Stupid Stuff for Smart Brewers - Part 1 - Cleaning and Sanitizing

To get the ball rolling, and get myself into the swing of blogging, I am going to start with a two part series that sums up the points in "Stupid Stuff All Brewers Should Know But Often Don't" by Jamie Martin. 

Here is the "F-you Bill, I am just going to read the actual article" link.

Part 1, just like the first rule of brewing, and what every brewer has formed an unhealthy OCDesque obsession towards...is all about cleaning and sanitizing.

Brewing beer involves keeping the right living things happy in your wort, and keeping the wrong things out. The only way to get the highest probability (nothing is ever 100%, in brewing) that this happens is by rigorous cleaning AND sanitation. That's right, AND. Cleaners don't sanitize, and sanitizers only work on already clean surfaces.

*NOTE: It is important to take the time to disassemble any equipment that wort passes through, because there can be a lot of nooks and crannies for baddies to hide. If disassembling isn't an option, then back flushing is a good idea. Don't forget to clean CO2 lines too!

CLEANING

There are three variables when cleaning, and if you are running low on any one you better increase the other two. These variables are:

• Time: Obviously the easiest variable to add, and longer is better.
• Temperature: hotter is NOT always better. A range of 140-180ºF is the best, because it is hot enough for pasteurization, but not so hot as to allow "organic contaminates to precipitate proteins which can inhibit cleaning."
• Concentration: Always measure, and follow directions. If you use too high of a concentration, then it could lower the lifespan of your equipment, and if you use too low of a concentration, then it will not clean as effectively.

*NOTE: After cleaning stainless steel, it is reccomended to use an acid wash to coat your equipment with a protective passivation layer.

SANITATION

Sanitizers are important, because they remove all microorganisms from your brewing equipment. Most sanitizers are oxidizers, so it is important to completely dry you equipment after sanitation to prevent any residual sanitizer from oxidizing your beer.