Sanitizing Bottle Caps

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ThaDutchMasta

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just wondering if using iodophor is good for sanitizing bottle caps and the siphoning unit,
thanks
 
boiling can indeed damage the seals on certain caps. a simple soak in no-rinse sanitizer is all you need.
 
I'm with Bulls Beer on this one. I have always boiled my caps for at least 10 minutes, then let them sit in the hot water until needed. I have had more problems with bottle breakage, than a cap seal issue. And I can count my bottle problem on one hand.
 
I too use iodophor to sanitize caps. To me, it's an easy, fool proof method that takes less time than boiling and waiting for the caps to cool.
 
I put my caps in a quality zip lock bag 1/2 full of a Star San solution. I then seal and shake well. I leave them in the solution while I bottle taking a few out at a time.
 
I am a career boiler and have never thought of the sanitizer method. You learn something new on HBT every day!
 
Star Sans in a Pot, and all my Caps go into the Star Sans Solution. I pick one out at aa time, as needed, and it works GERRRRREEAT!

BYW, I am a former Bottle Cap Boiler also. My new to me Star Sans method is Wicked Pissah!!!
 
Ok, I'm bringing this post up because I have a related question.

I bottled a batch recently using the boil method. I opened my third beer in this batch and did not get that satisfactory hiss. When I looked at the cap the seal was all shriveled up and it was clear that this could not have sealed properly to begin with. I suspect boiling the bottle caps is the problem here.

My question is, should I take all the caps off this batch and replace them with caps soaked in star san and not boiled. The beer is fine, no infection, just flat, which doesn't bother me too much.
 
I let them sit in a Star-San solition and pull them as I need them. Faster than boiling and you don't have to cool them.

Beards - I'd probably take the bottles one at a time and shake them and look for bubbles. I had a similar situation and I just recapped them and gave them more time (and a warm room) to condition and all was groovy in about 2 weeks. I could be wrong, but I think its kinda hard to damage the seal through boiling and, while it does happen, its uncommon. I'd be surprised if your whole batch is messed up.
 
Before I started kegging just recently, I bottled for 18 years. Never Boiled or sanitized any of my caps. I used the silver caps with the clear sealant material inside cause they were easiest to twist off. The Gold ones with the soft gray rubber inside tear up my hands when twisting off. During 18 years I only had 1 "ONE" bottle ever not seal properly and was flat. I've never had a bottle go "Bad". I've found cases in my cold room that had been bottled for over a year, and they were still very good.

I don't really think that I like to cut corners when it come to sanitizing, but I also don't need to take a long Detour either.

Just My experience.

EDIT: I should add, that very very rarely does my beer ever even touch the bottle cap.

dp
 
Same here -- it's quick and it's easy!

I put them in a bowl of star san, then pull them out and shake them off, kind of a "stack" at a time. then put them in another bowl. they only have to be wet with the star san. The bacteria don't know if they are under a thin film, or under 2 inches. this makes for less star san dripping all over the place when i bottle. This along with my vinator and bottle tree and i can go from carboyed beer to bottle and all put away and the kitchen back to spotless in less than an hour and a half.

FWIW

rob
 
I just clean and rinse them and leave them in my 2 qt pyrex with a weak Iodophore solution and place one on each bottle after it's filled.
 
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