How clean is clean w/ bottles?

Just trying to figure out the "proper" way to keep my bottles clean for beer. I may test the limits as well.

I don't have a dishwasher at my house so I take my bottles after I pour a beer and rinse them out real good. I fill them half way up with hot water, cover the top with my thumb and give them a good shake. I do this 2-3 times then tip them upside down in a dish rack to air dry. They then get transferred to my bottling tree in the basement.

From here can I just go to sanitizing the bottles and filling them with beer on bottling day even if they have been sitting on the tree for 2 weeks?

What are your methods?

That is exactly how I do it. I guess the only thing that I would clarify is that on bottling day, I use a vinatore with star san. I have never had so much as a single bad bottle.

Clean is clean. You know, if it looks clean to your eye, and there is no debris or gunk, and it appears clean, then it's clean.

Bottles won't get clean in the dishwasher. I doubt those jets could shoot water up into the bottle very well. Rinsing well works just fine.

My method is very similar to yours. I rinse immediately and thoroughly right after pouring a beer just like you described. When I'm ready to bottle, I rinse again with a jet bottle washer, and then sanitize.

I rinse after use, but also clean with OneStep on brewing day (then sanitize with Star San). Every now and then a take a bottle brush to them.

I do about as much and never had a problem after bottling. Three quick rinses, the first rinse I don't shake but only swirl it around the bottom to get most of the sediment, then two 4 oz or so rinses by shaking it with my thumb over the opening. On bottling day I do the same, once in water and once in iodopher.

Bottles I've gotten from outside my reserve I soak in Oxyclean to remove labels and any mold growing in them. Then they get rinsed and dried. On bottling day I keep a bucket of sanitizer and plop the bottles in about 12 at a time. Then I just grab one, shake it out, fill and cap it.

Im doing the same thing. Some hot water to rinse out the sediment, a couple rigorous shakes with thumb over the hole, set upside down to dry, and into the box later. I will just sanitize on bottling day. I just rinsed out two 22 ouncers (burp) from batch #1....... hehe.

Bottle blasters are your best friend! They're quick, not messy and do a great job.

It gets tricky though if you don't have a closed bottling system. If all the beer gets drunk by you at your house, then you're fine.

My problem is that I give bottles to friends, and get them back later, or even if I take some to a get together. I'm very good at rinsing out my bottles. But my friends? Not so much. I've had problems where even the bottle blaster couldn't get off some gunk...

So if your bottles are coming from mixed sources, definitely do the eyeball check.

I hand rinse them out immediately after pouring the beer into a glass. If it's homebrew or anything bottle carbed, it gets multiple rinses to make sure the bottom is clean. On brew day, I run them through the dishwasher on rinse, to heat them up and give them a good rinse. Then I dip them through starsan and airdry while racking.

Any bottle detected with mold in it gets trashed. I have more bottles than I need at this time, and I could acquire a lot more very easily (my brother drinks ridiculous amounts of beer but won't homebrew) if necessary. I'd rather not risk getting mold in my beer just to keep around a bottle.

ReverseApacheMaster said:

I have more bottles than I need at this time, and I could acquire a lot more very easily (my brother drinks ridiculous amounts of beer but won't homebrew) if necessary.

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Well you could always send some my way I barely have enough for a 5 gal batch right now

sounds like you need to stay drunk for a weekend and get yourself ready for bottling day!

The ONLY thing I use my dishwasher for is to sanitize the bottles before filling with beer. I do rinse out the bottles after emptying them. Soon, I will get back some bottles I "loaned" to two of my daughters and their "fella's." Those I will look closely at, to make certain they are clean.

Without a dishwasher, I would think a 5-gallon pail with StarSan in it would do a great job of sanitizing the bottles.

glenn514

i was just cleaning some bottles the past 2 days. I soaked mine in some bleach water, rinsed and then set aside till bottling day. on Bottling day i soak them in some starsan and then air dry them in my dishwasher.

FYI Laquinta's labels are a PITA to get off

Amstel Light labels are ridiculous as well! There not even paper there like a clear plastic seal on the glass. I left one sitting for 24 hours in oxiclean and it did nothing. With the ease it takes to get all my other bottle labels off, I just tossed it.

jamesnsw said:

It gets tricky though if you don't have a closed bottling system. If all the beer gets drunk by you at your house, then you're fine.

My problem is that I give bottles to friends, and get them back later, or even if I take some to a get together. I'm very good at rinsing out my bottles. But my friends? Not so much. I've had problems where even the bottle blaster couldn't get off some gunk...

So if your bottles are coming from mixed sources, definitely do the eyeball check.

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I consider the bottles gone when I give them away, if only because it's more hassle than its worth trying to track them down. Plus...drinking beer to collect more bottles isn't such a bad gig.