Am I spending too much time cleaning and not enough drinking

[Incredibletrevor]

Just reading through a few posts and the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up in realisation of a major error. I came into homebrew from beer kits and wine where I was used to sterilising everything. I tend to brew up 80 pints at a time now in large plastic buckets with an element. I am still sterilising everything from start to finish including the initial water boiler & mash tun with a leave in and then rinse off solution but the consensus seems to be that I should only be that anal from when the beer starts to cool after its final boil, could I get a couple of comments to the effect that I will not kill off the whole male side of my family if I just scrub everything clean before I start and just sterilise the bits needed from the end of the boil and then joy of joys I can use a rinse less steriliser for the rest ! even learnt that I can use the rinse aid less dishwasher for my bottles. (never liked that rinse aid anyway - always had a hang over from any glass I drank out of that has been rinsed with it)

[CyberPaddy66]

I wouldn't take the risk, anything that comes into contact with the beer should be sterilised properly to that end I have a bucket with a Milton Steriliser solution that I keep all my hard bits in and just rinse them before use

A quick once over on the water bucket doesn't go a miss but the brewing bucket gets a good going over and sterilise!

[jonnyv]

I tend to clean any pre-boil equipment with oxicleaner (mash tun, hlt, boiler) and sanitise anything post-boil with iodophor (yeast starter jar, FV, paddle, hydrometer etc).

[Andy]

You're correct

Clean stuff used upto and including the boil. Clean and sanitise everything that comes into contact with the beer after the boil.

[Aleman]

I'm with Andy on this, Clean the HLT/ Mash Tun and boiler after use and dry, rinse before use with water.

Hose the debris off the IC after use, and spray with water from the hose before use OR Clean and sanitise the CFC before and after use,

Clean and sanitise the FV before use, and rinse out with water afterwards, wiping off the brown gunge with a sponge (or pressure washer)

Sanitise all tubing before use if used after the boil

[delboy]

+1 for the clean preboil equipment and clean and sanitise postboil equipment. There is already enough sanitising of equipment in this hobby to be bothered doing the preboil stuff into the bargain.

[SiHoltye]

That's the way to do it! Clean pre-boil, sanitized after.
I stick my IC in the dishwasher (don't tell the missus )

[sib67]

I don't bother sanitising anything pre-boil - I just rinse everything off after use, then it's ready for next time. Never had a problem.

[stevezx7r]

Everything I have goes in the bath (it's a big bath), I hose everything down and sometimes use thin bleach on fv's or kegs/lids etc that I've forgot to clean after use . I then rinse and use sodium met on fv's and kegs but use the boil to sanitise the boiler/mt/ic. Takes about an hour which I do the day before I brew.

[Incredibletrevor]

Thanks for all the responses, I think to keep everyone happy I will pick a line down the middle but whoever I listen to it should save me a good hour on brew day. great tip on doing the clean the night before I have done it that way a couple of times but always forget to plan that evening into my brewing schedule. I have to book a day off work anyway so I can boil without the kids (any excuse !)

[Incredibletrevor]

Going off at a tangent are there any of the brands of no rinse steriliser that are considered greener (as in their official tree hugger status) than the others ? I guess the fact you can drink the residue tells you that you are not flushing toxins down the drain or are there any hints of health risks. Boiling to clean seems a green way to go. I am no hippy but I am sure beer must taste better when you are sat drinking it on the moral high ground. I am just starting a hop growing project using compost made from rotted tun waste and fresh made ash. want to get my brewing proceedure 100% green for when I get my first golden crop (probably around 2015 !) still time for plenty of practice.

[opentoideas]

i think from a tree hugging perspective there wont be much of a difference - you will have already done the most benefit by using no rinse as you will no longer be throwing away gallons of rinse water.

other than that is much of a muchness

as for boiling although fine in theory (no chemicals) from a "green" perspective the energy usage would be terrible! non rinse sanitiser may have chemicals but i would judge it to be the lesser of the 2 evils

[Dennis King]

As I prepare everything the night before, I use the no rinse sanitiser that I`ve used in the f/v and give my m/t a good swill. No extra cost and a nice clean m/t.

[Dennis King]

Going off at a tangent are there any of the brands of no rinse steriliser that are considered greener (as in their official tree hugger status) than the others ?

On a flyer I`ve just recived from hop and grape it claims that chemipro oxi is enviromentally friendly. I`ve been using it for about 6 mounths and found it very good.

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Last 2 brews I didn't sterilise anything with chemicals, just put the fermenter above the boiler for 15mins, think it was DaaB that once commented about it.
I tried it, good idea!!

John