Machine

Recipes 

I'm going to be bottling my first batch of beer on friday. Should I sanitize my bottles right before I want to bottle or will the bottles be ok if i sanatize them a day or two before i bottle them.

Lou

Recipes 

that depends a lot on what you do after you sanitize them...
if you sanitize them today, then put them on the bathroom floor next to your toilet, they'll need to be re-sanitized. if you sanitize them and cover them with flamed aluminum foil, they should be ok.
that being said, i recommend sanitizing with a no-rinse sanitizer immediately before bottling.

Blender

Recipes 

Yeah, don't put them next to the toilet. I always clean them beforehand and sanitize before bottling.

__________________
Gary

Machine

Recipes 

Cool i'll sanatize them right before bottling.

Willsellout

Recipes 

First post for me and I will also be brewing my first batch next weekend.
So there are sanitizers that require no rinsing then? That helps a lot as my kitchen sink is probably the smallest sink I have ever seen.


dan

brewhead

Recipes 

STAR SAN

no rinse use it.



buy it here or at your lbhs

make a spray bottle full of solution and you can spot spray it on equipment as needed.

do not use star san on aluminum.

__________________

Beer Snob

Recipes 

I have both Star San and One Step. I am not doing this purposely but I have seen that I use one product for one thing and the other for other things. Like I use Star San for carboys. But when I want to fill a bucket and just dump things in to sanitize I use One Step. Seem to use One Step for bottles. Fill the sink with water and One Step and toss bottles in it. I'm an old One Step user so I suppose I just feel more comfortable with it, but it interesting that I seem to have different uses for each product. I do have to say that the warnings on Star San are a bit worrysome to me when I decide to read them.

__________________
Michael

"Don't worry, have a homebrew." ,"The "Bible"

Cherries in the wheat
Michael's Wheat

Willsellout

Recipes 

Well I have to place an order for some supplies I didn't think about so I will just add this to the list. By the way, I bought a 5.5 gallon pot to boil the wort. Am I going to have boil overs with that or should I return it and get a larger pot?


Dan

Spyk'd

Recipes 

I'm a huge fan of using the "proper tool for the proper job" and believe that as homebrews, we need to have huge toolboxes!

I used to use bleach and hot hot water and was happy with that for years and it worked as long as you had 30 mins to soak and at least that again to allow for rinsing and more time to allow for drying. After my time became valuable (read: killer promotion) I gave Star San a shot.

Star San used to make me a bit worried as I went from having to soak things for 30 mins and rinse real well to having to soak for two mins and not rinse. How strong is this stuff? When things worry me I tend to research and I found it said in a few different places that Star San is as safe as bleach to handle. I have come to love Star San as the fumes aren't as strong as bleach and don't linger around the house.


I do still use bleach as one of my tools. It cleans carboys with NO effort. Even the grungiest carboys have come out as good as new by soaking them in a bleach solution of varying strenth over night, no scrubbing. Rinse well the next day. Bleach helps keep your drains clear and is super cheap. Simply amazes me every time.


When buying brew pots, the bigger the better. You will grow into it one day. I personally think you should 5.5 gallon is a tad small and would buy a minimum of 7.5 gallon, that way you are ready for full boils and all grain brewing in the future. Buy as large as you can afford. Do yourself a favor and buy a good quality stainless steel pot. A good pot will last a lifetime and make you many a batch 'o beer.

__________________
Primary:
Bleach
Secondary:
American Red
Keg Conditioning:
Gruit
On Tap:
ESB
Bottled:
Nada...
On Deck:
Porter, Belgian Abbey Ale

Brewno

Recipes 

I guess it's important to remember to wash the bottle everytime you finish a beer otherwise you'll be washing 50 or 60 of them all in one shot on bottling day.

Now, a question about washing. I will be bottling my first batch later this week.
I bought 2 cases of bottles and read somewhere that you don't have to wash new bottles, only sanitize?


Tommy