rcrabb22

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I think I make this same post every year, or at least feel the sentiment.

I bottle once a year, at Christmas time, to give my beer to family and friends as gifts. This year my gift list has increased to 6.5 cases and yesterday I washed every stinking bottle for the chore, actually 160 to have a few extra.
I used a bottle brush in each bottle and then thorough rinse. The activity took almost 5 hours and my hands and back were killing me by the time I finished.

It only took an hour or so to remember why I keg!

Bottle people: I COMMEND YOU FOR YOU EFFORTS!

Revvy

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If it's that hard for you, and that time consuming, then it's simple, you're doing it wrong. People like to blame bottling, and say kegging is so much better, when in reality if done right, with a process that works for us, it takes no more time than kegging. It takes me an hour to do either.

Rather than a bottle brush, you could have knocked the bottles out with a soak in oxyclean and hot water, even just leaving it overnight,followed by a rinse with a set bottle washer. I haven't touched a bottle brush in years. And then using a bottling process that is streamlined like I outline here.

with a soak, the time to rinse and bottle should have taken no more than 2 hours......

*shrug*

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Airborneguy

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I might actually be switching back to bottling soon. I need to downsize big time again, and even though bottle take up room, I can stack them much differently that I can stack my kegs and related equipment with the space I have. I prefer kegging, but bottling has its advantages. It is much easier to gift beer and bring it places in bottles IMO. I have growlers, but they never keep the right carbonation IMO.

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Varmintman

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While I salute you Revvy on your speed I will say I cannot even come close to washing and bottling 6+ cases in 2 hours. It takes me 2 hours with clean up to bottle 2 1/2 cases.

But I put my headphones on and listen to some Pink Floyd or Led Zep and enjoy a few beers while I do it so speed is not important to me just having some me time.

Sigh any more the only time I get to brew or bottle is after 10 at night

rcrabb22

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Maybe I was doing it wrong - but.........

1) I do not have a vessel large enough to soak 160 beer bottles at one time so it would have taken longer to soak and rinse in batches assuming a soak was an hour. I can fit 17 bottles in a 5 gal bucket and I have 2.

2) Most of my bottles are returns from previous gifting and I can't be sure all were rinsed. Some had some pretty nasty "debris" in them.

AND 3)

I was trying offer a compliment to those of you (including you!!!) that bottle. Based on the tone of you response, I guess that was lost in translation and for that I apologize

Mojzis

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I'm careful to clean them out well before I put them away after I use them. Then all they need is a quick shake with some star san. Takes me ~2hours for 4 cases with no fancy equipment, from taking out the equipment to cleanup. And moving at a slowish pace

Golddiggie

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Revvy, it takes me about 10 minutes to fill two 3 gallon corny kegs, and maybe another two minutes to purge them. How long for you to fill, and cap, six gallons of brew? I clean and sanitze the kegs when the kick, then seal them off. So not doing that on kegging day. Sanitizing the rest of the gear, and setup is maybe five minutes more. So, well under 20 minutes from start to finish. A bit better than the hour (for either) you posted. Granted, with my system, I can (and do) do everything at ground level (in the basement). I only lift the filled kegs and move the empty fermenting vessel over to the sink to be cleaned.

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Cranny04

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If it takes you an hour to keg.... You are doing it wrong

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Revvy

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I'm counting cleaning and sanitizing, and lubing the keg (and sanitizing the autospiphon) in the same timeframe (which you're doing when the keg is kicked). Just Like I count sanitizing bottles in the same timeframe of bottling. I'm still new to kegging so I know my process is rocky, but it's still between 45 minutes to an hour from start to finish for me to do either.

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Revvy's one of the cool reverends. He has a Harley and a t-shirt that says on the back "If you can read this, the bitch was Raptured. - Madman

I gotta tell ya, just between us girls, that Revvy is HOT. Very tall, gorgeous grey hair and a terrific smile. He's very good looking in person, with a charismatic personality... he drives like a ****ing maniac! - YooperBrew

TyTanium

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Sounded like a backhanded compliment. Don't worry about it; it's the internet, tone is tough. I'm sure you're a great guy.