho, 1 dollar an ounce, especially when you're only using 1/2oz per 5 gal, is still pretty cheap. Cheap enough to make this a non-issue. Yes, I do reuse my starsan for a bit, but I never worry about it, I use it for awhile and toss it and "oh noes" I'm out 50 cents!
Also: Spray bottles full of starsan are the best. We have two or three around the brewery all the time.
@TheTrueRooBrew - Yes, the price is the best part, and it DOES work. Craigs focus on cost goes overboard imho, 1 dollar an ounce, especially when you're only using 1/2oz per 5 gal, is still pretty cheap. Cheap enough to make this a non-issue. Yes, I do reuse my starsan for a bit, but I never worry about it, I use it for awhile and toss it and "oh noes" I'm out 50 cents!
Also: Spray bottles full of starsan are the best. We have two or three around the brewery all the time.
You are right about the Ph method of action with star san,however there are microbes that THRIVE in all Ph ranges.Therefore over time these microbes begin to colonize in your sanitizer solution.if you use a relatively fresh star san mix you are more likely to kill off MOST bacteria and that directly depends on how well you cleaned the equipment before sanitization.I trust the lab geeks well before I put faith in any laymen on this matter.
Starsan should be mixed 1 oz per 5 gallons, so 1/2 oz for 1 gallon is quite a bit more than what is recommended. 1/5 to 1/4 oz would be more appropriate. Not sure if it makes any difference, I'm just quoting the manufacturers instructions.
I did this experiment myself on my channel some time a go and with the help of another youtuber we found out the exact same result as you craig. I think the starsan just reacts with the hardness of the water as ro water does not turn cloudy at all.
YOU CAN BUY THOSE TESTER STRIPS AT SMART AND FINAL< BUT U HAVE TO ASK A MANAGER FOR THEM CAUSE THEY KEEP THEM IN THE OFFICES!! HOW DO I KNOW ? BECAUSE I USE TO BE A MANAGER FOR S&F!! HOPE THIS INFO HELPS ANY OF YOU !! PEACE
Hi Craig, Im a day late with your video for last night DAMN, I have a few droped a whole bucket of brew down the steps at thanksgiving, sliped on the kitchen floor and dropped a whole open can of muntins , good grief come to think of it Ive hade a good month no real bad accidents, in the brewing process, anyway I enjoyed your show and hope to stay longer next week, I also have another English bitter 6 months old I did and want to do a review on it Ill wait until next friday,Ill film it then Mark
Great vid...I love the carboy trick, I tell that trick to everyone cause it seems to happen to every brewer at least once. See you tonight for the justin.TVcraigtube broadcast. Cheers!
Also, with PH strips, don't gauge them in fluorescent lighting. You need sunlight for best results. I use a digital PH meter for my testing. The money I save on Starsan made up for the investment of the PH meter!!
Craig, as long as the PH remains below 3.0, it's good for sanitizing. After 3 months of storage in tap water in a 5 gallon bucket, mine usually shows around 2.4. I normally change it after three months anyway. Also, 1 oz will treat 5 gallons according to my bottle instructions. Cheers!
Check out Effersan Tablets by Activon, you can get many more uses and they are no rinse, no bleach, EPA approved and used in breweries, restaurants and milk processing plants.
k2stypoint 3 weeks ago
Thanks for the bung tip Craig, I had this happen once, but I used a coat hanger. Real treat that was. Coat hangers work, but only after you have had 4 beer! LOL!
flatliner35 4 months ago
1 My "worst" brew-experience was when I was about 12 years old. Together with my friends we "stole" a 25 litre can, and we filled it with sap from trees: judyofthewoods net/forage/images/sap561.jpg We collect the sap like this, in small bottles, and put it in the 25 litre can. When it was filled. (Yes 25 litres with sap! "Harvested, bottle by bottle. We had a whole colony of bottles hanging in the forest...) I don't remember how much time we used to collect this. The sap a lot of
Raggo12345 4 months ago
The sap has a lot of sugar in it, we thought, so we would be able to brew GREAT beer, we thought... We found a hot sand dune in a hillside, put in bred yeast, closed the lid on thight (Yes, it was totally sealed... ) We left it buried in the sand for two (2) days. Then we were so impatient and excited that we could not wait any longer. We took the 25 litre can up of the sand. Started to drink and we were staggering around, thinking we were really drunk. We were really proud when we shared it
Raggo12345 4 months ago
3 with our older brothers. Of course they said, "Youck! It only tastes yeast! :)
Happy childhood memories...
