How to dry bottles without a bottle rack?

[deathtractor]

So just curious. How do y'all dry you're bottles without one of them nifty drying trees? I am cheap and I don't have one. What do you guys use?

 

[Chipman]

I rinse them in san solution, let 'em sit upright for a bit, then just dump out the san solution right before I bottle. Has worked out pretty well so far.

 

[Stordl01]

I just got a few empty beer boxes from a local bar and lined the bottoms with paper towels. Then I just set them in the boxes up side down, the water will drain out and you'll have dry bottles in no time

 

[bosox]

I don't! Lol, I soak them in a sink of sanitizer, then run a little tap water through them, let them sit rightside up a minute, then right before bottling I give them a good shake to get the excess water out and bottle right away.

 

[nootay]

you can also put them through the dry cycle of your dishwasher, or just let them sit in the rack.

 

[stageseven]

+1 on upside down in empty beer boxes.

 

[Jud]

you can also put them through the dry cycle of your dishwasher, or just let them sit in the rack.

easiest way I have found as of yet!!!

 

[sysera]

I have two different stages of bottle cleaning...

Label Removal/Crud Removal(For 'new bottles'):
I remove the labels in the sink with sanitizer, and decrud with a brush. I just use two things to act like bookshelf ends, and lean them up against the wall on my kitchen counter on top of a bath towel.

Bottling day:
I take the bottles that were cleaned above, load the bottom rack in the dishwasher with them (upside down), and run it through a speed cycle + heat dry, with no soap.

They're usually dry by the time the heat cycle is done, and then I just take the whole rack out, and set it on the kitchen counter. I take the bottles out to fill an empty 12pk box just before I fill them.

I feel like this minimizes the chances of having weird bacteria and house funk catching a free ride, since they're sanitized in a heat cycle of doom, and kept upside down on a rack that was also exposed to the heat cycle of doom.

 

[HairyDogBrewing]

Here's my solution:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/better-than-bottle-tree-60650/

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

I rinse them in san solution, let 'em sit upright for a bit, then just dump out the san solution right before I bottle. Has worked out pretty well so far.

This is what I do too, just in case this is some kind of poll developing here.

 

[choptop]

I do a regular cycle in the dishwasher (upside down, bottom rack) with a tiny bit of detergent to make sure there's no crud left in/on them, and then immediately follow it with a heavy wash cycle with no detergent and with the heat dry cycle turned on.

 

[sysera]

I do a regular cycle in the dishwasher (upside down, bottom rack) with a tiny bit of detergent to make sure there's no crud left in/on them, and then immediately follow it with a heavy wash cycle with no detergent and with the heat dry cycle turned on.

This might work well, but damn you gotta be using a LOT of water/energy that way.

I think the heated dry cycle will kill almost everything, and I use the quick wash cycle because it's the shortest cycle my dishwasher does (faster and saves water) that will still use the heat dry cycle.

 

[Marsdude]

I use the bottom rack of my dishwasher but I take it out of the dishwasher and place it on the (sanitized) counter. I then spray the rack liberally with StarSan.

I wash each bottle with hot water using my jet washer hooked up to the faucet - then two pumps of the Vinator and I put it upside down on the rack. It is fast and the bottles are easy to reach as I begin to bottle.

 

[Daparish]

I do a regular cycle to clean all dishes in teh dishwasher, then unload everything. I use a vinator with some san-star and do a few pumps into every bottle. Then I put every bottle upside down on the now empty and clean lower rack of my dishwasher and grab them as I fill the beer bottles.

 

[springer]

Are you drying them for storage or prior to bottleing? I used a the cardboard case to dry them for storage just flip them over .

I don't! Lol, I soak them in a sink of sanitizer, then run a little tap water through them, let them sit rightside up a minute, then right before bottling I give them a good shake to get the excess water out and bottle right away.

Why do you sanitize then rinse with water?

