woodeneye

Flies in general are naturally attracted to beer. Some old timers (I'm not one myself) may remember that they used to sell old fashioned glass hornet and fly traps for people's homes. One of the most common attractants used in these one way ticket to death style traps was flat beer. I believe Garret Wade still carries these in their catalog and online. Point being-flies and many other insects LOVE beer, kinda the way I do. So I'm always very careful about aanitizing my storage cooler and anything that goes in it with the LBK.

The math works out to about 6ml per gallon. I just use a small graduated cylinder for measuring it, rinse it a couple times to get all the StarSan out, and fill a 1 gallon jug, plus flush the jug out with a little extra water. It's not failed me yet.

Makes good cents, eh?

Haha!

When I first started brewing, I needed a vessel for sanitizing my equipment, for cleaning and sterilizing bottles, and other misellaneous uses throughout the brewing process. I use an auto-siphon for some of my equipment, which is quite cumbersome due to it's length and for my Mr. Beer equipment, I have a bottling wand and hydrometer that I sanitize, as well. As mentioned, bottles were something I particularly needed this for, along with my spatula, long whisk, 13" spoon, measuring cup, funnel, can opener, bottle caps, and measuring spoons. Initially, I used a food safe 2 gallon bucket, as a big kitchen bowl just didn't suit my needs, nor did a deeper pan. So, I was placing an order on Amazon and decided I could find something better to suit my needs. Sure enough, I found just what I needed and I have to say, it works spectacularly for my brewing uses. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0039V2G5E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It's just a simple Sterlite White 12 Quart Dishpan (very spacious) that you would likely be able to find at your Walmart or similar store. It's flat bottomed, easy to clean and clean in, plus - it has all the room you need for your longer items and you can fit several bottles in it at once for sanitizing. It gets used for every phase of brewing. If you can afford $4-5 then you can definitely add this or something similar to your list.

Welcome to the obsession! After you have brewed your first batch, you might consider getting another LBK and getting a pipeline going.

I use Five Star PBW (powdered brewers wash). This stuff works insanely well at cleaning fermenting vessels. Just mix accordingly to the amount you need. I do as Josh said, fill the fermenter and then let it sit until all traces of trub or dried on Krausen are gone. If you're in a hurry, you can rub some of the more stubborn spots with a soft clean wash rag, but this really isn't necessary. Just a good soaking will do it. It's strong stuff: then all that is required is a thorough rinsing. Easy as... Well, brewing with Mr. Beer!

Glad to have another member here. Just send any extra beer to me and you'll fit in great, I'm sure.

You'll be just fine. I've had to move my fermentation vessels (LBKs and 1 gallon glass jugs) multiple times due to temperature fluctuations in different areas of the house and because of this ever changing Spring weather and as long as you're not disturbing the brew too much, all is fine.

Thanks, guys. I think I have something worked out. Appreciate your input!

Fantastic! Nothing like when a good plan comes together, eh? I'll be brewing the Oktoberfest soon, so it's nice to hear it came out well. I've read this is a great refill. Thanks for the good report. Brew on!

Oh, and your choice of hops will help bring that out if so desired, also.

I know of Boneyard Grapefruit IPA. Yeasts, zests, essential oils could all be used to add a grapefruit like aroma and taste to your beer. You should look the IPA I mentioned up, unless you're going for a different style of beer.

I use multiple vessels, like Rick. But, since I use Five Star PBW, it cleans the bottles while the labels slip right off. Then I just scrub them with an ordinary dish towel to remove any residual glue (usually nine to very little left at this point) then transfer them to clean rinse water. I might use a bottle brush if I'm in doubt, but rarely am. That stuff works great! Five Star Powdered Brewery Wash is definitely worth every penny. It also is great for stuck on dried Krausen that you often find at the top of your fermenting vessel.

Hope it turns out good for you, Phil! Thanks for the suggestion.