Bottle Sanitizing

[alexavery]

Reading another thread about this topic got me thinking. I'll be bottling my first batch in a couple weeks.

I'm planning on soaking a batch of cleaned bottles in a bucket of star san for 30 seconds or so, and then dumping the star san back into my bucket. And then putting another batch of bottles in the star san bucket. And so on. First question - Is there any problem returning the "used" star san back into the bucket?

Also, when I empty the bottles, I'm guessing there will be a little leftover star san / foam in the bottom of the bottle. Is that OK?

If not, I was thinking I could turn them upside down in the dishwasher to drain all the star san out, assuming I somehow sanitize the dishwasher tines first. (I don't have a bottle tree - maybe will be able to get one in the future, however.) Is it OK to do this?

 

[Displaced MassHole]

1) There's no problem reusing the starsan with the method you mentioned.

2) Dont fear the foam, it wont hurt the beer at all. Actually the yeast enjoy it.

3) Starsan in a spray bottle! Spray down the dishwasher rack and you're good to go.

Start Kegging! You're gonna learn you have a hatred toward bottling.

 

[llazy_llama]

1) No problem at all. It'll still be effective.

2) Yes, the leftover Star San is fine. I generally spray my dishwasher with sanitizer before putting my bottles in there to let them drip dry. Not everything will come out, but what's left over in there will be fine.

3) I know you didn't ask, but I'm putting it out there anyway. You can pick up a vinator (sometimes called a sulfiter) from an LHBS or online for about $15, which will allow you to spray inside the bottles with just a few pumps. You'll easily make that money back over time by the amount of sanitizer you'll save not filling up a bucket.

 

[RBChallenger]

What displaced said...

I typically invert my bottles for a while and let what will run out run out. What will likely happen is that you will get all of the Star San solution out this way but you will end up with bubbles... no problem, bottle right over the top of em.

 

[Troubs]

1) There's no problem reusing the starsan with the method you mentioned.

2) Dont fear the foam, it wont hurt the beer at all. Actually the yeast enjoy it.

3) Starsan in a spray bottle! Spray down the dishwasher rack and you're good to go.

Start Kegging! You're gonna learn you have a hatred toward bottling.

This is EXACTLY what I do as you can see...

 

[alexavery]

Thanks everyone. Very helpful, as usual!

 

[daveooph131]

Can the same technique be used with iodopher...Fill bottles with cleanser then dump it out and into another bottle?

 

[Brew-boy]

Don't fear the foam, I use a bottle tree and Star San and will let the bottles sit untill 80% of the foam is gone, Oh Did I mention you will have foam???

 

[JohnnyO]

Just to give you options, here is another solution to bottle sanitizing:

Rather than use Star San to sanitize, I ran my bottles through the dishwasher without any soap. Using the heated dry cycle, the bottles get sanitized by the heat.

EDIT: Be sure to let them cool down first before bottling.

 

[Clonefarmer]

Can the same technique be used with iodopher...Fill bottles with cleanser then dump it out and into another bottle?

I dump it back into the bucket I am using to dunk my bottles, from one bottle to another should be fine.

 

[D-Ring]

Just to give you options, here is another solution to bottle sanitizing:

Rather than use Star San to sanitize, I ran my bottles through the dishwasher without any soap. Using the heated dry cycle, the bottles get sanitized by the heat.

EDIT: Be sure to let them cool down first before bottling.

That's what I've been doing, but the "fancy" GE that my wife wanted won't let me do the heat only. Unless I do the anti-bacterial wash (2 hrs) the bottles come out wet. Therefore, I am going to try the star-san method next week. I found a good price on star-san at my not LHBS but close HBS!

 

[OLB]

Listen to the llama - get a vinator.

I used the heated wash/sanitize cycle also, and after drying I also use the vinator/star san to be sure. Overkill maybe, but the vinator makes a second rinse easy.

 

[SumnerH]

Without a vinator:

First, boil your sugar in 2 cups or so of water. Leave it to cool.

Next, before you rack the beer to the bottling bucket, you have to sanitize that bucket. Fill it with starsan/iodophor (a gallon's enough) and put the bottling wand on the spigot.

Now, take each bottle. Put a bit of sanitizer in(using the bottling wand), put thumb over the top, shake it, pour sanitizer back in the bucket and dip the top of the bottle (where your thumb was and the top couple inches of the outside neck) into the sanitizer.

With 2 people, one fills, the other shakes and dips. You sanitize 50 bottles in 5 minutes or so.

When you're done, you've pre-sanitized the bottling wand--pour the sanitizer out gently, rotating the bucket so it coats the whole bucket, and you've sanitized the bucket too. Add your sugar (which should've been cooling while you sanitized the bottles), rack the beer in, and bottle away.

SWMBO and I just bottled 50 12-oz bottles in an hour or so this way tonight.

 

[Fat Guy Brewing]

Some dishwashers have a high temp or sanitize wash feature. If you do that, you just can't have any plastic in it or it will melt. I am lazy about hand washing dishes and have been just fine for years putting bottles in the dishwasher.