Bottle Sanitation Recommendations*

[joaoking]

I have no bottle tree for drying the bottles but cant imagine that everyone that started out used one. Anyone have any suggestions to keep it clean. I kinda thought that after the initial drain it should be safe to fill and cap without an extended drying time. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[b-boy]

I generally keg, but when I bottle I just clean, soak in star san, drain, and fill. Don't bother drying at all.

 

[jro238]

Sanitation? Starsan worked for me until I set up a kegging system. You don't need to rinse it or dry it (any other no-rinse sanitizer would also work just fine--I've just always used starsan).

If by chance you mean cleaning, some warm soap and water always worked pretty well for me (made sure to rinse well), but I'm sure others will suggest oxycleaners (without chlorine) which are probably easier than soap.

 

[BrewMasterFlash]

+1 to the above mentioned. Wash the bottles with dish soap and a bottle brush.Make sure to get out any crud then soak bottles in a starsan/water solution of 1oz.starsan per 5 gallons of water. No rense required.

 

[ButcherBoy]

Do you have a dishwasher? I squirt a little StarSan into my clean bottles and put them in the DW rack to drain, then I pick them out, fill, and cap. There is a great thread around here that goes over this process in detail, if you spend a little time searching for it I'm sure you'll be able to find it. (And lots of other great info as well

 

[C-Rider]

The answer to all your questions are right here. Bookmark it like I did so you can help someone next time.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-tips-homebrewer-94812/

 

[RobInOre]

Do you have a dishwasher? I squirt a little StarSan into my clean bottles and put them in the DW rack to drain, then I pick them out, fill, and cap. There is a great thread around here that goes over this process in detail, if you spend a little time searching for it I'm sure you'll be able to find it. (And lots of other great info as well

I use the dishwasher too. The few drips that happen while bottling disappear when the door is closed. The silverware basket holds a sixpack for filling.

 

[unionrdr]

I bought the avinator at my lhbs first,then went back for the bottle tree it fits on top of. Great system for making things easier & quicker. I use Starsan in the vinator. I can get 45 bottles on the tree,& since a 5 gallon batch is 48-53 12oz bottles,it's also a good way to keep count of how many have been filled. Tjhey hang on an angle upside down,so they drain out. They do dry partially on the tree,but since they're upside down,nasties don't get in. Nasties,wild yeast,etc settle downward. They're not ninja acrobats.

 

[kh54s10]

I spritz each bottle with my Vinator then place on the bottom rack of my dishwasher upside down. The excess Starsan drains out but it does not dry out. I then fill each bottle and place a cap on top. After they are all filled I crimp all the caps.

 

[unionrdr]

I also dunk my o2 barrier caps in Starsan right before placing them on the bottles. I cap them with a super agata bench capper & tip the bottles once or twice to be sure the o2 barrier thing under the plastic activates. Then into covered boxes they go.

 

[joaoking]

As far as the bottle tree goes is there a sanitation process to go through there. The branches on it do go into your sanitized bottles or does the left over sanitizer in the bottles sanitize those as well?

 

[unionrdr]

I've been taking the bottle tree outside to the driveway to spray it clean with the hose. Then you can shoot he pegs with a spray bottle of Starsan right before sanitizing your Bottles with the avinator that fits on top filled about half way with Starsan.

 

[joaoking]

Thanks for all the replies, I got it done but my next investment is definitely a bottling tree and vinator. I didn't have anything to keep the bottle upside down so I was sanitizing and filling one after the other. Next time will be easier with the added equipment.

 

[unionrdr]

It's def faster & easier with the bottle tree & vinator. The bottles also take up less area,about 2 square feet & they're closer at hand. Def two very handy items!

 

[patthebrewer]

I generally keg, but when I bottle I just clean, soak in star san, drain, and fill. Don't bother drying at all.

What He said. Don't fear the foam!

 

[HopHead_32]

It's def faster & easier with the bottle tree & vinator. The bottles also take up less area,about 2 square feet & they're closer at hand. Def two very handy items!

+1.... Agree with both! The vinator is a time saver for sure! A few pumps and let the bottle dry! I bought a fastrack from morebeer.com because I already had free shipping so it wasn't much more than the bottle tree. I have the tree and now the fastrack (fastrack more for bottle storing) either one will do IMO... But the vinator is a go for sure!

A guy at work has been brewing for 20+ years and he built a box out of chicken wire and uses that to dry his bottles... I guess there are a few different ways of bottle drying...

 

[autonomist3k]

Try using the oven.
The last time I cleaned and sanitized bottles I filled the (clean)bathtub with 2 scoops of oxy clean andhot water, put all the bottles in there and made sure they were all full of the water, then forgot about them for a couple hours.

Then I drained and dried them, put aluminum foil on them and put them in the oven, turned the oven on to 340, when it hit 340 I timed it for an hour. Once an hour was up I turned it off but don't open it, you have to let them cool down on their own to prevent cold shocking them, this part takes hours.

Once they're cooled store them, and they're sterilized indefinitely until you take the foil off.

If you do this you can do it when ever you want and you don't have to deal with it on bottling day.

 

[unionrdr]

I hope you rinsed the oxyclean out before puting them in the oven?!

 

[autonomist3k]

Yea I did, I forgot to mention that.

 

[autonomist3k]

Does that effect head retention or something?
Cause oxidation?

 

[unionrdr]

Could effect head retention,being a cleaner. Besides making an off taste.

 

[jnr1005]

I use a vinator to wash them and then I dry them in some "back to school" crates I got this year at walmart for $2.50. I swear these crates were made for bottle drying. When you flip them over (bottom side up) they have perfect holes all throughout that hold the bottles just right. Not sure if walmarts have them anymore as christmas stuff has started arriving and BTS seems to be gone. Oh, best part? When used as a crate they hold almost 30 empty bottles. Not sure I would put full bottles in as this is cheap walmart plastic, but great for all my empties.

 

[brokebucket]

Why are yall drying the bottles? Starsan leaves no taste, even in large ratios.

I clean and sanitize my bottles ahead of time, then place a little sheet of sanitized foil over them and put them in 6 packs or boxes. Come bottling time, crumble up the foil and fill er up. Makes bottling day much less hectic.

 

[bethebrew]

I use Iodophor. I fear and loathe the foam. Loathe. It effing never seems to go away, and is slicker than snot. Never understood the attraction. Corks fly out of the carboy like shot from a gun from that Star-San garbage. Carboys and bottles never drain. Don't fear the foam? Ha.

Bottling tree gets dunked completely upside down in Iodophor in a 5 gallon bucket, then set aside (all outside mind you). Bottles are pre rinsed with the jet washer attached to the hose. Then bottles put into the Iodophor and filled completely. Dump sanitizer back into bucket, bottles placed on tree.

A good spring loaded bottling attachment, and a racking pump are a must.

 

[unionrdr]

Nothing wrong with Starsan,only how you mix & use it. I don't have things flying apart all by themselves. And iodine based sanitizers stain things. I'll keep using Starsan,thank you.

 

[Bones_one]

I have no bottle tree for drying the bottles but cant imagine that everyone that started out used one. Anyone have any suggestions to keep it clean. I kinda thought that after the initial drain it should be safe to fill and cap without an extended drying time. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

After starsans I use the racks inside my dishwasher place bottles upside down. Prior to bottling I run the washer with no soap steam and heated dry no problems so far