How long can sanitized bottles sit

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Islandboy85

Islandboy85

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I sanitized a bunch of bottles last night and put them in my dishwasher for storage (it's a handy place for them since they're upside down). I decided to rack my beer that's been sitting for 2 1/2 weeks to a quick secondary because there was quite a bit of floculated yeast still floating around that I didn't want to end up in the bottle. Would you still consider the bottles ready to go in a few days or resanitize? My theory is that since they're upside down they should be alright. Plus, I kept the door shut on the dishwasher, so there's no moving air currents. Thoughts?
 
There's a possibility that they would be just fine, but i think i would re-sanitize. as soon as you open the door you never know what will get in there. With starsan they are only sanitized as long as they are still wet, so a few days is a lot longer than i would wait.
 
How did you sanitize? Did you use star-san or iodophor or use the heat cycle on the dishwasher. The liquid sanitizers are good until they dry, then you run the risk of contamination. If you didn't sanitize the dishwasher, I bet there are germies in there that would contaminate the bottles. If you did it in the diswasher and didn't open the door, presumabely all of the dishwasher was sanitized so my thought is they'd be ok. But, better safe than sorry......
 
I always recommend sanitizing bottles immediately before filling. Using a Vinator with iodophor, starsan, or saniclean would be the most effective method. I never put my bottles in the dishwasher, bath tub, etc, because you never really know what you might pick up along the way since those spaces are not purposed for bottle sanitation.
 
you should always sanitize fresh.

If not you are playing Russian Roulette with you beer, eventually it will bite you in the butt.

You should sanitize on bottling day (or brew day if you are brewing.) It only takes a few minutes. If you let a no-rinse, wet contact sanitizer like starsan or iodophor, dry your are reducing it's efficacy by half. If it is dry, any micro organisms that touch the surface render it no longer sanitized. If the walls are wet with sanitizer, that organism would be toast. But dry it would still be alive.

It really should take you no more than 10 minutes to sanitize your two cases of beer. Or bottle in an hour. If it takes you longer you need to work on your process, not cut corners with your sanitization regimen.

Here's a lot of bottling tips to make the job easier. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-tips-homebrewer-94812/

You'll find a lot of good info/tips to effective sanitization here; https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/sanitizer-question-54932/ in cluding how you should get rid of your dry powdered "pseudo sanitizers" in favor of the afore mentioned, no-rinse, wet contact sanitizers like starsan and iodophor.
 
FYI, flocculated yeast is what is sitting on the bottom of the carboy, not in suspension. Suspended yeast can take days/weeks to settle out. Most of us just let it settle after it is bottled.
 
theredben said:
FYI, flocculated yeast is what is sitting on the bottom of the carboy, not in suspension. Suspended yeast can take days/weeks to settle out. Most of us just let it settle after it is bottled.
Click to expand...
Ah, I meant suspended yeast. It's plenty floculated.
 
Revvy said:
you should always sanitize fresh.

If not you are playing Russian Roulette with you beer, eventually it will bite you in the butt.

You should sanitize on bottling day (or brew day if you are brewing.) It only takes a few minutes. If you let a no-rinse, wet contact sanitizer like starsan or iodophor, dry your are reducing it's efficacy by half. If it is dry, any micro organisms that touch the surface render it no longer sanitized. If the walls are wet with sanitizer, that organism would be toast. But dry it would still be alive.

It really should take you no more than 10 minutes to sanitize your two cases of beer. Or bottle in an hour. If it takes you longer you need to work on your process, not cut corners with your sanitization regimen.

Here's a lot of bottling tips to make the job easier. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-tips-homebrewer-94812/

You'll find a lot of good info/tips to effective sanitization here; https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/sanitizer-question-54932/ in cluding how you should get rid of your dry powdered "pseudo sanitizers" in favor of the afore mentioned, no-rinse, wet contact sanitizers like starsan and iodophor.
Click to expand...


I used starsan to sanitize. I think I do need to buy the vinator so I can cut down on time like you said. Right now it takes for ever to sanitize because I'm using the dunk, hold the bottles under sanitizer for 2 minutes, and then drain them method.:
 
Islandboy85 said:
I used starsan to sanitize. I think I do need to buy the vinator so I can cut down on time like you said. Right now it takes for ever to sanitize because I'm using the dunk, hold the bottles under sanitizer for 2 minutes, and then drain them method.:
Click to expand...

2 minutes? That seems a bit excessive to me. I used to use the dunk method and I'd dunk 'em for a few seconds so they get 1/3 or 1/2 full, shake, and dump. Then put in the dishwasher rack. A vinator isn't going to be any more effective than that.

A vinator is very nice, it's cheap and makes things a lot easier. A bottle tree is very handy as well.
 
biestie said:
2 minutes? That seems a bit excessive to me. I used to use the dunk method and I'd dunk 'em for a few seconds so they get 1/3 or 1/2 full, shake, and dump. Then put in the dishwasher rack. A vinator isn't going to be any more effective than that.

A vinator is very nice, it's cheap and makes things a lot easier. A bottle tree is very handy as well.
Click to expand...
The starsan directions said it needed two minutes contact time. I figured that meant in a bath of the stuff, not just being wet with the solution... That's probably why it's taking me so long. I'll have to try your way next week. And somebody I know is gona get skewered by a pitchfork for returning my bottles with a 1/4 inch of yeast and mold!!! I told them to clean them out!!! Bastards....no more beer for them:mad:
 
Islandboy85 said:
The starsan directions said it needed two minutes contact time. I figured that meant in a bath of the stuff, not just being wet with the solution... That's probably why it's taking me so long. I'll have to try your way next week. And somebody I know is gona get skewered by a pitchfork for returning my bottles with a 1/4 inch of yeast and mold!!! I told them to clean them out!!! Bastards....no more beer for them:mad:
Click to expand...

Actually if you listen to the podcasts or do any of the reading about starsan on here, you will see that the 2 minutes is the FDA requirements. Buck chuck talley the creator says that it actually kills everything off in about 30 seconds...BUT the thing to realize is that these are no-rinse sanitizers, as long as they are wet with sanitizing it is killing on the surface and kills anything that comes in contact with the barrier.

You don't have to hold the bottle in the sanitizer for 30 seconds OR 2 minutes for that matter, you get it wet with the sanitizer and in that time it is wet (which is longer than 2 minutes usually anyway) the nasties are toast.

That's why all it takes is a few squirts with the vinator or a quick dunk, the starsan will do the rest.
 
vinator is well worth the ~$20 - dunking bottles was a huge PITA for me

much easier and quicker with vinator
 

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