Bottle Sanitizing

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ashbyp

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About to bottle my first batch. To sanitize everything on brew day I used Bruclens , filled up a 25L bucket, chucked everything in for 20mins, took stuff out as and when I needed it and gave it a very good rinse.

I could do something similar with the bottles, caps, etc. But I am wondering if this would also be OK:
* clean bottles thoroughly in preparation
* on bottling day, spray iodophor from a spraygun into each bottle
* leave each bottle for a few minutes
* rinse with clean water.

Also - how about sanitizing the bottling bucket, is spraying with iodophor OK there too? What about the tap on the bucket?

Sorry for the multiple questions. Just want to get this first batch right

Cheers!

[ps: I'm in the UK, StarSan is not easy to get over here]
 
Iodophor is no rinse so you don't really need to do that, just let it air dry. What I have been doing is filling a 5 gallon bucket with water, and after a good cleaning toss my stir spoon, racking cane etc in there for about 5 minutes and then they're ready to go.

For bottles, I rinse them good after use and then put all of them in the dishwasher after which they I have a cooler which I put them in where they stay sealed up until ready. When ready for bottling, I fill a couple buckets with water, add iodophor, soak them in there for about 5 minutes and then hang them on my (clean & sanitized) bottling tree.

Never had a contamination problem yet.
 
You don't really need to let iodophor sanitized equipment/bottles to dry either....the sanitizer will keep killing anything that touches it as long as it is WET. If you have a bottle tree or a way to drain them upside down after you dip or spray them then dip and let them brain, but use them while they still are wet.


Here's a good thread on sanitizers... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=54932
 
OK thanks for the info. Shame that StarSan is not available over here as you guys seem to rate it so highly. Sounds like I need to add a bottle tree too, Im running out of places to store my homebrew gadgets already!
 
Rinsing after kinda defeats the purpose, unless of coarse, you have sanitized/sterilized water to rinse with.:)
 
To sanitize bottles, can't you just put them in the dishwasher (provided you have one of course) and run through a hot water rinse only cycle? Or am I supposed to be doing more than that?
 
Well, not "hot rinse" setting, but if your dishwasher has a sanitize setting, that might work. I know lots of people do it. Remember, you have to have clean bottles BEFORE you sanitize, because the water doesnt' really go up into the bottles in the dishwasher.

But, it's so much faster for me to just use a vinator and bottle tree to sanitize. I squirt some sanitizer in one bottle, and hang it on the bottle tree. It takes literally less than 10 minutes to sanitize 50 bottles.
 
Ive been filling the bottling bucket with tap water, adding C-Brite or B-Brite and soaking all my stuff bottles included, then give it a quick rinse. This time I'm gonna bake my bottles though.
 
YooperBrew said:
But, it's so much faster for me to just use a vinator and bottle tree to sanitize. I squirt some sanitizer in one bottle, and hang it on the bottle tree. It takes literally less than 10 minutes to sanitize 50 bottles.

+1 That's what I do also. Of all the methods that I have tried, it's the best balance between good sanitation and ease for me.
 
I dont sanatize my bottles and have never had a problem. Right after I pour a beer I rinse the bottle very well 3-4 times in hot water. I then turn it upside down in a box and leave it untill I am ready to bottle again. I know 4 other brewers that do the exact same thing and I dont think they have every had a problem either.
 
I need to find a better way, but I've been filling up my bathtub, pouring a little iodophor into it, and submerging the bottles for about 5 minutes each. Works great, but I'm tired of using my bathtub....
 
Brew Dude said:
I need to find a better way, but I've been filling up my bathtub, pouring a little iodophor into it, and submerging the bottles for about 5 minutes each. Works great, but I'm tired of using my bathtub....

Plus thats a whole lot o' water, but at least the tub is clean. And they say men don't clean the house!

Does anyone bake theirs? I heard 350 for 1/2 hour is good?
 
Baking seems convenient, but it would be quicker to squirt sanitizer and let drip dry. I don't see myself doing it any other way.
 
bethlehembrewer said:
Plus thats a whole lot o' water, but at least the tub is clean. And they say men don't clean the house!

Does anyone bake theirs? I heard 350 for 1/2 hour is good?

i bake. i turn thermostat to 500 and quit when temperature hits about 400f. takes about 20 minutes to cool for bottling. don't ever worry about funny tastes from sanitizer chemicals.
 
YooperBrew said:
Well, not "hot rinse" setting, but if your dishwasher has a sanitize setting, that might work. I know lots of people do it. Remember, you have to have clean bottles BEFORE you sanitize, because the water doesnt' really go up into the bottles in the dishwasher.

