Issue with long-term bottle conditioning

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nufad

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I apologize if this has been asked before, but I've recently been confronted with a sanitation problem that is frustrating me. I bottled a RIS and a high gravity christmas ale in September, and both have shown signs of infection (over-carbonated, tasted like band-aids), but only after a few months of bottle conditioning. I use One-Step sanitizer, and follow the directions provided on the package. All my bottles are soaked in PBW overnight, and rinsed throughly before I sanitize them. Since One-step is a sanitizer, and not a sterilant, I wonder if I should follow a more rigorous cleaning protocol when cleaning bottles that I intend to use for long-term bottle conditioning - e.g., sterilizing the bottles in the oven, or using bleach. Does anyone have any experience with this? Thank you in advance for your help!
 
If you are soaking overnight in pbw, rinsing, then soaking in 1 step, it sounds like your issue is somewhere else. How about your bottling bucket? Hoses, bottle caps, ect... Problem could have been before bottling and takes time to develop in the bottle.
 
If you are soaking overnight in pbw, rinsing, then soaking in 1 step, it sounds like your issue is somewhere else. How about your bottling bucket? Hoses, bottle caps, ect... Problem could have been before bottling and takes time to develop in the bottle.

Bottling bucket: I normally make 10L batches in a 3 gallon carboy, so my bottling bucket is often my 18L brew kettle. I scrub it between boils, and soak it in sanitizer for at least 10 minutes before bottling. I have a feeling that this might be the culprit. I've since picked up a dedicated bottling bucket.

Hosing: throughly rinsed with hot water between uses. I soak the tubing in PBW for ~10 minutes before bottling, rinse thoroughly with hot water, and sanitize before use

Caps: as is, soaked in sanitizer for at least 10 minutes before bottling
 
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