Cleaning brewing equipment – cleaners, sanitisers and bottle washers
Here you will find cleaners such as PBW and Chemipro Wash, acid sanitisers such as Star San, Chemipro San and Saniclean, brushes, bottle rinsers, bottle washers, keg washers and bottle drying racks. All brewing equipment that touches wort or beer after the boil must first be cleaned and then sanitised. The range suits homebrewers and smaller breweries alike.
Clean first, sanitise second
Clean with an alkaline cleaner that dissolves organic residue. PBW is dosed at 7–14 g per litre of warm water, or 21 g for heavy soil, and is safe on stainless steel, rubber, plastic and soft metals such as copper and brass. Do not use it on Teflon.
Rinse with clean water.
Sanitise with an acid sanitiser. Star San is mixed at 15 ml in 9.5 litres of water, and Chemipro San at 15–25 ml per 10 litres with at least 1 minute contact time. Both foam and reach awkward spots.
The manufacturers now recommend rinsing acid sanitisers off with water after use. Acid sanitisers are not suitable for soft metals.
Product
Type
Dosage
PBW
Alkaline cleaner
7–14 g per litre of warm water
Chemipro OXI
Oxidising cleaner for light soil and bottles
4 g per litre of warm water
Star San
Acid sanitiser, high-foaming
15 ml per 9.5 litres of water
Chemipro San
Acid sanitiser, high-foaming
15–25 ml per 10 litres of water
Chemipro CIP
Acid sanitiser, low-foaming
25–40 ml per 10 litres of water
Washers, brushes and drying racks
The Mark II Keg Washer has a reservoir of about 4 litres and a pump of around 22 litres per minute that sprays corny kegs, fermenting buckets and hoses.
The FastWasher 24 (0.33 litre) and FastWasher 12 (0.5–0.75 litre) wash a full rack of bottles in a tub. The plastic does not tolerate acid sanitisers over time.
Ferrari bottle rinser, rotating bottle tree for 45 bottles and FastRack racks.
Brushes for bottles, fermenters, dip tubes and hoses, and a brush plug for beer taps.
Frequently asked questions about cleaning brewing equipment
What is the difference between PBW and Star San?
PBW is an alkaline cleaner that removes organic residue and deposits. Star San is an acid sanitiser for equipment that is already clean. Use PBW first and Star San afterwards.
Do I need to rinse after Star San?
Star San, Chemipro San and Saniclean have been used as no-rinse sanitisers, but rinsing with water after use is now recommended under current regulations.
Which cleaner can be used on copper and brass?
PBW is safe on soft metals such as copper, aluminium and brass. Acid sanitisers such as Chemipro San and Chemipro CIP are not suitable for soft metals.
How can I wash lots of bottles quickly?
The FastWasher sprays a whole rack of bottles at once in a tub. For fewer bottles, a bottle rinser with sanitiser and a bottle tree will do.