But, it's so much faster for me to just use a vinator and bottle tree to sanitize. I squirt some sanitizer in one bottle, and hang it on the bottle tree. It takes literally less than 10 minutes to sanitize 50 bottles.

+1 on the vinator and tree, and +1 for Starsan.
 
bethlehembrewer said:
Plus thats a whole lot o' water, but at least the tub is clean. And they say men don't clean the house!


I have a dedicated 5 gallon soysauce bucket that I use for cleaning and sanitization....Don't use your bottling bucket or fermentation bucket-THere is too much of a risk of scratching them and leaving room for an infection later on...
 
Revvy said:
I have a dedicated 5 gallon soysauce bucket that I use for cleaning and sanitization....Don't use your bottling bucket or fermentation bucket-THere is too much of a risk of scratching them and leaving room for an infection later on...


So I shouldnt be scraping the trub out with a year old jagged razor blade???? ha just kidding.

Good call I hadn't thought about that
 
bethlehembrewer said:
So I shouldnt be scraping the trub out with a year old jagged razor blade???? ha just kidding.


If you do, make sure it has plenty of good microparticles of dried blood on it...good flavor enhancer....And the iron is good for beer too!

Hey waitaminute, isn't there a thread around here about blood in beer???

I fit at least a dozen bottles in my sanitizer bucket with no problem, so getting them soaked in iodophor takes little time...I usually do it in batches while I'm making my priming solution...I'll load the bucket, then start the water/sugar boiling on the stove. Pull those out of the bucket and add another batch, then check on the priming solution...do another batch and set the sugar water in a chill bath...yadda yadda yadda....It doesn't take a lot of extra time or effort.
 
bethlehembrewer said:
You mean the one I used to clean the dead bird off the grill of the car???

I sure as heck hope you chucked that bird into the fermentor with your last batch of beer...I'd hate to have it go to waste...Just like they did with roosters in the 1700's.

To make Cock-Ale

PERIOD: England, 17th century | SOURCE: The Closet Of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelme Digby Kt. Opened, 1677

DESCRIPTION: A drink of ale, chicken broth, & sack

To make Cock-Ale.

Take eight gallons of Ale, take a Cock and boil him well; then take four pounds of Raisins of the Sun well stoned, two or three Nutmegs, three or four flakes of Mace, half a pound of Dates; beat these all in a Mortar, and put to them two quarts of the best Sack: and when the Ale hath done working, put these in, and stop it close six or seven days, and then bottle it, and a month after you may drink it.

(at least I hope that's what they were refering to back then...Otherwise it would be known as "castration ale...)

EEEWWWW!!!:D
 
Oh of course, I went one step further. I made my own hop pellets with the bugs that were mashed into the grille at a bajillion miles an hour. And then thought why not use the road grime as an additive for the yeast! It's a bugcock ale.
 
bethlehembrewer said:
Oh of course, I went one step further. I made my own hop pellets with the bugs that were mashed into the grille at a bajillion miles an hour. And then thought why not use the road grime as an additive for the yeast! It's a bugcock ale.


You are the consumate brewer!!!!!

I bow to you Obi-Wan!!!!!
 
bethlehembrewer said:
What can I say I try to stay organic and all natural. haha. Talk about sanitizing!

We've really got off toplic LOL.....My apologies to the OP of this thread...

BUT could you imagine the possible name for it? Or the slogan? Some play on the why did the chicken cross the road theme...:D
 
HoosierDaddy said:
Iodophor is no rinse so you don't really need to do that, just let it air dry.

Nitpick: IIRC iodophor is no-rinse at 12.5ppm (the two-minute wet-contact dilution). It must be rinsed at 25ppm.

Please correct me if I am wrong; I am doing it from memory based on the Basic Brewing interview with the manufacturer.

I now use a syringed marked in CC in order to get a good ppm ratio.
 
Is the C-brite powder that came with my starter kit considered no rinse? It doesn't indicate whether or not it is on the package.
 
Is the C-brite powder that came with my starter kit considered no rinse? It doesn't indicate whether or not it is on the package.

According to the various websites, c-brite is one of those "grey area" products that I call pseudo sanitizers...But it does say that it is no rinse...

When you finish the c-brite with the kit, do buy more, instead replace it with one of the true no rinse sanitizers- iodophor or starsan...You won't be sorry.

Here's some good info on sanitizers https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=54932&highlight=onestep
 
Yeah, I talked to the guy at the LHBS about that and he said to just buy some Star San when I finish with the C-brite.
 
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