Hey so im going to begin bottling in the next few days. Can i wash my bottles tonight and let them dry on the counter? I'm just worried about contamination. They would be sitting on the kitchen counter in my apartment for aprox. 48 hours.
Sanitizing the bottles for later
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The_Dtrain
Well-Known Member
I would say you are okay to wash and dry them on the counter but you should sanitize them right before you bottle.
I usually wash my bottles several days to weeks in advance. when I need to bottle the beer, I sanitize my bottle tree and then dunk the bottles in star san and hang 'em up. I then bottle about 15-20 minutes later.
I've found it easier and less of a PIA to do it this way then on the same day (which makes for a very long bottling session).
I usually wash my bottles several days to weeks in advance. when I need to bottle the beer, I sanitize my bottle tree and then dunk the bottles in star san and hang 'em up. I then bottle about 15-20 minutes later.
I've found it easier and less of a PIA to do it this way then on the same day (which makes for a very long bottling session).
marsbike
Active Member
I've been washing all my bottles right after I empty them, then when it comes to bottling, I take the brush, run that through each bottle, rinse, then break out the bottle tree with the vineator on top. That thing is amazing. I can't imagine bottling without it.
HighGravity
Well-Known Member
One last piece of advice tonight - 48 hours is a perfect opportunity to use our friend, Bleach. Star san, Diversal (pink powder) both use bleach as the main ingredient. I find Star san too expensive, so I use Diversol when I need very tough cleaning, or plain unscented bleach for normal cleaning/sanitizing. Either of these 2, when put 1 tablespoons per gallon of water, will do the trick. Then on bottle day simply dump and pump full of water to clean the solution out. You can even do it one week early.
Yesterday it took 2 or more hours to fill up about 50 two litre bottles with solution (yes I actually had four batches to bottle). Today, during the time waiting when racking from carboy to the priming bucket, I dumped the solution out of the 11 bottles, rinsed with a jet of hot water then cold, set them in place and the first racking just finished. So bottling about 88 litres (four carboys) took a total of five hours, including spilling a bottle over the entire floor. Starting out can sometimes take 5 hours for a single carboy.
Check these handy faucet attachments out to clean out the solution for certain:
http://www.antonco.com/jetcarboy/
A small amount of $$ will save hundreds of hours washing and now you don't need that expensive "no rinse" sanitizer that the gov't recommends to control your thoughts and subdue you.
Yesterday it took 2 or more hours to fill up about 50 two litre bottles with solution (yes I actually had four batches to bottle). Today, during the time waiting when racking from carboy to the priming bucket, I dumped the solution out of the 11 bottles, rinsed with a jet of hot water then cold, set them in place and the first racking just finished. So bottling about 88 litres (four carboys) took a total of five hours, including spilling a bottle over the entire floor. Starting out can sometimes take 5 hours for a single carboy.
Check these handy faucet attachments out to clean out the solution for certain:
http://www.antonco.com/jetcarboy/
A small amount of $$ will save hundreds of hours washing and now you don't need that expensive "no rinse" sanitizer that the gov't recommends to control your thoughts and subdue you.
jeffmeh
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Star San does not contain bleach....
HighGravity
Well-Known Member
Oops - sorry for the wrong info - it uses an acid to clean!
I remember listening to a fairly long audio tape of the guy who created it, where before he discussed his own product, he talked of bleach at length and what a great chemical it is when fresh. I was using bleach and thought "hey, how wonderful" and forgot he made an acid for star san
I remember listening to a fairly long audio tape of the guy who created it, where before he discussed his own product, he talked of bleach at length and what a great chemical it is when fresh. I was using bleach and thought "hey, how wonderful" and forgot he made an acid for star san
ive only bottled once, but i soaked a bunch of used bottles (after rinsing with water) in star san to remove labels. I then dried, cappped with tin foil and stuck in a cupboard. Bottling day I broke out the vinator, rinsed about 8 with starsan, set to dry and bottled through them (FIFO style). It took me maybe two hours total to bottle, but i'm confident next time will be much faster.
I'll never use anything but starsan... its so easy, and theres no rinsing. and foam is ok to leave in your containers and all
I'll never use anything but starsan... its so easy, and theres no rinsing. and foam is ok to leave in your containers and all
HighGravity
Well-Known Member
Really if you bottle 20 times or more you'll start thinking about cost. Seems like noone except US folk and Afghanis think about cost nowadays, everyone is rolling in cash right? If you are NOT rolling in it, consider bleach as there is only a single drawback, you must wash it all off before you use the container. That's about it.
