Importance of cleaning vs sanitizing
Hello all! I made my first successful(?) batch of kvass. I used this for my recipe. https://www.fermentingforfoodies.com/traditonal-sourdough-kvass/ For my bread I used Delba pumpernickel from Germany, organic raisins, and whatever instant yeast I had lying around.
My questions are pretty much around my fermenting vessels. I bought a kombucha vessel with a mesh lid off amazon with a spigot for easy bottling, and some flip top bottles. I have experience with brewing beer in the past which begs the question about sanitizing. Beer, if you do or don't know, is very specific about sanitizing everything. Kvass doesn't seem to have this warning except in the recipe if you are keeping it for longer than 2 weeks. My method for cleaning was using extremely hot tap water and Dawn dish soap, washing multiple times, allowing to dry completely, re-assembling the spigot onto the bottle followed by another wash. Bottles were cleaned in the same way. I'm wondering if anyone who has more experience can just tell me that that amount of cleaning is fine, or if I should have sanitized as one does for beer. I mean this drink is 1000 years old and I'm pretty sure they didn't sanitize, but that was then and this is now.
I will say that I took a little sample as I was bottling and it tasted like I remember (our Russian friends in Canada had a bottle of it and let me try like 10 years ago. I forget the brand, but I think it has a monk or something on the label?). I have a friend who's very excited to try it and I'd rather not kill him, or myself.