What's your preferred sanitizer?
by Keith Brainard 9 Months, 1 Week ago
When I first started brewing, I used something like One-Step that just came with my kit with a carboy, bucket, capper, siphon, etc. Then I started to doubt the effectiveness of whatever powedered product I had - in some places it was sold as a cleanser only, not a sanitizer. So I switched to StarSan. I was happy with that, but my new LHBS doesn't carry StarSan, and the guy there (Zok - he had a tidbit in Sam Salagione's Extreme Brewing on page 141) swears by Iodophor, so I use that now.
I like StarSan because it's easy to use, and you can really feel it working, like when you get it on your hands, you can feel the acid burning at all your little cuts. I don't like StarSan because it can be tough to tell if it is cloudy, and thus not working any more, especially when it's in a big bucket or a non-transparent spray bottle.
I like Iodophor because you can see very easily if your solution is still working, based on color. I don't like Iodophor because undiluted, it will stain very easily. And I sometimes spill things when brewing or bottling.
I was just wondering what others used, and if they had any pros and cons on them.
Keith -
My Life With Beer -
Brainard BrewingPrimary:

Bottled: Cherry Sparkles, PostNatal IPA
Drinking: Dragon King High Gravity Pale Ale, Marynka Baltic Porter
Saving: Big Slick Imperial IPA, Mean Giant Double Stout