You should sanitize on bottling day. 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.
Here's a lot of bottling tips to make the job easier. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-tips-homebrewer-94812/
Here's a lot of bottling tips to make the job easier. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-tips-homebrewer-94812/
How about just running the previously rinsed bottles through the dishwasher? That would be easy. Keep the jet dry and detergent out and run a high heat full wash cycle with sanitize high heat rinse and heated dry. Then bottle right away.
noblesquirrel
Well-Known Member
Star San really isn't that expensive. It's $16 for a bottle that should last you a year or two. That's less than a dollar a month, and it's much easier to use than bleach.
+1. I normally wash my bottles after I serve my beer and keep them stored in a box to minimize dust getting in them... then on bottling day, I rinse them off and leave them soaking in iodophor until I'm ready to bottle...
Star San really isn't that expensive. It's $16 for a bottle that should last you a year or two. That's less than a dollar a month, and it's much easier to use than bleach.
Yup. Much much easier. And the more efficient you get, the longer that $16 bottle will last you.
I actually bake my bottles. Clean them after drinking, when I have about 50 empties or so (the amount that will fit in my oven), I quickly rinse again with water, cover the tops with tin foil, bake at 350 for an hour. Then they can be kept indefinitely without having to sanitize again (as long as the foil stays on top). This way I always have at least 3-4 milk crates of sanitized bottles ready to go any time I need to bottle.
That's just what works for me, though ... there are lots of ways to go here; I say try a few different methods and see what works for your system.
pjcampbell
Well-Known Member
Will this work?? Our dishwasher is newer and has this "NSF Sani Rinse" setting. I am skeptical that much is going to get inside of the skinny mouth bottles. However perhaps with growlers it would work???
Do you put anything in the dishwasher (bleach?????? vinegar???)
Yuppers, folks, the dishwasher works just fine for sanitizing bottles. On bottling day, I make sure the unit is loaded with 54 bottles. I use NO detergent or drying agent...just plain, old HOT water. Set your dishwasher on the "high temp wash" and also the "dry" setting. It in NOT the water, so much, that sanitizes, but, rather, the heat of the drying cycle. Once the unit is done, I begin bottling immediately...and I use the open door of the washer as my "table" to hold the bottle while filling.
glenn514
glenn514
impur
Well-Known Member
We try to be sure and rinse bottles right after use. Then the day before bottling i soak all of them in a bucket with some bleach to get the labels off. Then on bottling day i rinse and use the scrub brush on em, drop em in the dishwasher on high/hot with no soap, then they go onto my bottling tree. A quick squirt with starsan via the vinator and in goes the beer. Pretty easy.
I agree that the starsan should last a long time. 1oz per 5 gal of water is a good ratio!
I agree that the starsan should last a long time. 1oz per 5 gal of water is a good ratio!
The_Dtrain
Well-Known Member
I keep a 5 gal homer bucket filled with star san. As long as the pH stays below 3 (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) you can keep reusing it.
effigyoffaith
Well-Known Member
I wash and sanitize a few days to weeks before bottling. I brush them out dip in starsan, drain, and top with foil. This way I always have sanitized bottles ready to go.
HighGravity
Well-Known Member
Wooo - Star San costs $16???
Up here in Canada we pay double for 32 oz - $33 CAD
No wonder you guys like it so much
Up here in Canada we pay double for 32 oz - $33 CAD
No wonder you guys like it so much
dummkauf
Well-Known Member
My routine which has yet to fail me
1.) After drinking beer, rinse out and set next to sink
2.) Remove label if there are any
3.) Put in dishwasher(with the rest of my dishes & detergent)
4.) remove from diswasher and put in box in closet downstairs.
5.) Bottling day. Sink in StarSan, drain, fill, cap, put somewhere to bottle condition.
1.) After drinking beer, rinse out and set next to sink
2.) Remove label if there are any
3.) Put in dishwasher(with the rest of my dishes & detergent)
4.) remove from diswasher and put in box in closet downstairs.
5.) Bottling day. Sink in StarSan, drain, fill, cap, put somewhere to bottle condition.
