Re: [CH] Little reminders we get every now and then....

Jim Graham (spooky130@cox.net)
Fri, 4 Jul 2008 16:34:30 -0500 

On Fri, Jul 04, 2008 at 02:38:52PM -0500, jim wrote:
> A good "buy some time" solution for the Hunan arms is a topical pain
> relief med like Solarcaine or Bactine.  If it works on sunburn, it
> will work on chiles :-)

I might try that.  My arms are fine now, but even with Latex gloves on,
I still ended up with Hunan hands.  I've always been amazed by how the
capsaicin can, after a while, soak right through Latex gloves like that.

> If your bottling temp is good, the boiling the clean bottles is a
> bit of overkill most times.

After sanitizing with Iodophor, all of that was a bit of overkill.
But....

When I was still able to brew (I will resume brewing, when I'm able to),
and I was doing yeast starters (where sanitization, and for the very
first, where you're starting from a scraping from an agar slant,
sterilizing---the one time in brewing where you CAN use that word), I
always used the following (simplified descriptions since it's OT, but
I promise, I am going somewhere with this!) process/rules:

   1) *NO* air flow (no heat, no A/C, no fans, and when yeast is
      exposed, ABSOLUTELY NO BREATHING)

   2) Clean Erl. flasks in hot caustic, scrub, rinse/drain.

   3) Sanitize flasks in Iodophor (minimum 20 minutes) for approx.
      99.99995% kill.  drain and set flasks inverted on paper towel
      sprayed with 153 proof grain alc.[1] (generic version of Everclear)
      to drain without bacterial contamination from the paper towel.

   4) After flasks are in sanitizer, start starter batch and boil for
      20 minutes.

   5) Spray (mist) 153 proof grain alc. into flasks (now upright).  Let
      sit for a few seconds while you spray any remaining flasks.  This
      will kill some of the tiny percentage of bacteria that survives.
      Ignite the alcohol with torch-type lighter (you have to make sure
      you have the high-grade flasks...not the low-quality "student"
      grade).  The quick burst of flame should take out a bit more of
      the tiny amount of surviving bacteria....  Never stand over flask
      while doing this---the flash of flame shoots straight up out of the
      flask.

   6) Gently pour (without aerating) boiling starter wort into flasks
      cap off with sanitized stopper, and gently roll to make sure
      boiling wort hits the entire inner surface of the flask...killing
      still more of the ever-decreasing population of surviving bacteria.

At this stage, the flask is STILL NOT STERILE...but it's pretty damned
close.  :-)    By the time I oxygenate with pure O2 and pitch good,
healthy yeast, whatever's left of the bacteria doesn't stand a chance.

[1] Maximum kill for alcohol is within the 73--75 percent alcohol range.
    Any higher or lower % alcohol reduces its value as a sanitizer.

Now, the Iodophor alone is enough for safe handling of yeast starters,
and the professional brewer friend of mine who was teaching me all he
knew told me that the steps with the alcohol (btw, he always has a
sprayer of pre-mixed Iodophor or grain alcohol sanitizer handy) might
be a bit of overkill....  I responded, and he then agreed, that when
it comes to sanitizing containers for handling yeast starters, overkill
(as in, over*KILL*) is a Good Thing.

------------------

Now, to get it back on topic....  The Iodophor + full 15 minute (plus)
boil of the bottles, full 15 minute boil of the hot sauce after blending
(hot), and pouring almost-still-boiling sauce into bottles that have
just been removed from the boiling water (I did three at a time),
capping off, and rinsing the outside of the bottles (to remove spill)
in boiling water, is probably serious overkill.  But I prefer that
to glass grenades.  :-)

Oh, more overkill---all prior to the mixer and the 15 minute boil after
the mixer:

   * I wasn't able to test the pH, but I'm guessing that, between the
     peppers, lime juice (1 lime), and the vinegar, it's low.

   * Also, I blanched the peppers (5 minute boil in vinegar) before
     using them.  Most of that vinegar boiled away (I kept and used
     what little was left for the 3 cups of vinegar that shows up in
     the recipe).

   * Finally, I boiled the carrots, onions, and garlic down (in water) until
     soft before they hit the mixer.

It's a little extra work, but IMHO, it's worth it.  Others are, of
course, free to disagree...might bother some, but it won't bother me.

Now, if the hot sauce I just made turns out to be crap, then I won't
be so happy about all of the work I put into it....

> Reasoning it out- the 195 F you're taking the sauce up to to kill the
> bacteria will also kill any that might have strayed into the bottles.

Hey, if I had an autoclave, I'd use it....  :-)    (But if you ever
look at the price of autoclaves, you'll know why I don't have one!)

Looks like my older cat needs to be carried back to his box so he can
go...so I'll end this long-*ss e-mail here.

Later,
   --jim

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