Leo et al
I am surely not a sanitation expert but have a few thoughts about
cleaning and sanitation. Hopefully these was raise a few other
comments and even a few flames. That's ok too.
If you are a mechanic, wash your hands like you were a doctor.
If you are a doctor, wash your hands like you were a mechanic.
Germs fall down - they don't jump
Start a siphon by filling your serialized racking cane and tube with
very hot water. Clamp the hose end closed with a hemostat while
inserting the cane into the top vessel. Remove the clamp and allow some
sludge to run down the drain. Divert the clean must, beer, mead,
whatever into the lower vessel. Cover the open areas of both containers
with plastic wrap.
Turn up the temperature of your hot water heater when you are brewing or
bottling.
Time can be your ally when soaking dirty glass carboys.
Filling glass carboys slightly above the top radius makes brush cleaning
much easier.
Use hot water to rinse out no rinse chemicals. The volume to surface
area ratio of small tanks significantly increases the quantity of
residual chemicals that can find their way into your favorite beverage.
This is the same reason a elephant doesn't need much hair.
Rinse and Disassemble your kegs every time they are empty. Don't forget
the relief valve
Disassemble and clean your picnic taps every 2 weeks. Throw them away
if the rubber stinks.
Disassemble and serialize your C02 system 2 times each year.
Mix up a small batch of sanitizer and put it in a spray bottle for usage
on corny fittings and connectors.
Rinse your bottles with a bottle washer using the extra hot water from
your cranked up hot water heater.
Boil your bottle caps in RO water to prevent mineral deposits
Boil your snap top gaskets in the same water. Bleach them first to
restore color.
Disassemble your valves and inspect their internal areas. Determine if
you should do this regularly.
Disconnect process hoses fittings, pumps, and all non CIP fittings when
they are not being used.
Hang all hoses with ends down so they dry.
Don't reuse dusty yeast.
Visually inspect every vessel, tank, or bottle BEFORE filling.
Inspect every "gift bottle" for that nasty "ring around the collar!"
Close your windows and turn off the fan when pitching yeast.
Stay tuned - Don't touch that dial.
I highly doubt it, but interesting. -marc
-----------
http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2002/10/28/daily24.html
Mocon subsidiary to analyze beer flavors
A subsidiary of Mocon Inc. is going to analyze beer recipes.
Microanalytics in Round Rock, Texas, — a subsidiary of Brooklyn
Park-based Mocon — has received a $300,000 grant from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture to investigate how ingredients affect the
taste of beer.
In a partnership with California microbrewer Sierra Nevada Brewing and
A&M University in Texas, Microanalytics will work to develop instruments
and standardized test methods to determine whether variations in grains
and other ingredients affect beer.
Mocon provides consultation, instrumentation and laboratory services to
medical, pharmaceutical, food and other industries worldwide.
This is an observation:
I have yet to taste a mead or wine with the flavors we get in
beer that come from poor sanitation.
I repeatedly see a wine makers us a practice I think of as
sloppy sanitation. After sanitizing their racking tubes,
they start a syphon with their mouths, and put the tube
down into the wine. They don't run into a flavor problem.
Their explaination - there's enough alcohol.
I fear such a practice would be a problem for beer. I've made
enough contaminated beers and want to mimimize the chances of
doing it again.
By no means am I suggesting you can skip sanitation in mead
and wine.
--- mark(a)glewwe-castle.com wrote:
> Date: 31 Oct 2002 19:02:10 -0000
> From: mark(a)glewwe-castle.com
> To: lvitt4(a)yahoo.com, mba(a)thebarn.com
> Subject: Re: When to add honey to mead
>
> Sanitation in wines is still critical. There are many cases of serious
> Salmonella in homemade wine.
>
> >
> > Sanitation issues don't seem to be as critical with meads (and wines)
> > as they are for beers. The alcohol level is part of that.
> > =====
> > Leo Vitt
> > Rochester MN
> >
=====
Leo Vitt
Rochester MN
__________________________________________________
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Sanitation in wines is still critical. There are many cases of serious Salmonella in homemade wine.
