Bottle Cleaning - Good Enough?

[ncbrewer]

Recently I got curious about my bottle cleaning routine. For several years I've been hot water rinsing after pouring, and not doing an Oxi Clean soak. I always check, and they look spotless. No infections, and nobody has noticed any off flavors from them.

I tried a test. After the normal hot rinse, the next day I let one stand full of Oxi Clean. After an hour it had a cap of light brown foam. I repeated this again the next time and again got a brown foam cap. Next night, after pouring I cleaned with a bottle brush - still no Oxi. Next day let it stand full of Oxi, and no brown foam. So I decided that the hot water rinse might not be as good as it could be. I've started cleaning the bottles with hot water and a bottle brush after pouring. Then a hot water rinse.

Details of my previous cleaning method:

Immediately after pouring, swirl about 2 oz of tap water 10 times - pour out. Then repeat this. Set aside until finished drinking. This is to prevent beer residue from drying and caking.

When finished drinking, hot rinse outside of all bottles, including hand scrubbing.

Clean out the neck with freshly washed finger. This is in case some has dried out at the fill line.

Swirl about 2 oz of hot water 50 times - pour out. Then repeat this.

Fill with hot water and dump out. Do this a total of 3 times.

Inspect bottles, and set upside down to air dry.


I'd be interested in whether anybody else has done a test like this, or has any other way to know how much cleaning is necessary.

 

[flars]

I have found that some bottles, from the same batch of beer, will not rinse out completely even using a quadruple rinse with a jet washer immediately after pouring.

I now keep a bucket with PBW solution next to the sink. When the bottom of the bottle looks hazy it goes into the bucket. When the bucket is full bottles are cleaned with a bottle brush in battery powered drill.

 

[ncbrewer]

flars: Thanks. Good to know it's not just me. Now I'm wondering, since so many brewers just rinse like I did, is it even a problem? Maybe the miniscule amount that's left - not even visible, or even a haze in my case - actually gets sanitized anyway. Either way, I plan to scrub with the bottle brush to be on the safe side.

 

[popsicleian]

I was doing the rinse-only method for a while, trying to convince myself it was good enough, but every batch had some gushers. As much as I hate bottle cleaning I think it's worth it. Since I went back to an oxiclean soak and quick scrub I haven't had any problems.

 

[mongoose33]

People aren't going to like this (at least some of you), but I triple-rinse bottles after pouring, and then into the dishwasher they go.

I know that there's potentially no-spot rinse agent that is poor for head retention, but when I bottle I rinse them with Star-San (using a vinator) which I believe eliminates most of that agent.

The bottles come out spotless from the dishwasher. That's all I ever do to clean them and I find it much easier than a bottle brush, rinsing 10 times, putting in a bucket of oxy-clean or PBW.

I usually can get about a dozen in the top rack, but I put them in there as I need to; no sitting around drying stuff on the bottle.

 

[ncbrewer]

So four brewers and five different bottle cleaning routines (including my old way and my new way). Typical for brewing, don't you think?

 

[Murphys_Law]

I rinse with warm to hot water and when I get about a dozen or so I will soak them for several hours in hot water and oxi. Then rinse like crazy and store upside down. I haven't used my bottle brush in a year or two. That said, I only bottle about 2 or 3 5G batches a year and keg the rest!

 

[Maylar]

I entered a cider in competition and a judge noticed "floaters"... something had got beyond my cleaning routine. I now rinse with hot water and drain on a tree, then soak in 1-step overnight (takes labels off too), and scrub with a bottle brush then rinse. Or use fresh bottles from the LHBS. Bottling sucks.

 

[wiggybrewer]

One ounce of bleach with 4 gal. cold water in a 5 gal. bucket will hold 12 bottles, soak for a few days, rinse and there spotless.

 

[Lefou]

One ounce of bleach with 4 gal. cold water in a 5 gal. bucket will hold 12 bottles, soak for a few days, rinse and there spotless.

One very good reason to start out with one of the basic brewing kits with two buckets. My first kit was a Brewers Best and the fermentation bucket has never been used for the original purpose. It's my sanitation bucket.

 

[kh54s10]

I rinse mine out after drinking the beer - right away to a few days later. Sometime even washing out some mold. I use a brush if I see anything sticking to the insides. On bottling day I rinse again, look for any stuck on crud. If I see anything those bottles go for a cleaning or recycling. Sanitize with a Vinator of Starsan, bottle them and proceed. One infected bottle in about 50 five gallon batches.

Until I start having problems I am not going to get crazy soaking, brushing, rinsing, sanitizing.......

Rinse, store,---- rinse, inspect, set aside any suspect bottles, sanitize, fill, cap and done.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I do limited bottling off kegs to take beer off premises and typically rinse well after use.

I have noticed a build up on the glass and occasionally use oxi clean and it does wonders.

A quick test is to take one of your rinsed bottles that you assume is clean, fill halfway with hot oxi clean solution and shake well for a few minutes, then pour the solution into a glass, if the bottle is dirty the solution will have a tan tint to it.

Try it, my bottles and growlers were not nearly as clean as I thought.

When bottling off a keg, there isn't as much concern as when bottle conditioning as beer is stored cold for a short time.

 

[YellowRiver]

One more way. I triple rinse and shake after I pour into a glass, about a third full and a few good shakes. I rarely store upside down but I have accumulated boxes so theyre covered. Bottling day its a 10 count to the bottle washer, a hot wipe to the outside, then a starsan fill. Right or wrong, no gushers after 45 batches.

If its a bottle I bought, given to me or it touched someone's lips than it first gets a soak in PBW or sometimes oxyfree.

the only time I have had a residue ring that wouldn't came off with the shaking is a Scotch ale that I aged for about a year