Raggo12345 4 months ago
Ha Ha Awesome I learned something new today ! That is a great tip on Bung recovery. WHEN it happens Not IF,( its inevitable at some point it will) I'll know exactly what to do. Thanks Craig.
WatchToddPattison 5 months ago
I can tell by the way you squint you should be waring glasses,why don't you?
knightone57 5 months ago
LMAO @ 10:18 when craig pushes the flash down with his hat :-P
blawjr 5 months ago
might be a good experiment to use RODI water to see if the clowd goes away
Squinchyy 5 months ago
heh, bung
IFknHateUTube 5 months ago
what a cool trick!
Danf91ex 5 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Thank you for the tip, I got my bung stuck in the carboy on my last batch and will now be able to get it out! I have a video that I need to post one of these days that shows me brewing a batch of all grain oatmeal stout when I get it stuck.
jdizzel069 5 months ago
Thank you for the tip, I got my bung stuck in the carboy on my last batch and will now be able to get it out! I have a video that I need to post one of these days that shows me brewing a batch of all grain oatmeal stout when I get it stuck.
jdizzel069 5 months ago
Thank you for the tip, I got my bung stuck in the carboy on my last batch and will now be able to get it out! I have a video that I need to post one of these days that shows me brewing a batch of all grain oatmeal stout when I get it stuck.
jdizzel069 5 months ago
see you on friday!!!
StreetMachine18 5 months ago
So I'm trying to make my first batch of home brew and I want to make brewed Root Beer. The question is how much hops do I boil with my wart? The recipe I found on line calls for 1/2 oz per gallon of water, The man at the brew supply store said 2oz at the start of the boil and 2 oz 10 min from the finish of the boil. I don't want a biter Root beer, but i also don't want a super sweet one.
Peace Jeff
kludge000 5 months ago
Hi Craig, Can I call you using my cell phne #. Since I don't have access to skype at that time
SuperPablo1966 5 months ago
Comment removed
NavySealsutube 5 months ago
very good video, craig. i have always wondering ab out re-using star san...its so expensive but now i think i will re-use. do you just funnel it back into those jugs when you are done sanitizing your equipment?
HokieHomeBrew 5 months ago
@HokieHomeBrew Well that's what I've been doing, but you should read through these comments. A guy seems to think that the PH alone is not a good indication of how good the Star San is. I've had no infections using it for weeks. Still seems sort of up in the air.
CraigTube 5 months ago
That bung trick also works great for removing a stuck cork from a wine bottle.
GibsonsForLife 5 months ago
Would you recommend the same steps for people trying to perform bung rescue in prison?
nappiral 5 months ago
@nappiral Good question. I'll look it up. LOL. :)
CraigTube 5 months ago
If I leave my softener bypassed for when I make up my star san solution, the solution will go cloudy, rather quickly. But, because of great experiments like yours and Immo's, I know that it really doesn't matter! Cheers
tomroeder 5 months ago
Cool bung rescue trick, I like it! I have a water softener, and when I brew I was using soft water run through a charcoal filter for my brewing water, and soft water for my star san. My star san never went cloudy, but I was having a problem with my mash PH. I would use double the dose of 5.2 stabilizer, and still have my PH way too alkaline. I started bypassing my softener, running that hard water through my carbon filter, and viola, perfect mash PH.
tomroeder 5 months ago
Hi Craig. I'v found that a plastic bag works very well to remove corks from bottle. Your video's are the best.
moran1053 5 months ago
with StarSan costing ~29 cents a gallon, its not worth the risk to your beer to use it beyond the manufacturer's expiration
Mike1614b 5 months ago
My starsan says 1 ounce for 5gal.
Metomsky 5 months ago
Nice tip
BrewTubeUK 5 months ago
what exactly do these test strips measure? and what are they called?
timkrav1 5 months ago
@timkrav1
theyre pH test strips- they measure the degree of acidity-alkalinity.
