Sanitize bottles ahead of time?

mongoose33 · Dec 20, 2015

First time brewer ready to bottle.

I have the fast-rack bottle draining/storing system. Can I clean and sanitize my bottles ahead of time (say, a day or more), and then fill them with beer right from the rack when it's time to bottle?

Or do I need to sanitize them right when I'm bottling? I'm a little short on time and if I can have the bottles all ready to go, that would help immensely.

TIA!

Knkbrand · Dec 20, 2015

If it were me, I would not take the chance. I would sanitize right before bottling. that being said, I dont think you would ruin your entire batch, maybe just one or two bottles. If you attempt this, definitely make sure you cover the tops of each bottle with something.

redtangent · Dec 20, 2015

Before I started kegging that's exactly what I'd do. Clean and sanitize the bottles before racking the beer and leave them on the bottle tree. As long as the bottles are inverted they should stay sanitized enough for bottling. The way I read it, bacteria can't crawl up hill.

mongoose33 · Dec 20, 2015

redtangent said:
Before I started kegging that's exactly what I'd do. Clean and sanitize the bottles before racking the beer and leave them on the bottle tree. As long as the bottles are inverted they should stay sanitized enough for bottling. The way I read it, bacteria can't crawl up hill.

This is what the fastrack system looks like:

450x450xfastrack_beer_bottle_drying_storage_system.jpg.pagespeed.ic.WWTvMLZBIl.webp

To my way of thinking, those sanitized bottles will not be exposed to dust from the air settling on them or anything else, but as there is in a lot of things, sometimes what appears to make sense logically doesn't turn out that way.

Yeroc · Dec 20, 2015

I've sanitized bottles a day before bottling a few times with no ill effects. It does make me a bit nervous about possible infection, but it hasn't happened yet.

bleme · Dec 20, 2015

Can you get someone to help? The best practice is to bottle on wet StarSan. If someone is dipping while you are filling, it really doesn't take any longer.

Singletrack · Dec 20, 2015

I think you could get away with sanitizing a day ahead and leaving them upside-down, but there cannot be a big benefit to do that, so don't. You can clean them a day (or more) in advance, but save sanitization for bottling day.

I wash out my bottles immediately after pouring, and then put them in the FastRack to dry. On bottling day, I rinse them all with Star San, rack them, and start bottling. Often, they are dry by the time I bottle. I don't worry that I need to put beer in them while they are still dripping Star San. Some do. I have had no infections, but I am in a cool, extremely dry environment, with no bugs. (In the mountains.)

mongoose33 · Dec 20, 2015

The bottles were new--scrubbed them w/ a bottle brush just to get the process down, immersed in sanitizer, drained them in the fastrack. Took, oh, maybe 25 minutes, and this was the first time. Not a huge time sink.

Thanks for the responses--I now have bottled beer, it tastes GREAT even though it's not carbonated and it's warm. Tastes like good beer that's warm and flat.

Now I wait.

dpeters · Dec 20, 2015

What I do is right after I pour a beer from my swing top bottles is rinse them really good with hot tap water and then fill them 1/8 to 1/4 with Star San tip it upside down with the cap held loose so a little of the solution leaks out then cap it and give it a good shake. Then the next time I bottle I just give it a shake and dump out and bottle. Not sure if this is ok to do or not but I have not had any issue yet and it really cuts down the time for bottling. This is how I store and use my carboys so I figured if it works for that why not the bottles. If there is any crud that won't come out you would have to clean with some Oxyclean first. Unfortunately it would not work for bottles that would use bottle caps.

Sanitize bottles ahead of time?

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