Mmckeeha
Member
Is there an easier way to sanitizing my bottles than washing each one by hand in my bleach/water solution?
sanitizing bottles
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Diver165
Well-Known Member
Yes! It's called SarSan! And it rocks.
first, don't drink your home brew out of the bottle. your mouth will surely contaminate the bottle. pour you home brew into a nice pint glass and enjoy.
immediately pour any yeast and leftover beer into the sink. rinse the bottle by putting a few ounces of water in the bottom of the bottle, shake the bottle, put your thumb over the hole, invert the bottle, and shake again. be sure to come back and pour the last few drops out then the settle to the bottom a few hours later.
if you keep the bottles uninfected and clean from debris this way, and you rinse the bottles with rinse free sanitizer before bottling, then you should be able to avoid contaminated bottles.
there's a nice bottling tree and bottle rinser at the end of this video
and theres a great thread about bottling here https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-tips-homebrewer-94812/
immediately pour any yeast and leftover beer into the sink. rinse the bottle by putting a few ounces of water in the bottom of the bottle, shake the bottle, put your thumb over the hole, invert the bottle, and shake again. be sure to come back and pour the last few drops out then the settle to the bottom a few hours later.
if you keep the bottles uninfected and clean from debris this way, and you rinse the bottles with rinse free sanitizer before bottling, then you should be able to avoid contaminated bottles.
there's a nice bottling tree and bottle rinser at the end of this video
and theres a great thread about bottling here https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-tips-homebrewer-94812/
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+1 to the bottle tree, but forget the washer.
I use starsan and when I used to bottle washer with it, the foam was ridiculous. (I know, I know, there's a low-foam version of starsan AND I know, the foam won't hurt you. I rack on foam all the time into carboys and kegs, but the bottles took forever and was a mess when I was bottling.)
I rinse bottles immediately after evacuating the contents and set them on the bottle tree. When they are dry, I move to empty cases. When it was time to bottle, i had a 7 gallon bucket with about 5 g starsan in it. I would dunk the bottles in and pull them out a min later. Pouring the starsan out of the bottles slowly left far less foam sticking around. Then they went back onto the tree until I filled them.
I use starsan and when I used to bottle washer with it, the foam was ridiculous. (I know, I know, there's a low-foam version of starsan AND I know, the foam won't hurt you. I rack on foam all the time into carboys and kegs, but the bottles took forever and was a mess when I was bottling.)
I rinse bottles immediately after evacuating the contents and set them on the bottle tree. When they are dry, I move to empty cases. When it was time to bottle, i had a 7 gallon bucket with about 5 g starsan in it. I would dunk the bottles in and pull them out a min later. Pouring the starsan out of the bottles slowly left far less foam sticking around. Then they went back onto the tree until I filled them.
I just rinse the bottles in one sink and dunk them in a 3 gallon bucket with 2.5 gallons of iodophor in the other sink. I do one bottle in each hand and it goes fast. About 10 minutes for 54 bottles. I just set them on the counter. I don't need a tree. I don't like the foam from starsan doing this. It makes it hard to tell when the bottles are full.
I rinse my bottles next morning. Once to get the sediment and then two more times after that. l have to rinse them again before sanitizing them. I store them out in the brew shed. They get dusty and some times insects get in them. I seldom have to brush them but if they get a halo ring I will brush that off before sanitizing. I miss it sometimes and have never had a beer contaminated in the bottle. Fermenter yes but bottle no. Green beer is very difficult to contaminate, especially if you consume it as fast as I do.
I rinse my bottles next morning. Once to get the sediment and then two more times after that. l have to rinse them again before sanitizing them. I store them out in the brew shed. They get dusty and some times insects get in them. I seldom have to brush them but if they get a halo ring I will brush that off before sanitizing. I miss it sometimes and have never had a beer contaminated in the bottle. Fermenter yes but bottle no. Green beer is very difficult to contaminate, especially if you consume it as fast as I do.
Diver165
Well-Known Member
WTF! Heh...uh ok.
First..drink your beer however you want. Pint glass, mouth to bottle...put the bottle wherever you want.
