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i've just bottled a ginger beer that was in the fermenter for more than a month. there is a line going around where the krausen was and i can't remove it. it's sticky and waxy and if i try to wipe it off it just spreads out. can i scratch it off or is there a better way? what has caused this.

i always get a line where the krausen was but it normally comes off with a bit of brewing detergent and water.

NEver had waxy before, but I would try boiling water swished around. This will give you the heat and the movement. After swishing if still not gone use a chux and try wiping it off once it's hot. It should come off...

Try a few teaspoons of neo-pink or similar, fill with hot tap water and let sit for 4-5 hours. I'd reckon that would lift it off.

Hot water, alkaline salts/napisan/diswasher detergent, rubber gloves, green plastic scourer, elbow grease.

Do not scratch the inside of your fermenter, as this would provide nice safe homes in which bacteria could hide from your sanitisation agents.

Just take care with the green plastic scourers - I buy the Scotch Brite but once did an experiment before using it on a non-stick pan. Used a damp one and very firmly rubbed some glass... the scotch brite ones will scratch both glass and stainless steel when you rub hard... shame cause they work so well getting muck off. Maybe other brands are not so abrasive.

I agree. Soak. Don't Scrub.

Dilute bleach solution or similar. You could make it a little stronger that what's normally used for disinfecting and it shouldn't do any harm. You can get some Home Brand baby bottle wash from the supermarket that should do the trick too.

Bleach is great at eating gunk. Try dropping a cap full or so in your dunny every now and then if you are too lazy to scrub it Wait 30 mins and it'll be sparkling.

Generally filling & soaking your fermenter even in plain water for a little while will make it easier to remove even with a standard sponge. Those plastic scourers work ok too, just don't scrub too hard.

afromaiko wrote:Bleach is great at eating gunk. Try dropping a cap full or so in your dunny every now and then if you are too lazy to scrub it Wait 30 mins and it'll be sparkling.

i do that too!

There is a scourer by Selleys called wash up WIZ that will not scratch. Never seen it in a supermarket (looked real hard) but you can get it at bunnings in the houshold cleaning section. Absolutely amazing product... lasts forever and works a treat.

i tried soaking over night in bleach solution but it wouldn't come off so i tried boiling water and that didn't work. i had to use a green plastic scourer and a bit of elbow grease

Bloody hell, can't believe the bleach didn't take it off. Wonder what it was. Being a ginger beer, I wonder if it's the artificial sweetener they use in it that could have been a bit sticky?

If bleach didn't clean it up then give vitalogy's tip a whirl.

vitalogy wrote:Try a few teaspoons of neo-pink or similar, fill with hot tap water and let sit for 4-5 hours. I'd reckon that would lift it off.

Cheers,
Greg

Would it be safe to try giving it a wipe over with metho?

^^ i was thinking metho as well. it evaporates off clear if any is left behind anyway.

The "black and gold" green scourers are soft enough to not be very good at getting gunk off, so I feel OK using them on my fermenters.

anthony wrote:There is a scourer by Selleys called wash up WIZ that will not scratch. Never seen it in a supermarket (looked real hard) but you can get it at bunnings in the houshold cleaning section. Absolutely amazing product... lasts forever and works a treat.

I second the use of the wash up Wiz, a great product. I get mine through my local Mitre 10, i've also never seen it in supermarkets.