sanitizing ?

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KingC

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Hey guys. I want to start my second beer this week or next (my first batch, a Witbier turned out fantastic and my second will be a nice Honey Kolsch for the summer). My question is what else can i do as far as sanitation. I was at northern brewer and forgot to pick up some 'one step' rinse solution and am too lazy to head back over to the store to pick some up. would a bleach solution of some sort work fine, and if so how could one be prepared. thanks for any help for a guy still learnin the ropes. :mug:
 
You can easily make a simple sanitizing solution by filling the fermentor bucket with 5 gallons of water and adding 5 tablespoons of chlorine bleach (a concentration equivalent to 1 TBS/gallon, or 4 ml/L). Soak all items that need to be sanitized in this bucket for 20 minutes. After soaking, dump the sanitizing solution and pour in some of the pre-boiled water for a quick rinse to remove any excess sanitizer.
 
I've used a bleach solution for several brews and it works fine. Use 1 tbl per gal like nickjam says, and be sure to rinse so you don't pick up off flavors from the bleach.
 
I have a load of bottles in a bucket of bleach soln. for sanitizing and getting the labels off.

How do I keep the bottles sterile during and after the drying process and before bottling? Do I rinse with plain tap water and leave them upside down? Should I rinse them with boiled tap water?

Any hints or tips?
 
Poppy360 said:
I have a load of bottles in a bucket of bleach soln. for sanitizing and getting the labels off.

How do I keep the bottles sterile during and after the drying process and before bottling? Do I rinse with plain tap water and leave them upside down? Should I rinse them with boiled tap water?

Any hints or tips?

I use the dishwasher to sanitize my bottles. The heat (not detergent!) kills bacteria, especially the dry cycle. I usually time it so that they are done an hour or so before I bottle, so that they're not too hot and kill the yeast, but haven't had a chance to grow bacteria in them yet.
 
mountainrev said:
I use the dishwasher to sanitize my bottles. The heat (not detergent!) kills bacteria, especially the dry cycle.
What about flip-top bottles? In the past, I've always used the dishwasher for crown-capped bottles, but this time I've bought a few cases of EZ-cap pint and quart bottles. Presumably, I've got to take the rubber seals off before running them through the dishwasher and replace them (sanitized of course) as I bottle. Snapping the seals onto the caps isn't the easiest maneuver, and all that fiddling around and handling seems like a lot more opportunity for infection. Now I'm wondering if I should have stuck with regular bottles & caps.

Is the top rack of the dishwasher adequate for sanitizing? I'm sure it gets a lot hotter on the bottom rack, closer to the heating element.

I know, I know...don't worry, have a homebrew! I've picked up a few kegs and a Sanyo 4911, so hopefully I won't have to deal with bottles so much in the future.
 
BlindLemonLars said:
What about flip-top bottles? In the past, I've always used the dishwasher for crown-capped bottles, but this time I've bought a few cases of EZ-cap pint and quart bottles. Presumably, I've got to take the rubber seals off before running them through the dishwasher and replace them (sanitized of course) as I bottle. Snapping the seals onto the caps isn't the easiest maneuver, and all that fiddling around and handling seems like a lot more opportunity for infection. Now I'm wondering if I should have stuck with regular bottles & caps.

Is the top rack of the dishwasher adequate for sanitizing? I'm sure it gets a lot hotter on the bottom rack, closer to the heating element.

I know, I know...don't worry, have a homebrew! I've picked up a few kegs and a Sanyo 4911, so hopefully I won't have to deal with bottles so much in the future.

I have been running my flip-tops through the dishwasher without any problems. I suppose it will eventually make the rubber gaskets wear out quicker, but so far, they are just fine.

As far as top rack vs. bottom rack, I use both. Since heat rises, I can't imagine it's dramatically cooler at the top.
 
mountainrev said:
I have been running my flip-tops through the dishwasher without any problems. I suppose it will eventually make the rubber gaskets wear out quicker, but so far, they are just fine.

As far as top rack vs. bottom rack, I use both.
Thanks, that's exactly what I was hoping to hear, on both questions.

I'm bottling this Sunday, and will run the bottles through the dishwasher, rubber gaskets and all. Replacement seals are cheap, so lifespan isn't a big concern.
 

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