Mike1614b 5 months ago
Comment removed
timkrav1 5 months ago
Thanks for the info Craig! Keep it up.
tld2020 5 months ago
My Starsan is cloudy when I make it!
kb9vie 5 months ago
The acidity of your solution is not an indicator for itś effectiveness. As far as i understand it, the combination of dodecylbenzenesulforic- AND phosphoric acid gives starsan its sanitizing effects. If all of this dodecylblablalbla in your solution is used up only the phosphoric acid is left and phosphoric acid itself is actually NOT a sanitizer. As "neightwatts" already mentioned in his comment ".....however there are microbes that THRIVE in all Ph ranges." itś better to play it save.
Cheers!
LactobacillusBrevis 5 months ago 4
@LactobacillusBrevis Very informative. Thanks and Cheers!
CraigTube 5 months ago
@CraigTube
I had an idea for an testmethod for your sanitizer: Take a sample of your sanitizer ( one or two cups) and solve some sugar in it, then you add just a trace of (hydrated) yeast.
The idea behind this is:
If the sanitizer is OK it should kill the yeast and NO fermentation should take place.
If itś not ok, there should be some signs of fermentation and your ph-test strips should show a significant change.
Im not sure if it works, itś just a theory ;)
Cheers
LactobacillusBrevis 5 months ago 3
i had the bung fall in 1 time. after that ive used a carboy cap w/ blow off tube, no hassle and no worries....
zodiak3000 5 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Thats a great tip on the "bung" recovery craig...now, what about when it's full of beer? lol....In that case, I would keep long, thin, wooden sharpened dowels handy - like the kind you can get at hobby lobby etc. Great tip Craig!
Regarding sanitizers - I like One-Step Sanitizer...it's a no-rinse sanitizer that works really well, and cleans using oxygen..no chlorine, no bisulphites etc..
Cheers..
ACTeslaMachineDC 5 months ago
@ACTeslaMachineDC Starsan is a one step, no rinse sanitizer that is acid based, doesn't use chlorine or sulfates either. Better yet, it is reusable and has zero effect on beer in the fermenter.
OPE08 5 months ago
Comment removed
ACTeslaMachineDC 5 months ago
i need TP for my bunghole
asams1996 5 months ago 7
10:18 flash fail
nehlda 5 months ago
Thanks for all the great info sir!!!! Hope all is well and cant wiat for more from you!!!
~Rage
NragedXX 5 months ago
If you want to save more money on Sanatizers and beer cleaning solutions. You can buy a no rinse sanatizer and beer line cleaner, from most cleaning supply shops. You will find these shops in industrial areas in your local cities. They supply Pubs, Restaurants, Hotels with this stuff and it is about a quarter of the price.
thegentlearts 5 months ago
Awesome trick with the bung and carboy you make it look so simple,Great video Craig,Thumbs up! Take Care!
jakeanddar 5 months ago
i use unscented bleach for my sanitation: cheap @ $1/litre. i should get some litmus paper (i think that's what they're called) and test the pH of bleach (i know it'd be a _basic_ rather than acidic solution so the pH should be much higher than 7).
TheTrueRooBrew 5 months ago
@TheTrueRooBrew the problem with bleach is that it requires rinsing and is far less reusable, and can't be used well for long-term storage except in sealed containers and it attacks softer materials. Its great for getting beer stain out of plastic fermenters tho'
OPE08 5 months ago
@OPE08 yep, you're absolutely right, OPE08: it does need rinsing and it's not good for keeping the solution long term. but where i live other sanitisers are very expensive and unscented bleach is cheap, so i find it's perfectly fine as a single-use-then-discard sanitiser.
TheTrueRooBrew 5 months ago
@TheTrueRooBrew - Yes, the price is the best part, and it DOES work. Craigs focus on cost goes overboard imho, 1 dollar an ounce, especially when you're only using 1/2oz per 5 gal, is still pretty cheap. Cheap enough to make this a non-issue. Yes, I do reuse my starsan for a bit, but I never worry about it, I use it for awhile and toss it and "oh noes" I'm out 50 cents!
Also: Spray bottles full of starsan are the best. We have two or three around the brewery all the time.
OPE08 5 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@TheTrueRooBrew - Yes, the price is the best part, and it DOES work. Craigs focus on cost goes overboard imho, 1 dollar an ounce, especially when you're only using 1/2oz per 5 gal, is still pretty cheap. Cheap enough to make this a non-issue. Yes, I do reuse my starsan for a bit, but I never worry about it, I use it for awhile and toss it and "oh noes" I'm out 50 cents!
