Brown Bottles smell after baking

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BrooZer

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Hey all,

I use the baking method to sterilize my brown bottles. It works great for me. However, it makes them smell very very bad. Does anyone else notice this? No why that is or if it effects beer.

I havent noticed any effect but that doesnt mean it doesnt change flavor/aroma.
 
BrooZer said:
Hey all,

I use the baking method to sterilize my brown bottles. It works great for me. However, it makes them smell very very bad. Does anyone else notice this? No why that is or if it effects beer.

I havent noticed any effect but that doesnt mean it doesnt change flavor/aroma.

I have never heard of doing that. Does it really work?
 
i don't think the glass should smell, regardless of temperature.

how thoroughly did you first clean your bottles? yeast sediment on the bottom can be kind of stubborn.

also, does your oven have the smell?
 
john from dc said:
i don't think the glass should smell, regardless of temperature.

how thoroughly did you first clean your bottles? yeast sediment on the bottom can be kind of stubborn.

also, does your oven have the smell?


I clean very thorough. And actually yes, the element on my oven does smell the same.
 
CEMaine said:
I have never heard of doing that. Does it really work?


Yes. I cover the bottles with a small piece of foil. Put them all in while the oven is cold! turn it on to 350 while bottles are already in there. once it hits 350, let them bake for 1 hour. after the 1 hour, leave the bottles in the oven to cool off slowly along with the oven. Dont open the door.

I do that the night before bottling. the next day I have STERILIZED bottles ready to go!
 
I suspect the oven is the culprit. Sometimes baked on gunk can get into places you can't clean easily, and then bake some more when your bottles are in there.

I dont' think that you'd have to bake for an hour at 350. Seems like a few minutes would be good.
 
If it smells inside the bottles you may want to consider soaking them. Fumes given off as a result of heat will often impregnate whatever they come in contact with.
 
Not too knock anyones methods..but why do so many bake? With so many great no rinse sanitizers on the market..it just makes no sense to me. I wash out all bottles after use..so no cleaning needed..I just quick dunk in star san and than fill with beer..but I guess if u like baking more power to you.

I would think the smell is related to soap from the cleaning or yeast that didn't get cleaned all the way..is the smell in the bottle or in the oven?

Jay
 
I religeously put mine in the dishwasher, heated dry.

It gets out any bits of gunk I missed, and has never failed to sanitize. No smell either.
 
cheezydemon said:
I religeously put mine in the dishwasher, heated dry.

It gets out any bits of gunk I missed, and has never failed to sanitize. No smell either.


Same here.
 
I bake mainly because it is so easy. I clean the bottles immediately after I pour the beer. then when time comes all I do is pop them in the oven. I used to try and use the rinse with sanitizer method and it is a big pain.

Its just easier for me is all.
 
+1 for ridiculously easy to bake. My bottles are already clean. All I do is load all my bottles into the oven (holds about 3 cases) and turn the oven on. Takes all of 3 minutes actual work time to sterilize 3 cases of bottles. Note that sterilization and sanitation are different. Palmer gives some temps and times for such things. The point is for minimal work the result is the best (IMHO).

If I had a dishwasher that would be quite tempting as well.

EDIT: here is the table:

Table 3 - Dry Heat Sterilization

Temperature Duration

338°F (170°C) 60 minutes

320°F (160°C) 120 minutes

302°F (150°C) 150 minutes

284°F (140°C) 180 minutes

250°F (121°C) 12 hours (Overnight)

and the link to the page
 
Boerderij Kabouter said:
+1 for ridiculously easy to bake. My bottles are already clean. All I do is load all my bottles into the oven (holds about 3 cases) and turn the oven on. Takes all of 3 minutes actual work time to sterilize 3 cases of bottles. Note that sterilization and sanitation are different. Palmer gives some temps and times for such things. The point is for minimal work the result is the best (IMHO).



Beer bottles do not need to be strerile..unless you plan on autoclaving your bottle filler and bucket..it does not need to be sterile..Sanitized yes but either way it's always good to be safe..IMO

I usually can nock out 50 bottles..sanatize and fill in about 50 minutes whole process..so not too bad for me..I have had lots of practice so I really hands down love Star San for this process..but everyone has there own way..I do not like the dishwasher because I like to use jet dry for my other dishes that I clean so this is no good.

