At Geterbrewed, we always strive to help folk brew successfully and consistently, so they return repeatedly. One of the main contributing factors to brewing a bad batch at home or having a spoilt brew is because of cleaning. You would be surprised at the difference in the quality of your brew if you use good cleaning and sanitation protocols. This involves using the correct brewery cleaning products, so take cleaning seriously, and the rest will be much easier.
Soak when you can, spray when you can’t! Now, does it need to be rinsed? Does it not need to be rinsed?
Many products available now claim to be no rinse. However, this is only the case if prepared at the correct dilution rates. Hard work in terms of elbow grease will help ensure a piece of brewing equipment is clean. You can also use the correct chemical and water mix, and if it has the correct dosage rate & contact time, it’ll work too, just without the physical effort.
If you are a brewer, you will know how important it is to ensure regimental cleaning regimes. It is equally important to use a good range of brewing cleaning products to aid with that. One such range known throughout the brewing community is 5 Star Chemicals. They have the brands Starsan, Saniclean and PBW. Recently these products have been temporarily unavailable in Europe due to them needing REACH certification.
Thankfully Brouwland can now offer a complete alternative to the 5 Star range of cleaning products, and we are very pleased to launch these products to you in the coming days. We hope to have them available for release via our homebrew website on the 11th of November.
The New Chemipro Range
Alternatives to 5 Star Chemicals can be summarised below:
- PBW → Wash
- Star San → San
- Saniclean → CIP
1. Chemipro® Wash
- Chemipro WASH
- Safe to use on all types of plastics and soft metals
- Removes protein soil and stains, caked carbon and fatty acids
- 500 g, 2 kg and 10 kg packaging
2. Chemipro® Cip
- Chemipro CIP
- Low-foaming, acidic anionic final rinse
- Can be used in CIP systems
- 250 ml, 500 ml, 1 l and 5 l packaging
3. Chemipro® San
- Chemipro SAN
- High-foaming, acidic anionic final rinse
- Only requires a contact time of 60 sec.
- 100 ml, 250 ml, 500 ml, 1 l and 5 l packaging
In the meantime, while we eagerly await the arrival of the full range of Chemipro products, we have sourced a substitute for Starsan called Chemsan, and it’s available from Monday 28th of October. Check out the technical spec below:
4. Chemsan
An acid cleaner for Brewing and Surface Sanitising
BENEFITS
- No Rinse is required when used at the recommended dilution
- Self Foaming
- Not Affected by Organic Materials
DESCRIPTION
- A blend of phosphoric acid, benzenesulfonic acid and isopropanol.
- A self-foaming sanitising solution
- An excellent sanitizer for manual application
- Not recommended on soft metals because of the acid nature of this product.
GENERAL USE DIRECTIONS
- Dilution: 0.2%, 10ml to 5litres of water
- Higher concentrations will require a potable rinse
- All surfaces should be cleaned and rinsed beforehand
- Minimum contact time 2 minutes
- The solution should remain at a pH of 3 or below to maintain a proper sanitizing level.
- If using the diluted solution over time, check the PH regularly using Ph papers.
- Hand Utensils, Tanks, Vats, Homebrew use: Scrape or pre-clean dirty surfaces. Clean all surfaces using a suitable detergent, following label directions. Rinse with potable water.
- Apply the diluted solution on surfaces with a cloth, mop, brush, sponge, spray, or immersion.
- After 2 minutes of contact time, drain the solution thoroughly.
- For all applications, allow to air dry. However, surfaces must remain wet for at least two minutes.
- Do not rinse after Chemsan application.
SAFETY
Danger: Corrosive to skin and eye, contains Phosphoric Acid. Harmful if swallowed. Do not get in eyes, on skin or on clothing. Wear protective goggles and clothing when using. Avoid contamination of food. DO NOT MIX CHEMSAN WITH CHLORINATED CLEANERS AS CHLORINE GAS WILL RESULT. Do not use or store near heat or open flame. See label for more precautionary information.
FIRST AID:
For Eyes: Hold eyes open and rinse slowly and gently with water for 15-20 minutes. Remove contact lenses, if present, after the first five minutes. Then continue rinsing. Get immediate medical attention/advice.
If Swallowed: Get immediate medical attention/advice. Have the person sip on a glass of water if able to swallow. Do not induce vomiting unless told to do so by the Poison Control doctor. Do not give anything to an unconscious person.
If on Skin or Clothing: Take off contaminated clothing. Rinse skin immediately with plenty of water for 15-20 minutes. Get medical attention/advice if needed.
If Inhaled: Move person to fresh air. If a person is not breathing, call an ambulance, then give artificial respiration, preferably mouth-to-mouth if possible. Get immediate medical attention/advice.