 

[indeedproceed]

I don't! Lol, I soak them in a sink of sanitizer, then run a little tap water through them, let them sit rightside up a minute, then right before bottling I give them a good shake to get the excess water out and bottle right away.

+1.

If I am being smart and cleaning the bottles a week or so before bottling, I soak them in bleach, then rinse well and run them through the dry cycle. However if I've only got a day or so I soak it in star san for a minimum of 24 hours, then rinse, then put a tiny bit of sanitzer solution in there and shake...then when I am ready to put the beer in I dump out any excess in the bottles.

 

[kingmatt]

+1 on not drying. The day before I bottle I soak my bottles in oxyclean to remove the lables plus any crud that may be inside the bottles (from strays only as I rinse my bottles after pouring). I rinse them with hot tap water a few times and let the sit out on a towel until I bottle the next day.

On bottling day I dump about 2 gallons of star san solution in a tub and submerge 6 bottles, let them sit a few minutes, remove and empty back into the tub and then immediately bottle. While I am bottling those 6 I put 6 more empties into the star san and repeat. Has worked great so far!

 

[pnj]

FWIW, my bottle tree is the best thing I own. I, however, didn't purchase it. My girlfriend bought it for me because I'm too cheap to buy one myself.

But I used to try to balance the bottles upside down in the dish rack, then stack them on the counter when they had drip dried.

I like the empty beer box idea though....

 

[DrawTap88]

Load up the dishwasher with a little bit of oxyclean (NOT STAR SAN) and run it through a complete cycle. (I don't mind the entire cycle, since we only use the dishwasher for brewing).

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

Why do you sanitize then rinse with water?

Yeah, I wondered that too. (Didn't want to interfere with someone else's method) FWIW, I take advantage of the small amount of starsan foam left in the bottle. Some bottles are too dark to see when it is nearly full. Those few starsan bubbles that arrive at the neck are a good indication you will be done in about one second.

 

[coffeegod]

Or you can build your own. Check the DIY section. a couple of peices of pvc and some screws.

 

[binaryc0de]

I sanitize with bottles with StarSan then use the top rack of the dishwasher as a horizontal bottle tree and just let the bottles drain and dry. Pull them off the top rack of the dishwasher and bottle.

 

[NyQuil_Driver]

I use a vinator with a strong iodophor solution to hose down the insides of the bottles:

Then stick 'em on the (sanitized) rack of the dishwasher:

Easy-peasy!

 

[munche]

I just did my first batch of bottles, and I put them in the dishwasher on the "Sanitize" setting with no soap and called it a day. I'll let you know if my beer comes out funked

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

I just did my first batch of bottles, and I put them in the dishwasher on the "Sanitize" setting with no soap and called it a day. I'll let you know if my beer comes out funked

You'll be good with that. There are many ways to skin a cat.

PS Don't skin any cats near your sanitized bottles.

 

[SumnerH]

As others noted, if you're talking about sanitizing there's no reason to dry them completely--indeed, a protective film of StarSan until you fill 'em is a good thing. Just give one final inverted shake before filling.

If you're talking about after cleaning and before storing, I just set them upright in front of my fan overnight (aimed to blow across the necks), then put them in the closet in the morning.

 

[chrispykid]

Empty milk crate. I rub some Starsan on the inside of the crate(s) to kill off any bugs that might infect the top of the bottles and then stack the bottles upside down. Economical and effective.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

I use a vinator with a strong iodophor solution to hose down the insides of the bottles:

Then stick 'em on the (sanitized) rack of the dishwasher:

Easy-peasy!

Probably a non-issue but I always stick the bottles into the gaps in the dishwasher rack so there is no part of the rack inside the bottle.

 

[Tripod]

you can also put them through the dry cycle of your dishwasher, or just let them sit in the rack.

+ another 1. My dishwasher also has the "sanatize" feature so I just let it do the work and bottle straight from the washer...

