Beer Clean

[ratflinger]

Anyone tried Beer Clean as a sanitizer? I can get it for 23 cents a pack & it make 3 gal of 100ppd chlorine solution. I see a lot of bars using it as their sanitizer. It's a no-rise product. Manufacturer (Johnson Diversity) claims it's good for all barware including wine glasses. It doesn't seem as hard on ones hands as k-meta

 

[Wade E]

Since it says Clean it may not be a sanitizer?

 

[ratflinger]

Nope, Beer Clean is the trade name & it says SANITIZER in big letters on the package.

Here's a link

http://www.jdbrands.com/ProductInfo/ProductCatalog/tabid/438/Default.aspx

 

[smurfe]

If you use the cleaning chemical in combo with the sanitizing product I don't see why it wouldn't work. I haven't broke down what the cost per gallon made of Star San is but will say that is no where as near hard on the skin as K-Meta.

 

[PeterZ]

Beer Clean Sanitizer is a chlorine donor. You can achieve the same effect by mixing a tablespoon of bleach in a gallon of water. There are 2 reasons why I do not use chlorine-based sanitizers.


1) Shelf life. The shelf life of a bleach solution is measured in hours, while a K-meta solution will keep for months. If you use the Beer Clean Sanitizer use it today. It will be no good tomorrow.


2) It is an oxidizer. Excessive contact of oxidizers with wine is a bad thing. That is why we add K-meta to our wines. K-meta is a reducing agent - the chemical opposite of an oxidizer. For safety I do not have any oxidizers in my wine making room.

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Thanks, Peter - that was really helpful information about chlorine-based sanitizers. I started out as a homebrewer and moved into wine-making, so I sometimes still do use a mild bleach solution. I wasn't sure why more people didn't do the same, other than the off flavors that could happen if you don'trinse a lot with hot water afterwards (which, for the record, I've never had a problem with because I rinse obsessively). I didn't realize that chlorine could actually contribute to or cause oxidation.