by Charles74 » Monday Jan 03, 2011 10:55 am
My approach has always been proactive rather than reactive, Burt. I've never seen or tasted any evidence of beerstone on any of my beer equipment or in any of my beers (with one possible exception = see below).
That being said, if you've got evidence of beerstone, something more than hot water might be needed.
When I started brewing, I was very orthodox about sterilisation. Over the ensuing years, I took a few chances and departed from the overkill approach of sterilising. Mind you, I take very good care with cleaning and rinsing. The result? Absolutely no difference whatsoever. Never an infected brew, never a bad tasting beer. Light abrasive cleaners, light detergents only, boiling water. While sterilisers sterilise, boiling water kills.
The only thing that might come close would be beers that were a little 'musky' after being brewed in a 10-year-old fermenter once. They did contain microbes which caused the beer to keep brewing, though the sugars were completely fermented and the fermenter appeared sterile. The hotter the weather, the more this process was accelerated. That summer was the only time I've ever had bottles explode. As plastic is porous, no matter how much it is scrubbed or sterilised it wil collect lots of nasties over time. I chuck my fermenters out after two years. Everything else is kept as is.
I believe beerstone might be more predisposed to thriving on / in porous surfaces (as opposed to metals and glasses), but I can't conclude this with absolute certainty. In any case, apart from those exploding bottles, everything else has been perfect in 17 years.
Beer is my language.