Since we launched our new powdered brewery cleaner, BBC, on Aug. 1, I’ve received some phone calls and emails asking about its usage. The single biggest question I’ve been asked is, “How is BBC different than Bru-R-Ez or Cell-R-Mastr?”
My short answer is this:
BBC has 10 times more alkalinity than Bru-R-Ez or Cell-R-Mastr at 1% w/w. In a nutshell, BBC (at 1% as supplied) is pH 12 compared to pH 11 for the other two in our line. This makes BBC closer in pH to traditional caustic cleaning but without the hazards of potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide. BBC provides caustic-like cleaning without containing any KOH or NaOH, (caustic) which means it uses hydrolysis in addition to normal displacement cleaning that non-caustic alkaline powdered brewery cleaners use to remove soil.
Other common questions I’m getting are: “How much should I use and at what temperature of water?” and “Where can I use it?”
Q: How much should I use and at what temperature of water?
A: My answer is (as it is for most of our brewery cleaners): 1-2 oz. per gallon of water, using 120-160°F water is ideal for most cleaning situations when using BBC. This gives BBC a very broad water temperature cleaning range.
Q: Where can I use it?
A: BBC can be used in the brewhouse, (mashtun brew kettle, heat exchanger) fermenters, serving tanks, brite tanks, kegs, packaging equipment, automatic dishwashing, just to name a few. It rinses as well as or better than any non-caustic cleaner out there. It works just about anywhere in the brewery and you should give it a try and see for yourself how well it works!
Click here for more information on BBC. To order BBC, contact us at (800) 525-0476 or [email protected].
Dana Johnson, Technical Director, Craft Brewing, Birko, can be reached at [email protected] or (303) 289-1090.
