12 replies to this topic

[dungeonbrewer]

Just bottled a very nice IPA and when I went to clean the conical..I noticed that there is a residue that doesnt want to come off..I tried vinegar, one step...All I use to scrub is a vinyl scrubber as I do not want to damage the stainless steel. What could I use to get this off and WTH is it?? I figured that bar keepers friend would be to harsh and scratch..

[3rd party JKor]

Did it come from the beer or something else? PBW will take off anything that came from the beer. Otherwise you may want to try mineral spirits.

[dungeonbrewer]

Did it come from the beer or something else? PBW will take off anything that came from the beer. Otherwise you may want to try mineral spirits.

Came from the beer..what is PBW?

[stellarbrew]

Came from the beer..what is PBW?

Powdered Brewery Wash made by Five Star. It's available at pretty much all brew shops. I agree with JK that it will get rid of anything that comes from the beer.

[dungeonbrewer]

Came from the beer..what is PBW?

Duh..nevermind. I just looked it up. I thought it was abreviations for something my old brain didnt know. Thanks again. I will try that.

[tag]

Sounds like beerstone. If PBW doesn't work I would use BKF and a white scrubby.

[Sidney Porter]

Try caustic, it will be fine on SS.

[gumballhead]

Just bottled a very nice IPA and when I went to clean the conical..I noticed that there is a residue that doesnt want to come off..I tried vinegar, one step...All I use to scrub is a vinyl scrubber as I do not want to damage the stainless steel. What could I use to get this off and WTH is it?? I figured that bar keepers friend would be to harsh and scratch..

oxiclean free works just as well as PBW, if the wife has some already. it too will eat up anything organic.

[3rd party JKor]

A side note on oxiclean free...I had a jug of cheap wine someone brought over my house a while back and it sat around half full for about two years. I dumped it a few weeks ago and there was solid red coating of wine crud on the inside. I filled it with hot soapy water and let it sit for a few days, it did nothing to remove the residue. I next reached for the oxiclean, within seconds of adding the oxiclean the layer was completely dissolved. I was sold after that.

[zymot]

Did it come from the beer or something else? PBW will take off anything that came from the beer.

PBW = magic. Use nice hot water (am guessing ~135°) for maximum cleaning power.

[3rd party JKor]

PBW = magic. Use nice hot water (am guessing ~135°) for maximum cleaning power.

I believe Chris from Five Star said hotter is better, up until about 150F. At that point there are some negative reactions that can take place.

[strangebrewer]

A side note on oxiclean free...I had a jug of cheap wine someone brought over my house a while back and it sat around half full for about two years. I dumped it a few weeks ago and there was solid red coating of wine crud on the inside. I filled it with hot soapy water and let it sit for a few days, it did nothing to remove the residue. I next reached for the oxiclean, within seconds of adding the oxiclean the layer was completely dissolved. I was sold after that.

Yup I use oxiclean on the carboys I bulk age wine in for 6-12 months. When I rack out of them the glass is stained purple inside. I fill them full of hot water then a scoop of oxiclean and you can watch the purple film dissolve in seconds. Just have to remember to rinse WELL afterwards to make sure you get it all out.

[beach]

+1 on the oxyclean. If your water is hard add 1/2 cup of sodium carbonate, sold as Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda. When I have tough to remove stuff on stainless I use 1/2 cup sodium carb/ 5-gallons H₂O, 2 tbsp Red Devil TSP/90 /gallon, & 4 tbsp oxyclean (actually Dollar store Sun oxygen cleaner)/ gallon & let it soak over night. Also, my water is around 140^o F.