Also: Spray bottles full of starsan are the best. We have two or three around the brewery all the time.
OPE08 5 months ago
Reference; go to this site: umsl.edu/~microbes/introductiontobacteria.pdf see Pg 6
Love your videos Craig. Keep on Brewin.
neightwatts 5 months ago
Amazed at the bung rescue!
xaldasax 5 months ago 2
Sometimes we know just enough to be dangerous.
It is always a gamble when it comes to the unseen. Wouldn't you do anything you can in order to increase your odds?
neightwatts 5 months ago
You are right about the Ph method of action with star san,however there are microbes that THRIVE in all Ph ranges.Therefore over time these microbes begin to colonize in your sanitizer solution.if you use a relatively fresh star san mix you are more likely to kill off MOST bacteria and that directly depends on how well you cleaned the equipment before sanitization.I trust the lab geeks well before I put faith in any laymen on this matter.
neightwatts 5 months ago
long time no see
BenReeves88 5 months ago
You make excellent video's.. Lots of hard work.. Thanks for the info..
katz217 5 months ago
Comment removed
NavySealsutube 5 months ago
Comment removed
NavySealsutube 5 months ago
An interesting control would have been to test the pH of your tap water too.
moxcamel 5 months ago
Great tips Craig.
Shameful26 5 months ago
Starsan should be mixed 1 oz per 5 gallons, so 1/2 oz for 1 gallon is quite a bit more than what is recommended. 1/5 to 1/4 oz would be more appropriate. Not sure if it makes any difference, I'm just quoting the manufacturers instructions.
darkenx20 5 months ago
think im going to experiment with store bought distilled water just to see how its different from tap water
brewmaster0507 5 months ago
thanks for the star san info. im going to try to tune into your show next friday, been meaning to for awhile.
brewmaster0507 5 months ago
I did this experiment myself on my channel some time a go and with the help of another youtuber we found out the exact same result as you craig. I think the starsan just reacts with the hardness of the water as ro water does not turn cloudy at all.
mattsarg 5 months ago
but if u use it ove and over and over and ove u dont buy as much . Craig thay want u to spend money .
slaam01 5 months ago
YOU CAN BUY THOSE TESTER STRIPS AT SMART AND FINAL< BUT U HAVE TO ASK A MANAGER FOR THEM CAUSE THEY KEEP THEM IN THE OFFICES!! HOW DO I KNOW ? BECAUSE I USE TO BE A MANAGER FOR S&F!! HOPE THIS INFO HELPS ANY OF YOU !! PEACE
fr8fiends 5 months ago
Hi Craig, Im a day late with your video for last night DAMN, I have a few droped a whole bucket of brew down the steps at thanksgiving, sliped on the kitchen floor and dropped a whole open can of muntins , good grief come to think of it Ive hade a good month no real bad accidents, in the brewing process, anyway I enjoyed your show and hope to stay longer next week, I also have another English bitter 6 months old I did and want to do a review on it Ill wait until next friday,Ill film it then Mark
ScatteroTvNetwork 5 months ago
Comment removed
Crypticx666 5 months ago
haha r u kidding me! What a great idea
BeerGeekNation 5 months ago
Great vid...I love the carboy trick, I tell that trick to everyone cause it seems to happen to every brewer at least once. See you tonight for the justin.TVcraigtube broadcast. Cheers!
immolateus 5 months ago
Forgot to mention....LOL...my mixture clouds up almost immediately when I mix it with my tap water.
yambor44 5 months ago
Also, with PH strips, don't gauge them in fluorescent lighting. You need sunlight for best results. I use a digital PH meter for my testing. The money I save on Starsan made up for the investment of the PH meter!!
yambor44 5 months ago
Craig, as long as the PH remains below 3.0, it's good for sanitizing. After 3 months of storage in tap water in a 5 gallon bucket, mine usually shows around 2.4. I normally change it after three months anyway. Also, 1 oz will treat 5 gallons according to my bottle instructions. Cheers!
yambor44 5 months ago
no name yet?
emerybryant 5 months ago
First view OMG D:
Kr0n808 5 months ago