Beer Forum

Hello, does anyone had a problem with acetic bacteria? Beer was contaminated with that bacteria, and I'm looking for a way to guarantee that in future that bacteria will not appear again. So wich chemicals are the best to clean the equipment, and in what concentration?. And a another question is if the use of potassium sorbate protects beer against bacteria.
thanks and bye

Never had a problem with it myself, but proper sanitation should prevent infections causing acetic acid.
Star San or Idophor would be your best bet using manufacturer reccommended concentrations.
If you are using one of these products already, I'd inspect all of your fermentation equipment as well as transfer lines, racking canes etc. Potassium sorbate should only be added after fermentation has completed (although it doesn't normally need to be added in beer) as it will halt yeast reproduction. However, I don't think potassium sorbate will prevent acetic acid production since it (the source of the acid) is bacterial.

Keep it closed up once you're fermenting... fruit flies are notorious carriers of acetobacter.

Can you tell us more about your process and what sanitizers you're using and at what strength? Iodophor or starsan mixed at the proper concentration kills acetobacter. Did you taste the beer along the way and if so, when did the acetic acid start to show up?

Also, how old are the plastic/rubber/non-metallic parts in your system? (hoses, everything)
When was the last time you completely disassembled everything (bucket valves, etc) and sanitized it? Kegs? Replaced O-rings?

You need to think about every crack and crevice that bugs can hide in and ensure that they are completely cleaned and sanitized using star san.

HTH-

The contamination tarts at the fermentation step, and for sanituze I use a mix of products, I'll check out tomorrow to translate the ingredients. Anyway, I've heard that first use caustic soda rinse very well, and then chlorine.
The beer gets a thin whitelayer of foam at the fermenter when this bacteria appears.

I didn't realize that you don't have access to the sanitizers that we use in the US. It sounds like you found some caustic to clean with, which could be a good choice. Some brewers use OxyClean Free which is mostly sodium percabonate, for cleaning. It's cheap here and very effective. The 'free' version of OxyClean refers to fragrances and dyes. This is important as you don't want your beer to taste like lemon detergent. If you're using bleach to sanitize, my recollection is that it is effective if mixed at the right concentration but has a long contact time. You may also need to rinse (with boiled and then cooled water). Steam can also be a very effective sanitizer but probably difficult for sanitizing something the size of a carboy at home.

BDawg wrote:Also, how old are the plastic/rubber/non-metallic parts in your system? (hoses, everything)
When was the last time you completely disassembled everything (bucket valves, etc) and sanitized it? Kegs? Replaced O-rings?

You need to think about every crack and crevice that bugs can hide in and ensure that they are completely cleaned and sanitized using star san.

HTH-

This is exactly what Im doing after my pale out came out of the fermenter a contaminated mess. new hosing, cleaning everything with pbw, rinse and sanatizing. It was one of the most upsetting moments in my life knowing I had wasted those delicious hops.