With all the build up, we finally got here. My batch has been going for almost a week now. I am pretty sure that it is gong well but there is nothing that can be done if it is not at this point. I will just have to wait and see.

Speaking of going well, I think there is a lot of todo about sanitation. In fact, I think it is way overblown. I will explain. Most people’s foray into homebrewing starts with Charlie Papazian’s The Joy of Homebrewing. My starter equipment kit came with a copy. My used equipment also came with one. Before YouTube and the internet, books or classes were all that we had available for knowledge. While they are great for learning and reference, they lack wisdom.

The purpose of pitching yeast is to overwhelm anything else around and outcompete the wild yeast that may be present. We want the free sugar converted to alcohol as fast as possible to ensure that we are making the beer that we expect. Once there is no food (sugar) and alcohol, you have achieved self sanitation. These drinks are part of our culture because they were safer than water.

I feel as if every text that I have read treats sanitation as a religion. Please understand there is a difference between cleanliness and sanitation. There is a role for sanitation, breweries cannot afford to take risks for instance. For the homebrewer, I feel like the emphasis is highly overrated.

With all that said, I do sanitize where it seems appropriate. Here is where I do it, handling yeast (like my starter I made) and before brewing and on final clean-up. I sanitize my carboys and cap them after I clean them. I sanitize the funnel for pouring wort into the carboy and the fermentation valve before use. I will also add bleach to my bottle cleaning. But really that is it. The rest is extra work, risk and clean-up.

I think where people get really wacko is that it is possible to post ferment alcohol. For instance, making vinegar is done with a secondary fermentation that is caused by a bacteria. Clearly, if you desire one outcome and get another that is not really ideal. One text I read said that the bacteria is ever present, meaning it is always possible. The good news is the this is an aerobic bacteria, meaning dissolved oxygen is required to convert. The other good news is that no one should be re-oxygenating the beer or wine post fermentation because that will ruin your brew from oxidation as much as making vinegar. That is to say the amount of dissolved oxygen should be consumed by the yeast initially.

A few years ago, I heard a podcast from an author of a book called Make Mead Like a Viking. His point was that there was not all the knowledge of science and even sanitation in the past. I haven’t read the book but I think it will go on the list for the future. It definitely changed my perspective on this topic and made me realize that this was one of the things that go into the time to brew and thus decreasing my joy of homebrewing.

End Your Programming Routine: Charlie Papazian was right about one thing, “relax and have a homebrew”. What he was trying to say was don’t get so wound up about the details, science and technicalities. I am a firm believer in learning takes making mistakes and practice while paying attention to what you are doing will build proficiency. Hey, I am still trying and I have a chemistry degree so I understand the science. I probably started off too technical without the experience to understand where to care and where to let go.