Everything gets a hot oxy clean bath/scrubbing then rinsed in hot water. Then into the dishwasher (my own brew kitchen washer) on pots and pans sans any soap. Heated dry cycle turned on of course. The bottles then sit there undisturbed until bottling day. Bottling day the Dishwasher is opened and each bottle is gets 1 squirt of star san on the inside and returned to the rack. Then one by one they're filled and capped. I've bottled gallons and gallons and have never had an issue. Like I said before, if anything can live through all that then I quit.
Most will heartily agree with rinsing the emptied bottles THOROUGHLY immediately after pouring the contents into a glass.
Many will agree with using the dishwasher's heated dry cycle...along with a high-temp wash cycle WITHOUT any detergent...to sanitize the bottles. I run 54 bottles through the dishwasher's high-temp wash and heated dry cycles shortly before I bottle. I then use the inside of the dishwasher door as my bottling "table." Simple cleanup: close the dishwasher door!
glenn514
Many will agree with using the dishwasher's heated dry cycle...along with a high-temp wash cycle WITHOUT any detergent...to sanitize the bottles. I run 54 bottles through the dishwasher's high-temp wash and heated dry cycles shortly before I bottle. I then use the inside of the dishwasher door as my bottling "table." Simple cleanup: close the dishwasher door!
glenn514
Mmckeeha
Member
I read somewhere that you could put the bottles in the oven after all the sediment is cleared out, is that true? I hate washing all the bottles induividualy so anyway I can to do a mass sanitize without the use of water ill do. I didn't know if this was true or I should steer clear of it.
Diver165
Well-Known Member
Rule in my house is that if the bottle doesn't have a threaded top it is rinsed thoroughly and put in the bottle basket. Anyone caught throwing a bottle away will be promptly shot and forced to dumpster dive for it.
lol Seriously though, it isn't a problem. All my friends know the routine. Put a little water in the bottle. Put thumb over the opening and shake like hell. Repeat until bottle is clean. Put bottle in basket. Get another beer and repeat the process...
by all means, if he enjoys drinking from the bottle then he should drink from the bottle. but if he is indeed looking for a "an easier way to sanitizing my bottles", then not contaminating them in the first place is a good start, IMHO.
WyomingBrewer
Well-Known Member
I agree with Diver165.....drink however you want. Rinse with hot water to get out sediment. Dishwasher on heated dry on bottling day, with no soap as before mentioned. Straight from the dishwasher to bottling. The heated dry cycle sanitizes the bottles so no need for starsan after the cycle. But use whatever makes you happy and feeling good about your process, as long as clean and sanitized before bottling is the end result.
That's right! If he enjoys a nice swig of yeast slurry at the end of the bottle, let him enjoy it that way!
Before I used starsan, I would take all racks out except the bottom one in my oven. I would then fill it with some combination of 12 oz and 22 oz bottles, set the temp to 450° and leave it for an hour, cut off the heat and leave them in there at least 4 hrs until I was ready to bottle. Believe me (and pro brewers and centuries of brewery science), heat is not (in most cases) the most cost efficient method of sanitizing. Starsan is fairly cheap and is reusuable, assuming the proper pH is maintained.
WyomingBrewer
Well-Known Member
I kinda like the yeast, sometimes I swirl the beer to mix it in before I drink or if I pour into a glass I just don't stop pouring at the bottom. All of it goes in! Proper sanitizing has nothing to do with if he drank from the bottle. Sanitizing will kill it and the bottle will be contaminated till sanitized as far as I am concerned anyways!
pkeeler
Well-Known Member
Yes, put the bottles in the oven, turn it on to 350. Let them sit for one hour after the oven comes up to temperature. Turn off the oven. Leave them in there to cool overnight.
Not only does this work with no chemicals, but if you cover each bottle with aluminum foil before cooking, they are sterilized until you pop off the foil. So, you could store them and use them years later without any further treatment.
ThereThere
Well-Known Member
How long can you let them sit after StarSaning them?
It's a wet sanitizer so don't let them sit very long. Some guys have suggested putting foil over the top after sanitizing them then letting them sit, that may work since it shouldn't evaporate.
