Using Sodium Metabisulphate ?

BeerKiller · Post by **BeerKiller** » Sunday Mar 20, 2005 7:52 pm

From what I can gather most guys here are not big big users of this stuff but I was recently told that the way to use it is to make a mix up then put a bit in the bottom of the bottle swirl it round and tip it out as the work is done as it dries off. Tried that today before bottling up my brown ale so I hope it works.
Was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this method ?

munkey · Post by **munkey** » Sunday Mar 20, 2005 8:20 pm

they use this stuff in wine i think when they are starting off the ferementation, to suppress the wild yeasts on the grapes, they use it in gas form i think,

back to the point wont it give you guidelines to make up a cleaning solution on the tub?. i would just follow this and as you say swill it round and let it dry off,

and the point of the first bit, if it suppresses yeast then if theres a resadue in the bottle then it may hinder the cardonation and conditoning????

BeerKiller · Post by **BeerKiller** » Sunday Mar 20, 2005 10:14 pm

Hi there munkey, A bit of SMB residue doesn't affect carbonation/conditioning(I'm pretty sure) as the run of the mill procedure is to fill botles with it and let sit for 2-3 hours before emptying and draining. (as I've always done)
Yes it is used in making wine.
But recently I heard the correct way to use it is to swill a bit around (not fill the bottle) and then drain, as it does very little untill it is drying/evaporating (gas form ?).
What I'm saying is instead of needind 20 odd litres of solution to fill all your bottles you use 1-1.5 litres to tip a couple of mm's into each bottle swill around and then drain as normal.
BTW if anyone has a better way to steralise (Sorry Dogger "sanatise") bottles fell free to let me know.

Dogger Dan · Post by **Dogger Dan** » Sunday Mar 20, 2005 11:28 pm

It will kill the yeast, that is why you add it to the wine, to stop the fermentation.

Rinse well, I don't like the stuff, pricey. If it were as cheap as bleach I would.

Dogger

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Monday Mar 21, 2005 8:38 am

I use SMBS on my plastic fermenters (fill with a diltute solution and leave for 30min then rinse well) and bleach on my glass bottles (swill a tiny bit around and then rinse with cold then hot water). The reason I only use bleach on the glass is that the bleach smell is too hard to get out of the plastic.

Any tips?
Jay.

BeerKiller · Post by **BeerKiller** » Monday Mar 21, 2005 8:52 am

Thanks Guys, A bit of food for thought there

stevem · Post by **stevem** » Monday Mar 21, 2005 10:43 am

I think what is also important here with whatever you use, is to make sure you have long enough contact time to kill all the beasties. With SMBS you need to rinse and leave it for an hour before rinsing with water. With bleach I think about 20 to 30 minutes is required, may be longer.

Steve

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Monday Mar 21, 2005 1:44 pm

Depends on concentration of bleach as well.

Jay.

BPJ · Post by **BPJ** » Monday Mar 21, 2005 3:25 pm

Only used when I first started. Never liked it as the vapours gave me hiccups.

General · Post by **General** » Monday Mar 21, 2005 4:02 pm

I use about 5ml bleach in each stubbie, filled with water, left for an hour then rinsed twice to get rid of the smell.

But I'm looking for a less time consuming way of sanitising, still using bleach, is there a better way?

I also use about a cup of bleach in the fermenter and fill with water for an hour, with all my other stuff (paddle etc) in it.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Monday Mar 21, 2005 5:36 pm

Straight bleach in the bottle should work on any nasties within a few seconds if the bottles are cleaned properly (ie no film).

I swill about 5mls of bleach around in each bottle for about 10 seconds, making sure to coat all sufaces, then I rinse thoroughly firstly with cold and then hot water. The hot water gets rid of the smell quicker

Done this a few times now and no problems (30minutes to sanitise+30minutes to rack/bottle). I still sanitise my fermenters for 30 minutes though as I don't like putting straight bleach into it (can't get the smell out

). This isn't a problem when racking/bulk priming before bottling as you fill the fermenter first and while it's sanitising do all the bottles

Cheers,
Jay.

Dogger Dan · Post by **Dogger Dan** » Monday Mar 21, 2005 10:08 pm

Holy Crap,

What do you guys have living in your kit down there?

Bleach is a contact sterilant and with the use of hot water, things can be sterilized in a few minutes, with only a wee bit. Will get the actual ratios later.

Dogger

r.magnay · Post by **r.magnay** » Tuesday Mar 22, 2005 8:18 pm

I'm with you Dogger, half a cup in a sink full of water, two stubbies in each hand till they are nearly full, tip the contents out and stick on the drain tree! If I am in a hurry to get bottling, rinse in cold water the same way (without the bleach) and into it.

GTI86 · Post by **GTI86** » Tuesday Mar 22, 2005 10:08 pm

I use one off those big plastic storage containers holds 50 litres i think
half full of water 1 1/2 cups bleach half fill bottles with solution and rinse
with cold water bottle straight away never had an infection while using bleach and melbourne tap water.
takes me about an hour in total to sanitse and bottle

grabman · Post by **grabman** » Tuesday Mar 22, 2005 11:41 pm

I'm with GT, although I admit to being slack sometimes and soaking bottles in 50L tub the day before, then on bottling day shake, drain and rinse in hot water, then place on bottle tree. Then straight into bottling, the water/bleach solution from tub is then used to clean fermenter!

haven't seen a problem yet

The hooha man · Post by **The hooha man** » Tuesday Mar 22, 2005 11:50 pm

I've just purchased some brewshield,have any of you guys used this to any great affect?

What are your experiences with the non-rinse sanitisers

Cheers

Dogger Dan · Post by **Dogger Dan** » Wednesday Mar 23, 2005 1:30 am

I don't like them, I don't believe they work

Dogger

grabman · Post by **grabman** » Wednesday Mar 23, 2005 9:12 am

never tried the non rinse idea, always feel that something must be left behind in the bottle! all i want in my botles etc is my beer after all

Dogger Dan · Post by **Dogger Dan** » Wednesday Mar 23, 2005 10:26 am

Thanks Grab,

That is exactly what I was eluding to.

Dogger

General · Post by **General** » Wednesday Mar 23, 2005 1:42 pm

Dogger,

As for what we have growing down here, other than the world's deadliest spiders, snakes etc, I've only been following the instructions on the Coopers video, but gleaned that everyone else is doing it quicker.

r.magnay,

Does that mean I don't need to leave my stubbies to soak with a bleach/water solution?

I might start using Jay's idea, can I reuse the run off bleach?

P.S. I'm an absolute moron when it comes to chemistry, forgive my ignorance.