Star San contamination

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Cruyf

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I am sure I am not the first to have this happen, but I have a 3 gallon fermenter of stout and when I went to move the blowoff tube and did not see that for some reason it was filled with Star San solution and about 2 cups of solution back fed into the fermenter. Is this now a ruined batch or take a shot at bottling the beer and see if it is ok?
 
For me, it would be a dumper. Others may feel differently.

Why did the SS get sucked back into the fermenter?
 
Megary said:
For me, it would be a dumper. Others may feel differently.

Why did the SS get sucked back into the fermenter?
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Yea, not sure what would have caused that much negative pressure. I do know that the blowoff bucket level go below the tube for a bit and i had to refill. not sure if that created the problem. I ran a couple small samples over time to test the beer, but not enough to cause the blow off tube to fill. Just disappointed since this was a batch i was aging.
 
I don't know.
I wouldn't throw it, but also not spend too much time on bottling.
Maybe bottle in 1 litre PET bottles with screw top?
 
I take my FG reading with a wine thief from the fermenter. I also taste it that way. Is this not possible?
Also, I don't know why you need a blow off tube for a 3-gallon stout unless it is a very big boy. An airlock usually does the trick unless you use a crazy yeast like a Belgian or a Hefe. I can stand corrected, but that is my experience.
 
Sandy Feet said:
I take my FG reading with a wine thief from the fermenter. I also taste it that way. Is this not possible?
Also, I don't know why you need a blow off tube for a 3-gallon stout unless it is a very big boy. An airlock usually does the trick unless you use a crazy yeast like a Belgian or a Hefe. I can stand corrected, but that is my experience.
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it was originally 6 gallons in a stainless steel fermenter and it is a big beer coming in around 9% abv. first time i used a white bucket and regular airlock and it blew the lid off. Now, stainless with lock down lid and large blow off tube into a bucket of star san water. The fermenter I use has a drain port in the bottom where i can do testing/tasting and then removal. I split the batch into 2, three gallon batches to do aging with different chips, soaked in either brandy or bourbon. I could move to an airlock at that point, but prefer to keep the batches in stainless steel and the tubes.
 
StarSan is flavorless in small amounts, hence their ad phrase: "Don't fear the foam", but I assume at some level it's going to affect the flavor of your beer. I just don't know if anyone has determined where the detection line is. But 4.1% (2 cups in 3 gallons) isn't that large a volume. So, unless there are other reasons not to package it (like too much time to bottle or it would tie up a keg) I would say push forward and bottle/keg it. And of course report back how it turned out.
 
Cruyf said:
it was originally 6 gallons in a stainless steel fermenter and it is a big beer coming in around 9% abv. first time i used a white bucket and regular airlock and it blew the lid off. Now, stainless with lock down lid and large blow off tube into a bucket of star san water. The fermenter I use has a drain port in the bottom where i can do testing/tasting and then removal. I split the batch into 2, three gallon batches to do aging with different chips, soaked in either brandy or bourbon. I could move to an airlock at that point, but prefer to keep the batches in stainless steel and the tubes.
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If you like the blowoff tube more, setup a double jar blow-off. Will eliminate the risk
 
like this, any weldless fitting will work with your system


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Cruyf said:
it was originally 6 gallons in a stainless steel fermenter and it is a big beer coming in around 9% abv. first time i used a white bucket and regular airlock and it blew the lid off. Now, stainless with lock down lid and large blow off tube into a bucket of star san water. The fermenter I use has a drain port in the bottom where i can do testing/tasting and then removal. I split the batch into 2, three gallon batches to do aging with different chips, soaked in either brandy or bourbon. I could move to an airlock at that point, but prefer to keep the batches in stainless steel and the tubes.
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My bad. I think of homebrewing stouts, and my brain goes straight to an Irish or American version in the 4s and 5s.
I can use a 1" tube in place of the airlock when I brew Belgians. If the tube doesn't sit high enough, it goes the other way and sucks liquid into the growler where I have Star San and the other end of the tube.
 
thanks all for the responses. did a quick taste test today with no off flavors, so bottled it. in about three weeks, will crack one open and we where it stands and as suggested above, will comment back.
 
When fermentation is very active, why stick the blow-off in any liquid? I mean, other than to see the bubbles? I use a blow off for a lot of beers and often just run the hose into the sink not into a jar of star-san/vodka/water/etc. (I do this especially with Saisons as a pseudo "open ferment"). When fermentation slows, I'll set up an air-lock.
 
About ten years ago I read a post in another forum from a staff member at a brewery regarding Star San - he stated that the Star San sales rep would show it's safety by mixing up a batch at normal strength and then proceed to drink it! It is sold as a "no rinse" sanitizer, so my guess is that in relatively small quantities it "may" cause an off-flavor, but will not harm the beer or the drinker!
 
Limey said:
About ten years ago I read a post in another forum from a staff member at a brewery regarding Star San - he stated that the Star San sales rep would show it's safety by mixing up a batch at normal strength and then proceed to drink it! It is sold as a "no rinse" sanitizer, so my guess is that in relatively small quantities it "may" cause an off-flavor, but will not harm the beer or the drinker!
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I have drank it. Kinda sour, lol. Very acidic, so wouldn't drink alot. But can't be worse than hot salsa
 
Limey said:
About ten years ago I read a post in another forum from a staff member at a brewery regarding Star San - he stated that the Star San sales rep would show it's safety by mixing up a batch at normal strength and then proceed to drink it! It is sold as a "no rinse" sanitizer, so my guess is that in relatively small quantities it "may" cause an off-flavor, but will not harm the beer or the drinker!
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it mostly phosphoric acid, the same thing is also in soda, people drink it every day
 
Cruyf said:
I am sure I am not the first to have this happen, but I have a 3 gallon fermenter of stout and when I went to move the blowoff tube and did not see that for some reason it was filled with Star San solution and about 2 cups of solution back fed into the fermenter. Is this now a ruined batch or take a shot at bottling the beer and see if it is ok?
Click to expand...
Star San does not hurt your beer, i.e., it imparts no taste. Let it ride and tell how it tastes. I've noticed no difference.
 
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