Hi guys
I’m not a chemist but I’m hoping I can get some advice with regards to brewing and specifically chemicals used to sanitise when brewing at home.
I regularly sanitise plastic fermenters for brewing with a mixture of thin household bleach and distilled vinegar in solution (2 tbsp of each in 20l of water). I have used this method on 15-20 batches of beer with no illness or ill effects for myself or any friends or family who have drank it. During my last brew I started to fill two fermenters with water and added the bleach and vinegar. I must have mixed it stronger than usual as the water turned bluey green which I understand signifies the production of chlorine gas / sodium hypochlorite - i’ve never observed this colour before when making the solution. I guess there must have been only 3 or 4 litres of water in each fermenter at this stage. I panicked as I understand that chlorine gas is extremely dangerous so I diluted the solution down with the hose before pouring it away and rinsing the fermenters down with tap water. I then filled each fermenter with 20l of water, adding the bleach and vinegar at the end which is obviously what I should have done first time around.
The fermenters where then left to soak for a while before the solution was poured away so I could fill them with unfermented wort which is now fermenting into beer.
My question is whether there could be any residue from the concentrated bleach and vinegar solution which may cause illness if consumed in the beer? This beer is being brewed for a special occasion so I need to be sure that it’s safe.
Thanks for your help!
