Brewpot cleaning

bigfloppy · October 9, 2013, 2:12pm

I just got my new Megapot 1.2. I got some PBW to clean it. Following the instructions on the container it says I should use 1 oz per gallon of water. So that would be 8 oz for my 8 gallon pot. That’s about $2.50 in PBW if I clean it with PBW every batch.

Do most of you with stainless pots soak in PBW after every batch? Up until now I had a 5 gallon aluminum pot and I would just wipe it down with a non-abrasive sponge. I figured I would try to be better at cleaning my new expensive pot but adding $2.50 a batch seems a little much. I am figuring let it soak once every 3 batches should work.

What do you think?

mattnaik · October 9, 2013, 2:18pm

Go get some Barkeepers Friend. Great Stainless cleaner and cheap.

ken_lenard · October 9, 2013, 2:35pm

We just had this CONVERSATION

on another board. Do you use Starsan to sanitize? If so, you should have a batch of it made for each brew session you do. When you’re done brewing, make sure that you save some of the Starsan solution and pour it into your brewpot after you’ve gotten it relatively clean. Let it soak for 30-60 minutes and then clean it up. I have been able to wipe beerstone away with a paper towel but I usually just use a green pad and off it comes. Cheers.

nighthawk · October 9, 2013, 2:41pm

Dawn dish soap for cleaning.

If you have a burnt on stain use enough PBW to cover the area.

nfctinken · October 9, 2013, 2:51pm

[quote=“Nighthawk”]Dawn dish soap for cleaning.

If you have a burnt on stain use enough PBW to cover the area.[/quote]

I second this one. Nighthawk with the good answer…AGAIN!

jaygtr · October 9, 2013, 4:33pm

I just wash out my brewpot with regular kitchen sponge (dedicated one for brewing) and unscented dish soap. Rinse it out really well after, then dry and store. When I’m setting up for the next brew, I again rinse it out just in case any dust or whatnot got in there.
I don’t see the use of sanitizing - it’s going to sit around until the next brew anyways, and the boil will kill anything in there during that boil.

gprix · October 9, 2013, 5:02pm

You can use PBW at far less than the recommended concentrations and it’s still very effective. I usually go with one or two tablespoons per 5 or 6 gallons.

rebuiltcellars · October 10, 2013, 4:09pm

You don’t need to get the kettle shiny clean after every brew. Beerstone won’t cause problems unless it gets really thick, which would take a lot of batches. PBW does work at lower than recommended doses, and if you can’t get any because you live in a country where it isn’t sold , you can use white vinegar. A liter to 10 gallons of water makes the whole kettle shiny if you let it sit overnight.

tookalisten · October 13, 2013, 1:56pm

I use StarSan just as Ken described in his post.

lute_m · October 14, 2013, 4:12am

I use a 1/4 scoop of Oxiclean Free in hot water then rinse…
Works great…
But needs to be Oxiclean Free, free of any additives.
I also use it to soak and clean my bottles.