Fermenter and bottle sanitizing for GF ?? Experts please.

Hello all, I am an experienced homebrewer, have a friend who has full blown Celiac disease. I brewed a GF batch for him ( morebeer amber) in my regular fermenters (primary in HDPE Speidel, secondary in Better Bottle). When we discussed bottling , he did not like the idea of using used bottles and wants to buy new. Is using used bottles any concern? Is my normal method of sanitizing with a bottle washer good enough? I triple sanitized my fermenters before using them. I'm thinking if used bottles are an issue, the fermenters are a problem too. I was thinking of steaming bottles with some water in them in the oven then using my regular star San wash, or dishwasher with heat cycle, etc.

The question is, how do I make absolutely certain there will not be an issue from the bottles? And are the fermenters an issue? Guessing or anecdotal advice is not really enough in his case. Gluten sensitivities affects can range from minor to severe, he has severe issues with it. Thanks in advance.

I can't say either way. But when it comes to your friends health the extra $$ on the new bottles may not be the issue. If he's paying for the bottle s. Just let it ride. Maybe he has been so sick from his illness that the piece of mind is what he needs. Scared to get ill. I'm allergic to sea food. I won't even step foot into a restaurant that serves it. Had to be on a ventilator , couldn't breath , throat swelled shut.

If it's a one time or two time deal see if he will buy a fermenter of his own and keep it at your place. Or her five gallon water jug

Or have him get the one liter pet bottles and he can keep and refill them. They last for a long time. And cut your bottling time in half.

I would not try to tell you that some level of cross contamination would not occur using brewing equipment that had been used for barley brewing but there are some things to consider. A lot of us use dedicated equipment because it is not too much trouble, or like me, I only brew gluten free beer.

Celiac disease is not a like a severe peanut allergy where small doses bring out the EpiPen and it is not a bacteria that can spread if it is not sanitized. If it is there it is there. Cleaning is the key. There is a lot of debate even on gluten reduced products. I for one am a strong proponent for only using ingredients that do not have gluten in them. However, I think properly cleaned glass and steel should be fine. Some might say that plastic fermenters which are in contact with beer for a long time should not be used if they had barley beer in them. I am not sure about that.

My personal opinion is if you use glass and stainless in fermentation or bottling/kegging, and you do a good job cleaning, then you should not have any trouble.

With that there is something to be said for the value of confidence. If you are sensitive like me, and you KNOW that it is safe, then you get the full enjoyment out of the beer. When I go to a restaurant and order a GF meal but doubt creeps in because they are disorganized and I worry that the kitchen made a mistake, it kills the enjoyment of the meal. If your friend is stressed about it and you have the ability, willingness and desire to brew him a batch then get a bucket and some bottles for dedicated GF. Even with the simple kits, your fresh GF homebrew will crush everything GF you can buy in a store at the moment. IMHO

Soak everything in hot PBW for 4 - 6 hours, then rinse and sanitize as usual. The PBW will break down anything organic that's still left on the equipment.

HDPE has very small pores. I doubt gluten can get through. Especially since it isn't a gas. It can, however, hide in small scrapes and scratches. A thorough wash should be sufficient but, I personally won't take the chance.

Bottles are fine with a good scrub down and dishwasher round. Peace of mind is all important to us gluten intolerant people. I only use new bottles, GF beer bottles, or cider bottles.

Find out how comfortable they are with what you plan to do and go with their gut.

Be wary of pumps, chillers and hoses/interconnects. Glass and stainless are good. Plastic should be super careful but doable

I know this is a few weeks old, but this is a recurring thing I run into with non-GF brewers and cooks. If he has anxiety that it's unsafe, you will NEVER convince him. He may concede the argument and happily accept 5 gallons of GF beer in old beer bottles. He may also take it home and toss it before risking getting sick. Same goes for food at the holidays.

Gluten is a protein amd a fairly large molecule....not really that hard to eliminate from sources if you're careful

This is a concern. My wife is extremely sensitive to all wheat and wheat relatives. She is also sensitive to corn and all corn relatives, ie. sorghum. Even millet is a problem. When I shifted from brewing barley beers to GF beers I cleaned all equipment and bottles. There were no problems that were noted. Now, I have gone totally to the GF side with all dedicated equipment and new bottles. There is definitely something to be said for peace of mind!