>
> Sanitation issues don't seem to be as critical with meads (and wines)
> as they are for beers. The alcohol level is part of that.
> =====
> Leo Vitt
> Rochester MN
>
Thank you Steve and Dave. We may hear some more on this one.
Now to answer another question similar to the rain question: If a man
speaks in the woods and there is no woman to hear him, is he still
wrong? It depends how he answers his own question.
Rick Oftel
Hi All,
Has anyone seen the Lowenbrau O'fest in the metro area yet?
We had some last weekend and it is very good.
We found it at Westside Discount Liquors in Waite Park, for $13.99 per 5 liter mini keg.
Hawkeye
> Regarding the fermentability of mead. I believe the
> amino acid content of mead is near zero. I suspect
> the same could be said of grapes. Honey and grape
> juice are protein free.
>
Hey, that makes it even easier. Kind of like knowing what is in RO
water.
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That I do not know. There was some talk at one time that as the large
breweries used smaller quantity of hops in their beers, there may be a
risk of bacteria surviving.
You also boil wort for a period of time.
On Thu, 31 Oct 2002 08:03:02 -0800 (PST) Will Holway <brew987(a)yahoo.com>
writes:
>
> So is it the extra ingredient of hops that makes beer
> less prone to deadly bacteria than wine? Or is it just
> not true that deadly bacteria can grow in wine?
>
> --- David H Berg <bergbrew(a)juno.com> wrote:
> >
> > I'm no microbiologist, but I've thought of playing
> > one on TV.
> >
> > Pathogens will not grow in beer due to the following
> > reasons:
> >
> > 1. Acidity of beer
> > 2. Alcohol
> > 3. Hops
> >
> > Also, yeast is pretty agressive in its fight for a
> > food source, so it is
> > often hard for bacteria to get its foot in the door
> > even.
> >
> > We're not saying that yeast or bacteria can't grow
> > in beer--just none
> > that will kill you.
> >
> > On Thu, 31 Oct 2002 08:49:19 -0600 "Carole Peter"
> > <cpeter(a)srfconsulting.com> writes:
> > >
> > > I know I'm extrapolating this to another level,
> > but I'm amazed (and
> > > disappointed) about "Charly P." saying no
> > pathogens survive in beer.
> > > If
> > > this were so, beer would be used to disinfect
> > things like surgical
> > > instruments. I'm not so sure I'd like my
> > obstetrician or brain
> > > surgeon
> > > using beer for disinfection. (just hand that beer
> > to ME). If YEAST
> > > can
> > > grow in beer, I'm sure there's some nasty bug that
> > can kill you that
> > > can
> > > grow in beer. Any microbiologists care to set us
> > straight? ;->
> > > cwp
> > >
> > > >>> Will Holway <brew987(a)yahoo.com> 10/31/02
> > 08:36AM >>>
> > >
> > > I am curious as to why contamination in wine can
> > be
> > > deadly whereas not so in beer? Does the acidity
> > have
> > > anything to do with it?
> > >
> > > --- Gregory Walsh <popcorn(a)ties.k12.mn.us> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > If a man speaks in the woods and there is no
> > woman
> > > > to hear him. Is he still wrong?
> > > >
> > > > Someone said "sanitation is not as critical with
> > > > Mead and Wine" this is not my understanding.
> > Fifteen
> > > > years ago Poison Control told me that
> > contamination
> > > > in home-made wine was common and sometimes
> > fatal.
> > > > Charly P. sez there are no known pathogens that
> > > > survive in beer.
> > > >
> > > > Greg
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > __________________________________________________
> > > Do you Yahoo!?
> > > HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now
> > > http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > David Berg
> > President, Minnesota Craft Brewer's Guild
> > Head Brewer, Water Tower Brewing Company
> > http://www.mncraftbrew.org
> >
> >
> >
> ________________________________________________________________
> > Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today
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> >
> >
>
>
> __________________________________________________
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> HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now
> http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/
>
>
>
David Berg
President, Minnesota Craft Brewer's Guild
Head Brewer, Water Tower Brewing Company
http://www.mncraftbrew.org
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Now the microbiologist/homebrewer/mead maker/new dad/entrepreneur/and general well-meaning PITA enters the discussion... :)
Hi Dave et. al.,
In a nutshell.... excellent reply to Carole from David Berg. You could dress up as a microbiologist tonight and even justify begging for some candy!! :P But watch out for those nasty cavity-causing bacteria that live in the oral regions....they do like the sugars found in Halloween goodies!
