Contamination by wild yeast and bacteria is one of the worst things for beer production, leading to a series of unwanted flavours which are usually thrown by the wayside. It is imperative that the cleanliness and sanitation of equipment be done properly and nowadays, companies have tons of options for sanitizing their gear, two of the most popular being Iodophor and Star San.

Iodophor is a sanitizer that relies on iodine to quickly rid the surfaces of brewing gear of living microbes that could spoil beer. While effective, Iodophor has a rather strong smell that’s noticeable even after emptying a fermentation vessel of a diluted solution, leading some brewers to believe it can impact beer’s taste. Alternatively, Star San is a phosphoric acid based sanitizer that, once properly diluted, has virtually no aroma and requires no rinsing, as the acid breaks down into what is essentially a yeast nutrient.

Wanting to understand if other types of sanitizers impact beer character, this question led to an experiment. 

Click here for the results of the sanitation test. 

Photo courtesy of Cade Jobe/Brülosophy