reinkingg

Recipes 

I'm almost ready to bottle. (1-3 days) I have some questions though.

I have with me three different options for sanitizing, (iodophor, clorox, star san) which do you recommend and how is it used to sanitize for bottling?

Any addicional handful tips on bottling day???

uglygoat

Recipes 

this is what i do when i bottle.

make sure all the bottles have been scrubbed free of any residue or nasties on the inside. i usually do this as i consume the beer in the bottle, simply rinse it out and put it aside. sometiems if i let the bottles sit for a spell, i soak them in bleach water adn scrub them out with a bottle brush, then rinse them.

on bottling day, i put them in a big bucket full of iodophor... take them out of the bucket as i need them, pour the iodophor out, and shake it a few times to get any left overs out, then bottle.

__________________
A barrel of malt, a bushel of hops, you stir it around with a stick
The kind of lubrication to make your engine tick

never argue with an idiot, they'll just drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Wayne Havens

Recipes 

I also use idophor. I wash my bottles well and let them dry on my bottle tree. When I bottle I rinse the inside with idophor right before filling with beer.

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Wayne Havens
www.waynehavens.com
Drinking-Allagash Belgian Tripple, Victory's Golden Monkey, Sierra Nevada Porter

Lost

Recipes 

star san will not cause any off flavors at higher than recommended concentrations, nor will it affect the yeast... sounds pretty fool proof to me. I've been using it for a bit now and haven't had any problems in any of my latest batches. It sanitizes in 30 secs to 1 min.. so you can sanitize every thing before it touches your beer... and after it accidently contacts the countertop, floor, your hand, etc. If made with distilled water and kept in a cool dark place (under the sink) in a sealed container (spray bottle) it'll stay fresh for weeks; it's getting old when it becomes hazy. If you make a habit of rinsing the bottles thoroughly after use and sanitizing them and then sealing them with plastic wrap then the only thing you need to sanitize on brewday is the stirring spoon and the bottle caps. If you let the bottles sit and develop a bunch of gunk on the inside then I'd soak them in bleach and scrub 'em with a bottle scrubber.

On a side note, remember to boil your priming sugar solution before adding to the bucket (3/4 cup = 5 oz and is generally the right amount for a 5 gal. batch). Put the sugar solution in first and then siphon the beer onto the solution. Many have suggested that this sufficiently distributes the sugar but I believe based on personal experience that this is not the case. You definately need to stir the beer to distrube the sugar evenly otherwise you'll have fizz bombs and flat beer. Be forwarned though, stir the beer very very gently.. avoid aerating the beer.