It is very true that known disease-causing microorganisms are not found in finished beer. Even Belgian Lambic's, weird as they may be, are not beverages that would make one nervous about getting sick. Cleaning out your digestive system and taking care of any fecal constipation.... that may or may not occur..... ok, enough about that!!
Beer....even "Spoiled" beer is an interesting beverage. It also is a growth substrate for a few organisms. Very few, actually. Dave's mention of low pH (acidity), alcohol content, and presence of hop flower chemicals is right on target for providing reasons that homebrew (or bad commercial beer, for that matter) is not a worrisome beverage for us consumers/producers.
FYI, hop tea has been used as a beverage for a number of reasons besides providing hop character to beer. Including usage as a sleep aid (well, that is somewhat debatable...but go check out the history of hop usage), and as an aid for "bellyaches" (more plausible). Hop analysis has shown many different types of interesting organic compounds, some of which are very effective antimicrobials. OK, time to step away from the soapbox again....
Charlie P. is not necessarily the world's leading authority on microbes and their relationship to beer/mead/other quaffable stuff. But, he does have a basic grasp of what is important. So do people like Dr. Michael Lewis and Greg Noonan and, may God rest his soul, Dr. George Fix. What it comes down to is this, IMNSHOP..... clean your brew equipment as best you can.... use good water, good grain or malt extract, use good, fresh hops, and add lots of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast), and then sit back and observe one of nature's miracles take place....then relax, don't worry and drink your homebrew!!
Just my more-than two cents worth..... :P
Best wishes to all for a Hoppy and safe Halloween!!
Steve Weiland
>I'm no microbiologist, but I've thought of playing one on TV.
>
>Pathogens will not grow in beer due to the following reasons:
>
>1. Acidity of beer
>2. Alcohol
>3. Hops
>
>Also, yeast is pretty agressive in its fight for a food source, so it is
>often hard for bacteria to get its foot in the door even.
>
>We're not saying that yeast or bacteria can't grow in beer--just none
>that will kill you.
>
>On Thu, 31 Oct 2002 08:49:19 -0600 "Carole Peter"
><cpeter(a)srfconsulting.com> writes:
>>
>> I know I'm extrapolating this to another level, but I'm amazed (and
>> disappointed) about "Charly P." saying no pathogens survive in beer.
>> If
>> this were so, beer would be used to disinfect things like surgical
>> instruments. I'm not so sure I'd like my obstetrician or brain
>> surgeon
>> using beer for disinfection. (just hand that beer to ME). If YEAST
>> can
>> grow in beer, I'm sure there's some nasty bug that can kill you that
>> can
>> grow in beer. Any microbiologists care to set us straight? ;->
>> cwp
>>
>> >>> Will Holway <brew987(a)yahoo.com> 10/31/02 08:36AM >>>
>>
>> I am curious as to why contamination in wine can be
>> deadly whereas not so in beer? Does the acidity have
>> anything to do with it?
>>
>> --- Gregory Walsh <popcorn(a)ties.k12.mn.us> wrote:
>> >
>> > If a man speaks in the woods and there is no woman
>> > to hear him. Is he still wrong?
>> >
>> > Someone said "sanitation is not as critical with
>> > Mead and Wine" this is not my understanding. Fifteen
>> > years ago Poison Control told me that contamination
>> > in home-made wine was common and sometimes fatal.
>> > Charly P. sez there are no known pathogens that
>> > survive in beer.
>> >
>> > Greg
>> >
>>
>>
>> __________________________________________________
>> Do you Yahoo!?
>> HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now
>> http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>David Berg
>President, Minnesota Craft Brewer's Guild
>Head Brewer, Water Tower Brewing Company
>http://www.mncraftbrew.org
>
>
>________________________________________________________________
>Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today
>Only $9.95 per month!
>Visit www.juno.com
>
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