I sanitize mine as I'm bottling
mixedbrewer
Well-Known Member
just more reason to use the bottle washer and tree... they hang upside down
I just received my online order of a 45 count bottle tree and Vinator yesterday. Definitely will make things waaay easier when coming to the sanitizing before bottling stage. Of course I still need to do the Oxyclean "cleaning" portion, but for sanitizing the Vinator pump spray system seems like it will definitely make things go way quicker. To the OP, if you don't know what the Vinator is watch this Youtube vid:
I bought mine for like $14.95 from LabelPeelers.com.
Rev.
I bought mine for like $14.95 from LabelPeelers.com.
Rev.
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KevinW
Well-Known Member
Most will heartily agree with rinsing the emptied bottles THOROUGHLY immediately after pouring the contents into a glass.
Many will agree with using the dishwasher's heated dry cycle...along with a high-temp wash cycle WITHOUT any detergent...to sanitize the bottles. I run 54 bottles through the dishwasher's high-temp wash and heated dry cycles shortly before I bottle. I then use the inside of the dishwasher door as my bottling "table." Simple cleanup: close the dishwasher door!
glenn514
I do the same process & it seems to work great.
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I might be old school but I like to keep it simple.
a) Whenever I use a bottle, it immediately gets the double-rinse after it's empty. (just like everyone said). Don't let the yeast dry in the bottom of the bottle.
b) I then put the bottles in a dedicated garbage can (plastic) full of bleach-water. They pickle there for a while, until I am ready to bottle.
c) I drain + remove 64 bottles (that's for my 6-gallon batches) from the garbage can when I am ready to bottle, and put them in a clean rubbermaid tub (or even my clean mash tun).
d) I rinse them with a get washer, briefly, just to remove the remaining bleach water. I put them upside down on a paper towel on my counter.
e) Fill them and cap 'em.
The advantage of the long bleach water bath is that the labels come right off!
M_C
a) Whenever I use a bottle, it immediately gets the double-rinse after it's empty. (just like everyone said). Don't let the yeast dry in the bottom of the bottle.
b) I then put the bottles in a dedicated garbage can (plastic) full of bleach-water. They pickle there for a while, until I am ready to bottle.
c) I drain + remove 64 bottles (that's for my 6-gallon batches) from the garbage can when I am ready to bottle, and put them in a clean rubbermaid tub (or even my clean mash tun).
d) I rinse them with a get washer, briefly, just to remove the remaining bleach water. I put them upside down on a paper towel on my counter.
e) Fill them and cap 'em.
The advantage of the long bleach water bath is that the labels come right off!
M_C
This sounds like the a very aggressive routine but also total overkill to me. All you have to do is rinse your bottles with hot water after decanting then store them until you starsans them on bottling day. No scrubbing, bathing or dishwasher setting needed. If you use the sanitize setting on the dishwasher there is no need for the starsans but your system is definitly foolproof. Kind of like wearing a belt and suspenders.
terrapinj
Well-Known Member
as someone that just bottled their first batch last night may I strongly suggest that you do any label removing/soaking and solid washing a day or 2 before you bottle
much longer process of trying to remove glue, wash, sanitize etc at the same time
i had a 5gal bucket filled with star san and would soak 12 or so 22s then shake them dry and lined them up inside my empty brew kettle to catch any over flow/spills
much longer process of trying to remove glue, wash, sanitize etc at the same time
i had a 5gal bucket filled with star san and would soak 12 or so 22s then shake them dry and lined them up inside my empty brew kettle to catch any over flow/spills
I like the vinator method, but if a person doesn't have one yet, would a spray bottle work? There's a loss of starsan there, I imagine, and I don't know how much would be needed but I figure after the wash, I can just go through the dishwasher rack and spritz some in there and put the bottle back upsidedown to drain the starsan. (I could put something down to collect the starsan drippings if I were that concious but I'm not)
completegeek
Well-Known Member
I rinse all my bottles after I pour a beer and dry them on a tree. Then when it is time to bottle I sanitize with the high temp setting on my dishwasher without any kind of detergent or cleaner. I've done this 7 times now without any infections.
