Batch bottle cleaning - is there a better way??

Just wondering if anyone has a better/quicker way to clean 40 or 50 bottles to get them ready for bottling?

I clean off the label and rinse out all my bottles after using them so in theory they are cleaned but not sterilized. Then I sterilize + rinse each one individually before filling. Not too bad when I'm using 500ml bottles but when using 330ml bottle it gets a bit tedious and I'm wondering if there is a quicker and easier way out there. I thought about using my dishwasher but the max temp it gets to is 65 degrees.

Thanks.

If you're using starsan or Iodophor (however the hell it's spelled) you can dunk them, swirl and let them drip dry. They only need 2 minutes of contact time and you do not need to rinse them. They also make a vinator some people use as a really fast sanitation method.

Hmmm...unfortionatly I'm using VWP Cleanser and have just bought a big tub of it! Everything needs to be rinsed after sterilizing.

My vote is for starsan. I will be getting a vinnator very soon to make bottling even faster.

I've been reading though other posts about this and I think I've a solution to speed it up slightly. Because the bottles are cleaned/rinsed after use I just have to sanitize them before bottling. So I plan on soaking them in a large sink in the back porch in a sterilizing solution for a while before bottling then I can decide to rinse them all in the dishwasher at once or give them all a quick rinse one at a time just before bottling....we'll see how I go as I plan on bottling 23l tonight!

Give them a run through the dishwasher to clean out the cleanser. Pull them from the dw one-by-one as you bottle.

Brent

I would be tempted to skip the VWP, go buy a vinator and some starsan. Once you have rinsed em after emptying, just store em until ready to use..... hit em on the vinator and fill.

I used to fill the sink with water and sanitizer and just sink the bottles in the water. then pull them out as needed.

I usually put mine through an autoclave on campus. (one of the perks of being a microbiology student). This summer I wasn't on campus and used a dishwasher with sanitary cycle it worked fine.

65C is only about 150 F so I wouldnt depend on your dishwasher.

You dont have beer cases there?
Here I have cut the top of a regular plastic beer case and put another half on top
Makes it easy to rinse 1 case at the time

Here is a simpler version of what im talking abouthttp://norbrygg.no/forum/index.php/topic,4858.msg46142.html#msg46142

Use Starsan and the poor mans vinnator (turkey baster)

I give each bottle a squirt, Put my thumb over the top, shake it up, pour the Starsan back into the bowl it is in, dip the neck in the bowl and use the dishwasher as a bottle rack while I bottle. I bottle over the dishwasher door, so all I have to do is reach for another bottle and fill.


Works great.

janivar123 said:

You dont have beer cases there?
Here I have cut the top of a regular plastic beer case and put another half on top
Makes it easy to rinse 1 case at the time

Here is a simpler version of what im talking abouthttp://norbrygg.no/forum/index.php/topic,4858.msg46142.html#msg46142

Click to expand...

That's a tricky read for me!

Brent

Hehe its norwegian (guess you didnt get the pictures)
I added a picture to the other post so you may get the idea

Nice beer cases. I'm going to see if I can get them here for 500 ml bottles.

Brent

My way is slow but I don't think you can overdo it. I let the bottles sit in oxyclean for a while. Rinse with hot water then put in the dishwasher. Hot no soap. Take them all out then dunk in Starssan. I fill each one all the way then dump and put back in the dishwasher. Leave upside down until you fill. I have never had a problem. I'd hate to skip a step and have to dump bottles later.

Some of you guys go kinda crazy. I rinse my bottles out after pouring with hot water, then they all go into a storage container filled with starsan the day of bottling and I pull one out as necessary and fill.

Usually the only time they see detergent is when they are commercial and I'm soaking them in pbw to get the labels off. Otherwise it's hot water or star San.

I vote for a vinator also. Even if you are set on using the rinse-sanitizer, you could use the vinator with the sanitizer, then set them up in your tub (or dishwasher), then fill them with water to rinse (or run the DW).

I was thinking about telling you to buy two, and doing something similar to what bars use to clean glasses, but I don’t think using one as a rinse would be very effective after the first couple bottles.

Maybe three (one as sanitizer, one as ‘gray’ water, one as rinse). But that’s getting too complicated.

BUY STARSAN!

vinator + starsan will make you actually enjoy bottling. I find it relaxing.

I give mine a whirl in the dishwasher on the sani cycle w/out using soap. After the bottles cool from the dishwasher cycle, I fill my fermenting bucket with a few gallons of water and StarSan. I dip and fill them about half way with StarSan solution, swirl around, then empty that back in the bucket. I then proceed to bottle while turning each bottle upside down before filling to get any leftover sanitizer out. Seems pretty efficient and I've never had an issue.

I run my bottles through the dishwasher, pull them out 4 at a time, submerge in starsan, drain, and bottle.

Vinators are great. I just used one for the first time on Monday and I'll have to say I went from hating the bottling process to quite enjoying it.

I rinse the bottles after use (oxyclean labels off). On bottling day I use the dishwasher on hot, I have no sanitize cycle, without any detergent. Then use my vinator with starsan and put them back on the dishwasher rack. Then pull them from the rack to fill.

spazzy said:

I usually put mine through an autoclave on campus. (one of the perks of being a microbiology student). This summer I wasn't on campus and used a dishwasher with sanitary cycle it worked fine.

65C is only about 150 F so I wouldnt depend on your dishwasher.

Click to expand...

Ah! If I was at any other school I'd ask to use it (also a micro student at the moment) but this school is crazy about alcohol. About students not using it, I mean. It's true, I'm not under the "ban" because I am over 24 and didn't have to sign the "lifestyle agreement" but they wouldn't like it at all if I used their autoclave for that. Ahh well.

I vote for the dishwasher with a heat dry cycle. Never sanstarred the bottles, always rinse well after pouring the beer and store upside down, give them a detergent-free short cycle in the dishwasher and have never had an infection.

Another vote for Starsan, vinator & bottle tree.
Regards, GF.

BonnieJ said:

Ah! If I was at any other school I'd ask to use it (also a micro student at the moment) but this school is crazy about alcohol. About students not using it, I mean. It's true, I'm not under the "ban" because I am over 24 and didn't have to sign the "lifestyle agreement" but they wouldn't like it at all if I used their autoclave for that. Ahh well.

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Bummer! All the professors ive talked to actually encouraged me to autoclave my bottles. I just have to ask if anyone is using it for university business when I go in. If its in use i just wait a bit, a couple of my profs want samples

I actually got started homebrewing in one of my micro classes. We brewed beer, made wine, mead and cheese. I have been hooked ever since

unionrdr said:

Little additions like that had the same effect on me. Check out my bottling video to see my sit down comfortable way to approach bottling day.

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Do you have a link to the video you're talking about?