Bottles - What if I..

[Anubis]

Put Star San in them?

I have some extra caps that I got for free but they'e kinda cheesy and aren't the oxygen absorbing type so I don't really want to use them for the brew. So I was going to clean my bottles and sanitize them but leave them about half full of a light star san solution. Then cap them, put them in a box and store until needed. I figure when the time comes to use them I'll wash them off, spray them with star san, shake and empty. But I figured I would get some feedback before doing it, just in case.

 

[DaveMcPhee]

Sounds like a lot of work.

Personally I rinse used bottles with water, leave them open in my dirty garage for weeks, and give them a star san bath before use. 500+ bottles and no infection yet.

 

[Anubis]

Hmm. Maybe I'm over thinking this.

 

[DaveMcPhee]

Hey, if you have the time and the inclination, there's nothing wrong with what your proposing - do what makes you happy / comfortable

 

[Diver165]

I agree .... That's a lot of work.

I wash my bottles and store them in a walmart file crate (looks like a long milk crate) that holds 30 bottles. I put a towel over top and stack the crates up. I have a stack of empties and a stack of filled that are carbing up. The crate and towel will control any shrapnel from a bottle bomb. But I haven't had any issues with my empties sitting there in the garage under a dish towel

 

[ChshreCat]

Easiest way to work with starsan...

Get yourself one of these:

Fill it with starsan solution. Then, anytime you want to sanitize anything, you just spray it down. A few pumps and the entire inside of your bottling bucket is coated with starsan with enough in the bottom to run out through the spigot. One pump in a bottle and a quick swirl and it's sanitized. Fermenters, bottling wand, tubing, stoppers, everything can be sprayed. I fill my bottle up ever 4 or 5 brewdays. I haven't bought starsan in forFREAKINGever.

 

[Anubis]

Yeah it may be more work but for long term storage it would make me feel better.

I do have star san in a spray bottle and I use it anytime I take a grav reading or when my airlock blew off. It's the greatest.

Thanks for the feedback, I think I may try it out just to get through these caps and if I'm bored and watching a movie it would give my ADD brain something else to do. I feel like it might save a little time on bottling day but I'll admit probably not much.

 

[Anubis]

....

 

[Stuntman]

When I first started, I had my bro in law save me some bottles, he didn't rinse them and I had to go through and clean, inspect, brush....

Since then I keg, but the rule of thumb for me is, this is me and I am only anal about lips touching my bottles. All bottles are poured into glasses, before they have a chance to dry, they are rinsed with water. Most of the time hot, but not necessary. Then stored, ANYWHERE! As long as you get the beer out of the bottles immediately you are golden. When it is time to bottle, I put four in at a time, turn four the opposite way two times. They sit for ten minutes in Idophore, rinse, fill. YEARS,,,,no problems.

 

[smokinghole]

Keep your eyes out for a bottle tree and get a vinator. Makes bottling so easy and fast it's silly.

 

[ChshreCat]

Yeah it may be more work but for long term storage it would make me feel better.

Long term storage is done in the bottle the starsan comes in. I just mix up enough for the spray bottle. No reason to have gallons of it mixed up and sitting around.

 

[Anubis]

As far as long term storage, I meant the bottles not storing the star san. But I do agree that I had not really considered that even if I only filled them half way that would still be a lot of star san and water. I am starting to think that it would just be more efficient to keep with the method I already have...
1.drink beer
2.rinse bottle
3.put in rack to dry
4.store then sanitize when needed

I just sometimes like to overthink things. You should see the all grain set up I'm designing, way over the top.

Thanks again for all the feedback. That's why I love this place, never a shortage of knowledgable answers.

 

[ChshreCat]

That's pretty much what I do except that when I soak new bottles to get the labels off, I throw my old bottles in too so they get a good soak in oxyclean to make sure they're **** and span. Then on bottling day, I give each bottle a quick spritz with starsan to their sanitized right before I start filling.

 

[Homercidal]

I usually soak my bottles to get the labels off, dunk or spray with Starsan, then store upside down in a box. upside down keeps the dust out.

On bottling day I spritz with Starsan and hang upside down in dishwasher rack to drip. Then just grab them as I go.

The removing labels part is the only PITA for me, but I have to do it.

 

[spatman]

does anyone use their dishwasher to sanitize bottles?

 

[ChshreCat]

It's possible to do that, if you have a specific heat sanitize setting on your dishwasher. Some do, some don't. I'm not sure if starsan still wouldn't do a better job.

Another option on storing your bottles to keep the dust and stuff out is just to tear of a bit of tinfoil and cover the mouth with that. Easier and cheaper than wasting caps. I don't do it though. I do the upside down thing like Homercidal said.

 

[BlackBearForge]

I´ve been saving bottles for some time now in preparation for homebrewing and made it a point to save the 12 or 24 count cardboard boxes they came in as well. Rinsed well when done drinking and then stored upside down in the boxes with some newspaper and paper towels in the bottom. Works nicely until they can be soaked in hot water and oxyclean for label removal and a quick work over with a bottle brush after which they are rinsed and stored again in the same boxes with fresh paper towels. I figure on bottling day all they will need is a short soak in a water-sanitizer solution and they will be ready to go.

By the way, wine boxes work nicely for bombers.