Thursday, February 26, 2009

Sanitation is Essential for Making Good Wine (or Beer!)

Wine (and beer) is created when yeast converts sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

The environment created when you mix sugar and water and put it in a warm place is perfect for beer brewing or winemaking but it is also a perfect place for the growth of bacteria.

The way to make sure that it is your brewer's or wine yeast that gets a good start and not a bacteria culture that can overwhelm your beer, make sure that you take extreme care to sanitize everything that comes in contact with your wort (beer before it is beer) or must (wine before it is wine).

Wash (with dish soap and water), then rinse with clear hot water and then soak your equipment in sanitizing solution for 10 minutes (or longer). Fill your fermenter with sanitizing solution and then place all of your equipment into the fermenter to soak.

When ready to use a piece of equipment remove it from the fermenter and rinse it with very hot water (unless you are using a no rinse sanitizer such as Easy Clean).

BlueStem Winery is a full service home brewing supply retailer located in Parkersburg, Iowa. In addition to stocking a complete line of beer brewing kits, supplies and equipment, BlueStem also stocks a large inventory of both WinExpert and Cellar Craft wine kits for the person who enjoys making wine at home.

Stop in the store in Northeast Iowa or visit the BlueStem Winery website for all your homebrew beer and winemaking equipment.

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