Bottling

This is kinda about equiptment - well bottling - I need sopme help to find an easier way. Right now I submurge a dozen bottles in by bottling bucket which is filled with sanitizer - then tripple rinse them in warm water. Whole process takes me about an hour cause i tripple wash and can only fit 12 at a time in the bottling bucket - anyone have any advice to make this easier for me?? Unfortunatley i dont hjave a dish washer - well i should say I am the dishwasher hehehe

any idea appreciated!

Do you have a bathtub? I've done that before. Filled the tub up with water, added sanitizer and soaked all my bottles at once.

Sure, first use a no-rinse sanitizer! That cuts your time and effort way down. Then, rinse your bottles well after you empty them and store them upside down in a carton. When it's time to sanitize, use a vinator and a bottle tree. You take the clean bottle, put it on the vinator and push down and then stick in on the bottle tree.
Also, use 16 oz bottles if you have them, or even larger! It's better (IMHO) to fill 40 16 ouncers than 53 12 ouncers!

Here's a vinator and bottle tree: http://pivo.northernbrewer.com/nbstore/action/search-do?searchTerm=vinator

http://www.northernbrewer.com/pics/fullsize/PA084711.jpg

Use a big cooler instead of a bucket, and a no rinse sanatizer like Yoop said.

clean AFTER you drink them (like, immediately after), and then its a cinch to sanitize right before you re-fill with beer.

I too vote for star-san sanitizer. very economic to use it. you can search here for info on it, but its pretty much THE sanitizer of choice. 30 seconds and its sanitized.

look for a sale on rubber maid tubs. also a bottle tree makes storing the bottles a snap after you pull from the sanitizer, before you fill w/ beer.

i my self have a bottling question.. ive been collecting bottles from my fav commercial brews .. and i grabbed a 6er of Guinness Draught and i was wondering if it was ok to use them seeing they have the ball inside.. would that be an issue if i tried to use them for my brew?

I picked up a large storage bin from Wally world for $12. Its a great multi purpose buy. When i need to sanitize my 22oz bottles I fill it with 10 gal of water, add sanitizer of choice and away we go. When Im all done with my bottling or brewing, the tub doubles as a storage box for my equipment. Simple, clean and keeps SWMBO from harping about my clutter.

Ps. I also make an effort to at least vigorously rinse my bottles as I empty them. makes for a quicker clean on bottling day.

mrk305 said:

Use a big cooler instead of a bucket, and a no rinse sanatizer like Yoop said.

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Second that.

MntFresh said:

i my self have a bottling question.. ive been collecting bottles from my fav commercial brews .. and i grabbed a 6er of Guinness Draught and i was wondering if it was ok to use them seeing they have the ball inside.. would that be an issue if i tried to use them for my brew?

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you can shake the widget to the neck, and then pull it out with long needle nose pliers. and then you can use it for bottling.

the widget has a hole in it and sucks beer back into it, so its quiet possible for it to have nasties in it that you wouldn't be able to get sanitizer into.

I can fit enough bottles for an entire 5-gallon batch into this 20-gallon bucket all at once:

And use Star San. Then you don't have to rinse. I just submerge my bottles for a few minutes, then dump them and bottle.

MntFresh said:

i my self have a bottling question.. ive been collecting bottles from my fav commercial brews .. and i grabbed a 6er of Guinness Draught and i was wondering if it was ok to use them seeing they have the ball inside.. would that be an issue if i tried to use them for my brew?

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You're referring to the widget inside? I just was given a case of GUiness bottles with the widgets in them. All you need is a pair of needle nose pliers. They pull right out once you get ahold of them. And the labels come off beautifully. Just slice them off with a razor....no glue or anything!:rockin: