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The Importance of Cleanliness
For the typical chef, adhering to acceptable
sanitary practices absorbs a relatively modest
amount of effort compared to other aspects
of cooking. In home brewing, however, sanitation
is normally the most time-consuming task.
Additionally, doing it right requires much
attention to detail.
A variety of bacteria and other micro-organisms
(in addition to the cultured yeast that you
add to the brew) find beer to be a very hospitable
environment. Luckily, none of these are dangerous
to your health. Still, they can create "off"
flavors or even completely spoil a batch
if the infection is extensive enough.
That said, a reasonably careful
home brewer
can take adequate measures to
protect against
infections. The measures are
directed towards:
- any vessels that hold beer during fermentation,
maturation or bottling
- tubing used to transfer beer between vessels
at various stages in the process
- bottles and caps
- any other instruments that come into contact
with the beer
A few drops of ordinary household bleach
per gallon of water makes a cheap, easy to
use sanitizing fluid. However, bleach is
toxic to yeast, and its residue thus can
hamper fermentation. It also can leave unpleasant
flavors and aromas. Accordingly, after using
bleach-based sanitizing solution, you must
thoroughly rinse off the residue with clean
tap water.
Alternatively, there are other
specialized
sanitizing agents on the market
whose residue
does not have these potentially
damaging
effects. Most of them are powders
that you
dissolve in water. While rinsing
is not mandatory
with these, it is still a good
precaution.
Finally, home brewers should be ready to
replace any plastic implements, containers
or tubing that come into contact with beer
once they have become either scratched or
discolored. At this point they may be harboring
pockets of bacteria that resist removal,
and which can spoil a batch of beer.
Taking proper precautions about
sanitation
can ensure that your beer stays
fresh and
tasty over long periods of storage
once bottled. |
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