Pages

samedi 8 février 2014

Understanding What A Brewery Sanitizer Does

By Marcie Goodman


A brewery sanitizer is a compound or agent used to eliminate contaminants that exist in brewery equipments. These contaminants are bacteria, germs, viruses and other microorganisms that can flourish in the wort. The normal cleaning process of using water and basic detergents cannot kill these contaminants because they are resistant to it. Failure to sanitize the equipments will lead to poor fermentation process and thus lead to poor beer flavor.

It is clear that sanitization requires much attention for the whole process to be successful. Any chance that other microorganism can dwell in the wort together with yeast should be eradicated. The wort solution is a good environment for bacteria to live and reproduce. They therefore end up spoiling the beer batch by giving it off flavors. Bacteria will not only be hidden in the fermentor but also in other brewing equipments like the funnel and siphon. Therefore, making it necessary to sanitize all items.

The mostly accessible decontaminator is Isopropyl.This chemical is an inorganic alcohol that is used in several sterilization procedures. It kills bacteria by paralyzing their basic body functions like energy production and cell detoxification. It is mixed with water in a two thirds proportion and in it the brewing items are soaked for a few minutes. One should exercise due care as alcohol can cause explosions even when mixed with water.

Iodophor adds up the list as a very effective disinfectant.Iodophor is iodine based and just a few grams of it mixed with five gallons of water can successfully sanitize equipments with a ten minute soak. The solution usually has a faint brown color that can be used as measure of its effectiveness. If this color fades then it indicates that iodine levels have dropped. It is important to use the correct amount of iodophor because using excess amounts will leads to unwanted beer flavoring.

Chlorine bleach is also a good decontaminator. It has been in use for a long time because it costs less than the rest. The normal laundry bleach will suffice as a sanitizer in brewing. It is also dissolved in water where a few milliliters are mixed with nineteen liters of water. However, chlorine is highly corrosive with other elements and therefore it should not be used as a post rinse agent.

Moist heat will also effectively exterminate all contaminants in the brewing items. Moist heat refers to the use of pressure cookers to kill microorganisms. The expanding moisture particles lead to rise in pressure level thus leading it to spread easily. Any present bacteria are killed instantly.

Lastly is the use of hydrogen peroxide as a sanitizing agent. It kills living contaminants by oxidizing their cell structures in about ten minutes. It is considered to be an expensive chemical therefore it is only used in simple tasks that require small volumes of it. It can be used as a rinsing substance after other sanitizers have been used.

The most experienced home brewers know what brewery sanitizer to pick. They also know how to interchange it severally depending on how often they use a certain equipment to produce batches. Therefore, a case of producing off taste beer is not a problem they encounter.




About the Author:



Aucun commentaire:

Enregistrer un commentaire