Bottling and bucket sanitizing for the first time

[kyle6286]

Hello,

I brewed my first batch, autumn amber ale, a couple of weeks ago. This weekend will be three weeks in the primary fermenter. I plan on transferring to my bottling bucket and bottling on Saturday. The kit I ordered from Midwest Supplies came with an easy clean no rinse powder that requires 1 teaspoon per gallon of warm water. I plan on filling up my sink with the solution and placing a few bottles in the sink at a time in order to sanitize. Then, I will make a new gallon with sanitizer and fill my bottling bucket and let it sit for a few minutes after shaking it. Is this sufficient? I should add that although the beer bottles did have beer in them before, I gently cleaned them with water as to not allow any residue to reside in the bottles for the past couple of weeks. Also, my bottling bucket has never been used so I don't know how "clean" I need to get it. Do you guys recommend sticking with this sanitizer for this first batch or should I get some Star San or OxiClean for this weekend? If necessary, I will make a trip over to my LHBS sometime during the week. Any help is appreciated. Thanks

 

[ccudc9]

Honestly, my first kit that I bought although not from midwest, came with "one-step" and I used it in the method you are mentioning. I have since found out that what was supplied is really just a cleaner, so I have since moved to oxyclean free and Star San. I didnt notice anything using the one step as a sanitizer, but feel beeter using the other method. IMO clean with the onestep, but sanitize with star san. A good soak of your bottles in cleaner and a good rinse will do followed by sanitizing.

 

[WildGingerBrewing]

I use Iodophor to bottle since it's cheaper than Star San. My method may be overkill but, hey, it works! Fill your bottling bucket up with 6 gal of water and the required amount of Iodophor and add all of your equipment (siphon, hoses, etc). While you are cooling your priming sugar/water, fill the bottles with the sanitized solution from the bucket. You have killed two birds with one stone. Your bucket is sanitized and ready to for beer to be racked into it and your bottles are full of sanitizer. When you're ready to bottle, simply empty the sanitizer into the sink (or another bucket if you have another batch to do later), and fill the bottles with beer. Nothing to it.

 

[kyle6286]

Appreciate the response guys. I'll fill my bottling bucket and clean the bottles using the same solution. Great idea. Thanks!

 

[ayoungrad]

I use star san. I use a brew pot and fill it with about 2 gallons of BRITA filtered water and add the appropriate amount of star san. I then immediately fill a spray bottle full of the star san for use for my next brew day.

Then I dunk the bottles to fill them... pour them out and put them on the bottling tree.

When I finish I pour the solution in the bottling bucket, sanitize that and then empty it back into my brew pot.

Why the brew pot? Because you never know. Something always goes wrong. Need more bottles? Forgot to sterilize a stir rod? Forgot to sterilize bottle caps, etc. I just use the brew pot Star San still sitting there.

So I only make up 2 gallons and it lasts me until the next bottling session.

 

[trevor_b]

Any ideas on Oxyclean free dilution amount? The instructions on the tub aren't clear for my application. When I was cleaning my primary bucket, I poured two gallons or so of water in the bucket and added less than a 1/4 scoop. Is that diluted enough or too diluted?

 

[ccudc9]

Any ideas on Oxyclean free dilution amount?

I use 1/2 a scoop per five gallons, so your pretty close.

 

[kyle6286]

I use star san. I use a brew pot and fill it with about 2 gallons of BRITA filtered water and add the appropriate amount of star san. I then immediately fill a spray bottle full of the star san for use for my next brew day.

Then I dunk the bottles to fill them... pour them out and put them on the bottling tree.

When I finish I pour the solution in the bottling bucket, sanitize that and then empty it back into my brew pot.

Why the brew pot? Because you never know. Something always goes wrong. Need more bottles? Forgot to sterilize a stir rod? Forgot to sterilize bottle caps, etc. I just use the brew pot Star San still sitting there.

So I only make up 2 gallons and it lasts me until the next bottling session.

When you pour the bottles out, do you pour the solution back in the pot or do you dispose of the solution?

 

[ayoungrad]

When you pour the bottles out, do you pour the solution back in the pot or do you dispose of the solution?

Back in the pot. Its resilient stuff.