Star San withdrawn from sale in EU?

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I would be wondering if the Starsan without the surfactant has been banned also, the surfactant in Starsan is also used in pesticides.
Yeah but!! A surfactant is just a wetting agent. A wetting agent is needed with a sanitiser to make sure the active ingredient (the sanitiser) comes into direct contact with the article to be sanitised. Just the same with a pesticide. There's no reason at all why they shouldn't use the same surfactant.
 
Is it necessary?
Until you've had it you'll never know. It really is one of those sod all that other faff type things. It's like the "In my day..." Monty Python sketch. We had tut mix up sanitiser, break upt campden, swill wee that, then a rinse... etc. I'm a right tight gettt and I'm so on board.

It's kinda like this - imagine there's a bus that gets you into town for a quid and it takes 55 minutes and sometimes it doesn't turn up. Then there's the bus you pay £15 quid for up front for and it takes 25 minutes and it's always there. Always. And you can keep riding it.

And I push back until I'm broken. It's good.
 
Is it necessary? I use an Oxyclean type cleaner to clean bottles and fermenter and never had any problems. If I'm really paranoid I'll put about a pint of hot water and a teaspoon of bisulphite and close the fermenter.
Best practice is to rinse and bottles well, after use and clean the fermenter removing all traces of yeast and dry, after use.
I'm pretty sure that you're right. My brews in the 1980s used to get the occasional infection. I haven't had a brew "go off" for 20 years, and I've only used StarSan (or equivalent) in the last 5 years. Still, it does make me happier having a spray bottle and squirting things relentlessly before I use them!
 
Is it necessary? I use an Oxyclean type cleaner to clean bottles and fermenter and never had any problems. If I'm really paranoid I'll put about a pint of hot water and a teaspoon of bisulphite and close the fermenter.
Best practice is to rinse and bottles well, after use and clean the fermenter removing all traces of yeast and dry, after use.
Ha ha ha! No. Best practice is not this. Best practice is what the most successful breweries do, as contamination is costly. I guarantee they do more than this.
 
Yeah but!! A surfactant is just a wetting agent. A wetting agent is needed with a sanitiser to make sure the active ingredient (the sanitiser) comes into direct contact with the article to be sanitised. Just the same with a pesticide. There's no reason at all why they shouldn't use the same surfactant.
I think you will find that the people using it are not using it as per instructions, (LET IT DRY) I use PAA myself what most breweries would use, no surfactant, no rinse,no drying and no problems. Supposedly the best biocide known to man.
 
Ha ha ha! No. Best practice is not this. Best practice is what the most successful breweries do, as contamination is costly. I guarantee they do more than this.

But we're not a brewery. Breweries use new bottles or cans and clean with steam or hot water. As I said I've never had a problem in 40 * 23 pt batches
 
I stocked up yesterday when I saw this on Facebook. I'll have enough star san to last 5 years and at least a couple of years of PBW.

I really hope that it's just a labelling issue and supply resumes soon. Starsan is just too convent. Short contact time, no rinse, can be stored for reuse, doesn't immediately burn your flesh to the bone if you get a drop of it on your skin.

As a homebewer this is annoying but I imagine there are breweries out there that are ******** it, or does everyone use paracetic acid?
 
I think you will find that the people using it are not using it as per instructions, (LET IT DRY) I use PAA myself what most breweries would use, no surfactant, no rinse,no drying and no problems. Supposedly the best biocide known to man.
How do you store the PAA? Doesn't it have a very low flash point? I know it's meant to be a very good sanitiser but I'd didn't seem like a good choice for home use, a bit like caustic for cleaning.
 
But we're not a brewery. Breweries use new bottles or cans and clean with steam or hot water. As I said I've never had a problem in 40 * 23 pt batches
Lucky you. Although that still doesn't make what you do, best practice. It's a case of mitigating risk, and using a sanitiser will always be better practice than not using one.
 
Never used Starsan as I use Videne no rinse solution, it's a bit of a pain to get hold of, well that's what the other half tells me but it lasts me for ages.
 
Just a word of caution when seeking alternatives and I don't really know what i'm talking about but other no rinse food grade sanitisers may have an effect on yeast which star san doesn't or I could be wrong maybe someone who knows could clarify.
 
How do you store the PAA? Doesn't it have a very low flash point? I know it's meant to be a very good sanitiser but I'd didn't seem like a good choice for home use, a bit like caustic for cleaning.
I buy 2 litres at a time and it is stored in the fridge,shelf life of PAA is much the same as Star San around a year undiluted.
 
Why are everyone stocking up on a product that has been withdrawn for a reason we can only best guess. I for one will put it on hold till the truth is known. There are plenty of other sanitisers that have not been withdrawn.
 
Hmmm, I don't know whether to stop using Star San. It's used in the dairy industry and millions upon millions of people drink that every day and I think they're all going to die of something. I'm sticking with 8 pints of stuff with a reliable poison in it that'll only give me liver damage or mouth or colon cancer, sod that milky timebomb.
 

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