Bottling for the first time today!

[Heavenlybrew]

So I have a 4.5 gallon batch of a-z brown ale that has been sitting in primary for 3 weeks now. I just got 48 12 oz. Bottles from my lhbs. Was wondering how u guys would go about cleaning them for the first time. I was thinking I'd put them in the dishwasher with no cleaner, then spray em out again with a sink attachment, and then rinse in a no rinse cleaner. What do u guys think?

 

[optimatored]

So I have a 4.5 gallon batch of a-z brown ale that has been sitting in primary for 3 weeks now. I just got 48 12 oz. Bottles from my lhbs. Was wondering how u guys would go about cleaning them for the first time. I was thinking I'd put them in the dishwasher with no cleaner, then spray em out again with a sink attachment, and then rinse in a no rinse cleaner. What do u guys think?

hey congrats... i typically (not that i bottle often), due a quick hot water rinse, oxy-clean soak, rinse, and sanitize with starsan.

 

[archiefl98]

When I first get my bottles I soak them in warm-to-hot water and Oxyclean Free (no fragrance) - this also helps to get the labels off as the Oxyclean eats through just about anything.

I then rinse two or three times and invert to air dry until needed.

When bottling day comes I make up a batch of StarSan Sanitizer solution and pull out my Vinator.

I put the caps in a measuring cup full of Star San solution and give about three squirts per bottle of Star San from the Vinator. I get about three bottles ahead and put them in my Star San sanitized dishwasher rack upside down.

Take a bottle out of the dishwasher rack, Sanitize the next bottle and put it in the rack, fill up the bottle, cap it and move on from there!

Also, check this out:
Best bottling thread ever

 

[unionrdr]

I put my recycled bottles in a bucket of PBW solution. Just enough to cover the bottles by two inches or so. Leave them overnight,then take a bottle brush & dobie & scrub them inside & out real quick. Then place them on a bottling tree to drain. I typically do this while my ales are fermenting. Then,put them in a covered box till bottling day. Come bottling day,I put the vinitor half full of star-san on top of my bottling tree,& give each bottle 4 pumps,then onto the tree to drain. It holds 45 bottles,so then I can go through most of a batch before doing more bottles to finish.
I keep a small glass bowl of caps in star-san & pick'em out as a bottle is filled,placing a cap over the top of the bottle as I go. I fill 8-10 bottles,then go back over them with the capper. I've also found that the bottles tend not to slide around while capping since I started placing them on a small,round pot holder. I Place them back in the covered box as I go.

 

[MikeinCT]

I bottled a batch today in CT. Rainy day so might as well do some indoor job.

My bottles get emptied ad cleaned right away with hot water. I don't use much soap. Then today I rinsed them with iodophor and let them drip on my bottle tree for 30 minutes. Then I bottle as usual.

If I had new bottles I think I would make sure they were clean and then do the sanitizing. After you do this a few times it goes quickly..

 

[BrewerinBR]

I bottle all my beer and I use commercial bottles. Normal process:

Soak all bottles for 8 hours in 5 gal hot water with 1 cup of vinegar to remove labels and glue and kill any mold it them.
Then run them through the dishwasher.
On bottling day all bottles are washed in Oxyclean Free with a bottle brush then rinsed in hot water. Once all are washed and rinsed I soak them for 20 minutes in 5 gallons of warm water with 2 ounces of bleach and 2 ounces of vinegar (this makes a mild solution of phosphoric acid and kills all mold and bacteria). I then rinse the bottles in boiling water. Caps are soaked in a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup for 20 minutes with same solution, and rinsed in boiled water. As I pull the bottle out the hot water I put a cap on it and let it cool, then fill. I can put 12 bottles in my boil kettle so I only have to do 2 rotations since I am setup for only 3 gallon batches.

Sounds pretty involved when I write it out, but vinegar and bleach are cheap and work as well as anything else, and I have never had and issue. Make sure to get plain white vinegar and scent free bleach. Also do not mix the bleach and vinegar directly together, pour in the bleach, rinse the cup then add the vinegar.

PS: Somewhere on HBT is a recording of the guy who invented Star San where I learned about this bleach and vinegar mix. I think it was posted by Revvy, but I am not sure and cannot find it again. It was not a video but a recording of a radio broad cast I think.

 

[enkamania]

I do the dishwasher with no soap and star san method

 

[Strave19]

If they are brand new bottles you dont need to clean them, just rinse them with starsan as you bottle...

If they have previously had beer in them, see above.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,my LHBS sells new & used bottles. Used ones for 75c a 6'r. New ones are about $13/case. Didn't know which ones the op purchased.

