Sodium hypochlorite and food / brewing safety

[JimmyLasers]

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!

 

 

[beecee]

24 minutes ago, JimmyLasers said:

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.

A long long time ago, when I wore a younger man's clothes [to quote a great singer and song] I also brewed my own beer. While sterilization is certainly the most important part of the process, all we used was Hypo [Sodium hypochlorite] then washed the bottles out with clean water, and stand upside down overnight to drain properly. We only ever had a problem with our first batch, after which we were brewing a great drop that was the envy of all my friends, with no ill effects after drinking!

Edited June 3, 2019 by beecee

[StringJunky]

Ditch the vinegar.

[John Cuthber]

35 minutes ago, JimmyLasers said:

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?

No.

But I'd consider using sodium metabisulphite next time.

[MigL]

I'm not a chemist either, but ( I'm ashamed to admit ) I work with chemicals.
And I don't understand the benefit of using an oxygen scavenger for disinfecting.
Can you elaborate John ?

I make wine; and sodium metabisulphite can be used to stop fermentation ( for obvious reasons )

( Wouldn't the most benign disinfectant be dilute H2O2 ? )

Edited June 3, 2019 by MigL