Prepare sanitizer solution

Prepare a sanitizer solution according to the manufacturer's instructions. Typically, this will be 1-2 ounces of sanitizer diluted in 5 gallons of water. While homebrewers in the old days often made sanitizer from a solution of household bleach, most brewers today use one of the following special-purpose food-grade sanitizers:

• Iodine-based sanitizers like B-T-F Iodophor and Five Star IO Star
• Acid-based sanitizers like Five Star Star-San

Neither kind of sanitizer solution requires rinsing when used at the manufacturer's recommended concentration, and both varieties are effective.

Please note that iodine-based sanitizers like Iodophor will stain plastic and other surfaces as well. It's okay if your fermentor gets a yellow stain, but you may not want that to happen to your kitchen counter. Brewers using an acid-based sanitizer like Star-San shouldn't fear the foam. The foam means it's working!

On the next page, Steve Koenig will show you how we use Star-San at Craft Beer & Brewing.