Bottling day - Closing questions

[Nexus555]

Hey guys, what's going on? Well, today is finally bottling day. I was patient and let the beer ferment for 1 week, and 2 weeks in the clearing tank. Hopefully I can save these beers for 3 weeks

Well I do have a few questions before I begin bottling today.

- How would you sanitize your bottles? Right now I have a little One Step left, I have a big bath tub and bleach, or I could use the oven. To be honest, I'm wanting to use the oven, because it's hard for me to dry 48 bottles in my small place.

-If I do use the oven, exactly what temperature do you put the bottles in, and for how long?

-Is it necessary to boil the priming sugar in 2 cups of water, or can it just be added to bottling bucket loose before racking?

That is pretty much my only questions. I'm just unsure if I should fill the bottling bucket full of water and one step, use bleach in the tub (which would require even more rinsing!!) or use the oven.

Well, thanks in advanced!

 

[thenatibrewer]

i have never used the oven idea, but i do use bleach often and i works great. rinsing is a must for me!!! i bottle rinser is a great investment ($13) makes the job very easy. good luck!!!

 

[tbone]

Oven:
60 min at 338 degrees

Put aluminum foil on the tops. Stand in the oven. Pre-heat to desired temp. Start timer when oven reaches desired temp. Store bottles until ready to use. I like this method. When I get a full case cleaned, I use this procedure and put them back in the case to use the next time I bottle.

Note: put bottles in a cold oven and let them gradually heat up as the oven pre-heats. After finished, let them cool in the oven before putting them away.

 

[Yooper]

I've never used the oven, I just use sanitizer on clean bottles and then line them up on the counter. Before I bought a bottle tree, I just filled my bottling bucket with sanitizer and dunked the bottles in there. Then drained them over the bucket and set them on the counter. They don't have to dry- you can fill them right away. Don't forget to sanitize your caps, too. And the racking cane and bottling bucket. I've always used one-step.

DO boil the 2 cups of water, then add the sugar and boil until dissolved. Then pour that (after it's cooled) into the bottling bucket. Then, rack the beer into it, with the tip of the tubing submerged as to not aerate your beer. Put the tip under so that the beer "swirls" around to mix well. If you don't do this, the priming sugar won't mix, and you'll have uneven carbonation- some flat, some overcarbonated.

 

[Tophe]

Bottle trees are a big help for drying. I have a bottle sprayer that i put on my faucet. I always rinse them good with hot water, then I use iodphor solution in one of those things that you put the bottle over and pump it up and down a few times to spray the sanitized solution up there, then put em on the bottle tree for an hour or so. I always spray my tree down to sanitize it also.

Personally, i dont like the onestep for bottles because it tends to leave a film on things.

Dont forget to sanitize your caps also. I either put them in a sanitizing solution for a few minutes and dump them on a paper towel, or you can just boil them for 10 minutes and sanitize them.

Id invest in a bottle rinser, and bottle tree.

 

[kingjam]

After you boil the the sugar how do you evenly distibute that into you bottling bucket. If you just pour it in , I would think some bottles would get more than others.

 

[Yooper]

When you siphon your beer into the sugar mixture, you siphon it so that the tube's tip is under it and at an angle, so it "swirls" around and mixes. Some do gently stir, but I don't. (you put the boiled and cooled sugar mixture in first, then rack your beer into it)

 

[Beerrific]

Put the sugar water in the bottom of the bottling bucket, but your siphon tube in the bottom, siphon in and if you arrange the tube in a curve it will swirl as it flows in, mixed.

Don't shake or let it splash you will get oxidation.

EDIT: Beat me. To add, you can kind of stir it with the tube.