Sanitation and Temperature Control

Sanitation and temperature control are both very import in making a good tasting brew. I am very careful about sanitation, and thus have has no problems yet. My brew shop told me that if you have one bad batch every 20 then you are doing okay.

One Step VS Oxi-Clean

When i first started brewing I was using One Step cleaner as both my cleaner and sanitizer. From my extended research it seems to be a safe option. The pH content gets high enough to sanitize your gear, while cleaning. After about 4 batches One Step was beginning to be very expensive. I did some research on One Step VS Oxi-clean, and this is what I discovered; they are essentially the same thing. Okay let me explain. They have the same main ingredient, but use different fillers. One Step uses a more expensive filler that allows for a greater pH content, thus a better sanitation. Oxi-Clean uses soda ash as a filler, which does not allow the pH content to raise as high. It is probably high enough to use for a home brew alternative. One thing to note about Oxi-Clean is the additives that can be present. They can add perfumes and blue color so you know it is working. These are not good things for home brew use.

Solution: I went to Walmart and bought a 3.5 lb container of Oxi-Clean Free. It is free of perfumes and dyes, and is the closest you can get to One Step. I love the cleaning power of Oxi-Clean and the price is much better. To be extra careful I have begun to use Idophor for sanitation. By using Oxi-Clean as a cleaner, and Idophor as a sanitizer I have had great results, and I am saving loads of money.

Temperature Control: I truly believe that a constant temperature will make or break a home brew. If you have no way on controlling your house temperature I would not bother brewing. It is not good to have temperature variances during the fermentation stage. Try to keep a constant temperature bellow 72 degrees. I like to ferment mine at a lower temperature, but that is just a preference. It seems to produce less off flavors at a lower temperature.

Some Options: I have fermented my beer in a temperature controlled storage unit. Typically storage units are on the cold side, 65-70 degrees. I would put a sweatshirt over my carboy to keep it a little warmer. Also getting a second fridge and buying a temperature controller for it will allow you to adjust the temperature for fermentation. Another option is to just pay your damn air conditioning bill and ferment in your living room.

That's my two cents.

Remember to support your local microbrew,
In love,
Harpo