Hi,
I just like the title says… I got something going on and trying to figure it out.
I am scrambling to prep for my brew session in the morning.
If you mix what I think is the approved ratio of a fuzz less than a 1/4 oz starsan concentrate to a gallon of RO/DI water, mix it, should there be ANY taste if you try a tiny bit?
I got taste…
thanks Kevin
Yes, if you just take a mouthful it tastes like flavorless lemon juice. Just the acid, no lemon. Also akin to licking a 9 volt battery that only has a couple volts left. Mine is 6ml in 1 gallon distilled, FYI.
Now if you want to know what iodophor tastes like, you’ll have to ask someone else. [emoji3]
Thanks Jim, that is what mine tastes like. Both the old batch and the new batch.
So if a 1/4 cup is left in the 5 gallon keg, will that will leave no taste in the beer?
I have an slight acid/sour taste in my last 2 beers. I am trying to figure it out.
The left over yeast cake beer that I poured off the same batch tasted GREAT and no sour taste, beer out of the keg same batch has a slight sour taste… ugh
thanks Kevin
I really don’t know. I suppose in a light flavored beer, maybe. Probably not in an IPA. But that’s just a guess. I’m am outlier around here. I use no-rinse dilution iodophor in my kegs, drained thoroughly.
Have you tried inverting the keg after purging the sanitizer out and then allow any remaining sani to drip and collect to the lid? Then you can hook up your gas and blast any remaining sani out through the PRV. May not be perfect but better than leaving a 1/4 cup behind… 
Brewinhard -
That is brilliant !!
I made 2 batches of beer a couple weeks ago and did a closed transfer from fermenter to serving keg with a spunding valve.
Beers were a munich helles and a light kolsch - so those light beers would not hide any off flavors or acid starsan if that was the problem.
I was thinking that I did not get enough starsan out of the closed kegs and that is causing the sour/acid taste.
After I tasted the yeast left over beer it was great and definitely not like the keg beer. I have been kegging beer for years and not had this issue as always had dumped the starsan out and did an open transfer.
thanks for the ideas.
If anyone has experience with starsan tastes in beer please let me know.
thanks haeffnkr
The PRV isn’t flush with the lid inside so a little will be left. On another thread I saw the suggestion of trimming the gas-in dip tube flush with the inside of the keg. Then tip the upside-down and pre-pressurized keg a little so that’s the lowest point and let the sanitizer settle. Then blow it all out by popping a QD on the gas post. If you want to take all the trouble, that sounds like the emptiest you’ll ever get the keg.
But there may still be foam, and I don’t like to use Star San as a no rinse except for spraying or dipping little things where it’s the easiest option and not much will be left. Never on a fermentor or keg, there’s just too much chance of a nasty taste. And have you noticed the smell/taste/sliminess of Star San gets worse the older it gets? Where possible I use no-rinse (12.5ppm) iodophor. Drains well. (I just clear it out from the liquid side and have no taste issues, but i dont have trimmed dip tubes, so probably less than an ounce is left.)
Sure it was only a 1/4 cup?
So 5 gallons of proper dilution starsan has ~30ml of straight starsan in it. It’s 50% phosphoric, isn’t it? Equal to 5 times that amount of 10% phosphoric, like some of us use to acidify mash?
So 30ml of 50% is equal acid to 150ml of 10%. But that’s the full 5 gallons. There’s 80 quarter cups in 5 gallons, 150ml÷80 quarter cups = <2ml of 10% phosphoric (if my math is close)
I can’t believe anyone could detect that. Or is my math way off? I mean, I’ve used 30ml of 10% before and no one could taste it
Is it all phosphoric or is there some nitric and other stuff that might taste stronger too? I can’t remember, I might have the msds somewhere in my phone.
50% Phosphoric acid 75%
15% Dodecylbenzene Sulfonic acid
10% Isopropyl alcohol
Doesn’t sound like I want to drink it.
Ya but my phone wasn’t all the way down the basement.
Just for clarity, I’m only saying that I doubt it’s a 1/4 cup of properly diluted starsan that is making 5 gallons of beer taste acidic or sour.
I’ve never put it to the test, but I’ve heard people who swear any amount will affect taste and avoid it as a no rinse altogether. My concern in a keg would be that the foam is so durable, you wouldn’t know just how much is really left on there. So youre right, could have beeb more than 1/4c.
It’s great - reminds me of an Outward Bound trip where we had to sanitize all our drinking water (from various streams we would come across in the woods) with iodine drops. After a while it really grows on you, especially when you drink nothing but water for 3 weeks.
There ya go! See, we don’t ALL have to know everything. Each of us knows something! Yea!
That Bizarre Food guy gets downright giddy when he finds some odd animal part that tastes like iodine. He’s pretty outward bound I guess. So, which is worse? Star San or iodophor?
If you can taste the sanitizer you are not using enough hops
I have dry hopped my Star San for a particularly over the top IPA in the past…
Does not surprise me [emoji6]