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

I'm still waiting for someone to say "But pee is sterile isn't it? I piss in all my bottles and then have my dog pee in the ones I can't manage"

 

[SwampassJ]

5.99 at Target. Regular long necks fit perfect, Sierra Nevada bottles fit, but can't use all of the holes. 22oz and 750ml bottles fit, but are really top heavy and may fall free. I put the 22oz and 750ml bottles in the center holes and surround with 12oz bottles.

 

[doctorRobert]

I'm still waiting for someone to say "But pee is sterile isn't it? I piss in all my bottles and then have my dog pee in the ones I can't manage"

just because piss is sterile doesn't mean it can sterilize.... which is why BMC must also sterilize their bottles.

 

[Teromous]

I just got a few empty beer boxes from a local bar and lined the bottoms with paper towels. Then I just set them in the boxes up side down, the water will drain out and you'll have dry bottles in no time

I do this. Whatever foam is left in the bottle gets pushed out when I bottle, and StarSan is safe anyway. If it's not I'll just be a mutant with one extra superpower during the apocalypse in 2012.

 

[dshaggy]

I got my bottle tree for like $13 and I think it holds 48. It comes apart for sanitation and has a handle, which makes it worth the price since I usually bottle outside. I soak new bottles in oxyclean free for about 20 min or so. The labels come right off and I scrub the small amounts of glue off. Before bottling, I soak in bleach water for several minutes, then rinse with a cheap faucet adapted bottled rinser.

There are a lot of alternatives to a bottle tree, but for me it was well worth the $.

 

[dummkauf]

I got my bottle tree for like $13 and I think it holds 48. It comes apart for sanitation and has a handle, which makes it worth the price since I usually bottle outside. I soak new bottles in oxyclean free for about 20 min or so. The labels come right off and I scrub the small amounts of glue off. Before bottling, I soak in bleach water for several minutes, then rinse with a cheap faucet adapted bottled rinser.

There are a lot of alternatives to a bottle tree, but for me it was well worth the $.

Yes, but how do you sanitize the whole bottle tree

I sink the bottles in starsan, empty starsan, fill with beer....in that order

 

[dshaggy]

I unscrew it piece by piece and submerge in bleach water (in my bottling bucket) along with everything that's going to be touching the beer; hoses, caps, etc.

 

[Toga]

Yes, but how do you sanitize the whole bottle tree

I sink the bottles in starsan, empty starsan, fill with beer....in that order

I do exactly the same. I put 3.5 -4 gallons of starsan solution in a 5 gallon food safe bucket. Put bottles in and let them fill and sink. I let them soak for a few minutes. I pull them straight from the bucket, dump, give a couple shakes to get out the excess, then fill, and cap. Works like a charm.

When washing for future use I dry the bottles in a box upside down lined with paper towels.

 

[NyQuil_Driver]

Yes, but how do you sanitize the whole bottle tree

Whenever I whip up a batch of sanitizer at the beginning of a bottling day, I put some in a spray bottle, then hose down everything that's too big to fit in the bucket.

 

[user 53515]

+1 on not drying. The day before I bottle I soak my bottles in oxyclean to remove the lables plus any crud that may be inside the bottles (from strays only as I rinse my bottles after pouring). I rinse them with hot tap water a few times and let the sit out on a towel until I bottle the next day.

On bottling day I dump about 2 gallons of star san solution in a tub and submerge 6 bottles, let them sit a few minutes, remove and empty back into the tub and then immediately bottle. While I am bottling those 6 I put 6 more empties into the star san and repeat. Has worked great so far!

+1 I do exactly the same except I starsan all of them at one time and stand them up on doubled up paper towels. Fill, cap, rinse in tap water, dry with a towel, box, and age.

 

[beerguy2009]

you can also put them through the dry cycle of your dishwasher, or just let them sit in the rack.

I just sanitize them and put them in the dishwasher to dry on the rack. I always run a load in the dishwasher just prior to sanitize the racks.
Do most people rinse their bottles after sanitizing them with iodophor?