Carboy Cleaning Tabs April 27 2015, 0 Comments

A nice, hot soak with a good cleanser works like a charm when getting that caked-on krausen off of the sides of your fermentors after primary fermentation. In addition to PBW and Straight A, we also have Keg & Carboy Cleaning Tablets from Craft Meister. Ryan just tried some out when cleaning a carboy from one of our 102 classes. "They worked like a charm," he said. "Three tabs plus hot water in a carboy was plenty!" he exclaimed. Why are you yelling, we asked. "Goooooo cleaning! That's why!" "...And sanitizing," he whispered.

Don't Fear the Foam August 08 2014, 0 Comments

When it comes to making beer and wine, it's sanitation first! When it comes to keeping things sanitized, we love the Star San. This foaming, acid-based sanitizer foams up to get into every nook and cranny you need to keep free of potential harm to your brew. However, DON'T FEAR THE FOAM! Star San is no-rinse sanitizer for good reason; the foam breaks down into very simple nutrients that can be beneficial for your yeast.

Star-San will “last forever” if RO or distilled water is used to mix it and it stays enclosed like in a spray bottle or in a covered plastic bucket. It lasts a long time anyway and can be used multiple times or up to about 3 months. If it starts to turn cloudy, it's time to dump it and make a new batch.

PBW and Straight-A July 26 2014, 0 Comments

While it may be too cold or muddy for some of you outdoor brewers, that doesn't mean you can't take advantage of this time: spring cleaning doesn't just have to be for your house. Give your brew equipment a good soak or scrubbing in some cleaner. Our favorite cleaners are PBW and Straight-A. Then your brewery will be as good as new for that first spring brew!

Make Your Sanitizer Stretch June 30 2014, 0 Comments

Brewing Tip: Have a spray bottle filed with sanitizer on brew day (or every day!). It makes sanitizing on-the-fly a breeze. I like to use an Iodine-based sanitizer in mine but any "no-rinse" sanitizer will do! 

One thing to remember if you are going to keep your sanitizer for a long time after you mix it up: make sure to use reverse osmosis or distilled water when you mix your sanitizer. If you use tap water, the minerals and such in the water will denature your sanitizer after awhile.