 

[Homebrewtastic]

Right next to my bottling station I keep a large rubbemade tub with starsan solution. I dump in the bottles to soak, then just pull them out one at a time, dump out the liquid and fill with beer then cap.

Very quick very simple process.

 

[Heavenlybrew]

Yeah,my LHBS sells new & used bottles. Used ones for 75c a 6'r. New ones are about $13/case. Didn't know which ones the op purchased.

They are new. I'm looking over the recipe in the book and it's not telling me how much priming sugar to use. Anyone have a formula to use for this. Also isn't priming sugar just normal everyday sugar that has been boiled down?

 

[C-Rider]

I only have "used" bottles.
Rinse them after use in cold water and put in bucket of OxyClean for a day or two.
Rinse again in cold water and place in covered box til needed.
Night before I bottle I soak in Star San for 10 min then place on dishwasher rack to dry. Close washer up tight.
In the morning take them from washer and bottle.
Caps I place in a small strainer and dunk in Star San. When bottling begins I dump the StarSan and let the caps drip until needed.

So far no infections so I guess it works.

 

[cshamilton]

They are new. I'm looking over the recipe in the book and it's not telling me how much priming sugar to use. Anyone have a formula to use for this. Also isn't priming sugar just normal everyday sugar that has been boiled down?

Priming is most often done with dextrose (corn sugar) you can use regular sugar if you don't have any (some people use honey or DME). The amount of sugar depends on style - but as a general rule many people use 1 oz per gallon (4.5 to 5 oz for a normal 5 gal batch). If you don't have a scale that's about 3/4 cup. Mix in 1-2 cups of hot water then boil 5-10 min. Add to bottling bucket then rack beer on top.

 

[Heavenlybrew]

Priming is most often done with dextrose (corn sugar) you can use regular sugar if you don't have any (some people use honey or DME). The amount of sugar depends on style - but as a general rule many people use 1 oz per gallon (4.5 to 5 oz for a normal 5 gal batch). If you don't have a scale that's about 3/4 cup. Mix in 1-2 cups of hot water then boil 5-10 min. Add to bottling bucket then rack beer on top.

K so corn sugar wasn't easy to find. So I decided to get a lil crazy and use honey. I figure it will do since it's highly fermentable an may even give it some extra somethin. It's been a wild bottling day. May just wait till Tom to actually bottle. Il get some pics up later so y'all can laugh.

 

[cshamilton]

You can use this calculator to help: http://www.brewheads.com/priming.php

FYI the volume of CO2 desired varies with style, most I have done are between 2 and 2.5.

 

[profallout]

Invest in a vinator if you plan on bottling instead of kegging. It will save you a lot of time and energy. I simply rinse my bottles out twice with hot water after pouring and then store them until it's time to fill them again. When it is time to bottle I give them a couple squirts with my vinator with a strong starsan solution and let them sit upside down in my dishwasher for a couple minutes. No need to rinse. Do not fear the foam. I never worry about labels.

I guess you can get as paranoid as you want but... why? I used to do the bleach/vinegar mix which seemed to work fine but you have to let it soak and you run the possibility of making chlorine gas if you screw up (Make damn sure you do not mix the vinegar with the bleach before you add all of the water. Pour the bleach, fill with water, and then add vinegar.)

 

[Heavenlybrew]

Ended up being a fun wild day. Can't wait to do it again. Ended up doing two cycles in the dishwasher. And rinsed the inside out with a jet nozzle. Then filling with sanitized and letting it dry. Biggest lesson learned was don't let drunk people anywhere around ur unfinished beer or supplies. Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[dunard2]

Once I have enjoyed a bottle's contents, I run it through the dishwasher. After it's washed, I seal the top with Glad Press-n-Seal. Then on bottling day, I run all of the bottles (usually 52-54 to be safe) through the dishwasher again -- and that's it. The only reason I'm comfortable with this (and have never had a problem) is that my dishwasher (a Bosch) also sanitizes with heat.

 

[Hernando]

^ +1

 

[teddy4xp]

Are you storing your beer on its side or is the picture sideways?

 

[Heavenlybrew]

Once I have enjoyed a bottle's contents, I run it through the dishwasher. After it's washed, I seal the top with Glad Press-n-Seal. Then on bottling day, I run all of the bottles (usually 52-54 to be safe) through the dishwasher again -- and that's it. The only reason I'm comfortable with this (and have never had a problem) is that my dishwasher (a Bosch) also sanitizes with heat.

Yea that's why I decided to use my dishwasher as well. The press n seal is a great idea though. I might try that.

 

[Heavenlybrew]

Are you storing your beer on its side or is the picture sideways?

No the picture is sideways I had to steal it from a friends Facebook page