I kegged first beer yesterday so if anyone needs bottles..let me know!!:rockin:


Jay
 
BrooZer said:
Yes. I cover the bottles with a small piece of foil. Put them all in while the oven is cold! turn it on to 350 while bottles are already in there. once it hits 350, let them bake for 1 hour. after the 1 hour, leave the bottles in the oven to cool off slowly along with the oven. Dont open the door.

I do that the night before bottling. the next day I have STERILIZED bottles ready to go!

Seems like a butt load of work and electricity for the task. Here in the North East, electricity is not cheap by any means.

I am religious about thoroughly rinsing the bottles after emptying. Then they just need a quick rinse and sterilize dip.

Different strokes eh?
 
CEMaine said:
Seems like a butt load of work and electricity for the task. Here in the North East, electricity is not cheap by any means.

I am religious about thoroughly rinsing the bottles after emptying. Then they just need a quick rinse and sterilize dip.

Different strokes eh?



How come it seems like a butt load of work?
 
To each there own. All I know is my method literally takes 3 minutes of my time to sterilize my bottles. I know sterilizing isn't necessary, but it sure doesn't hurt and it takes no more work. I realize dunking in sanitizer is very easy as well, I just like how this takes less of my time and my hands don't get all pruny from all the liquids.

This debate is almost as strong as the fly vs. batch ;)
 
If you sanitize in the oven it is recommended that a bit of water be added to each bottle so that the steam can do better job than just plain heat. It probably helps in keeping the bottles from overheating also.
 
BrooZer said:
I use the baking method to sterilize my brown bottles. It works great for me. However, it makes them smell very very bad. Does anyone else notice this?

Stop baking plastic bottles. :D
 
BrooZer said:
How come it seems like a butt load of work?

Making sure the oven is clean. Loading the bottles. Waiting. Unloading the bottles.
By that time, I have bottled and cellared my batch and am on my second beer.

To each his own.
 
Is there a recipe for baking bottles. I mean i like drinking beer to get the empties but i'm tired of coming up short on bottling day.




(Kidding)



Brown Bottles as opposed to green or clear. Does color effect baking smell?
 
DeadYetiBrew said:
Is there a recipe for baking bottles. I mean i like drinking beer to get the empties but i'm tired of coming up short on bottling day.




(Kidding)



Brown Bottles as opposed to green or clear. Does color effect baking smell?


Good question? Maybe the brown ones are made of different materials and there fore give a smell when baked?

why is everyone so critical around here??? :p
 
For those of you who bake...how long does it take the bottles to cool down?

If I baked some bottles at 2 or 3 in the afternoon and just left them in the oven, would they be cool enough to put beer in at 7 or 8 that night?
 
Beerthoven said:
For those of you who bake...how long does it take the bottles to cool down?

If I baked some bottles at 2 or 3 in the afternoon and just left them in the oven, would they be cool enough to put beer in at 7 or 8 that night?


I greatly prefer the dishwasher method.... You can fill a bottle warm but not HOT... The dishwasher does it perfectly it only takes 20-30 minutes after drying for them to cool enough to bottle. Never had an infected bottle...... The only worry i would have about the oven is making sure it wasn't too dry.... as for smell try sticking some potpourri in them lol.....

I'm sure that a bottle would cool to appropriate temperature in 5 hours.... Plus even if it's warm to the touch the cooler beer will cool the bottles too... If you can handle 'em you can fill em...
 
Beerthoven said:
For those of you who bake...how long does it take the bottles to cool down?

If I baked some bottles at 2 or 3 in the afternoon and just left them in the oven, would they be cool enough to put beer in at 7 or 8 that night?


Id say 4 to 5 hours would be ok.. I just do mine the night before and leave them sit until im ready to bottle.
 
cheezydemon said:
I religeously put mine in the dishwasher, heated dry.

It gets out any bits of gunk I missed, and has never failed to sanitize. No smell either.
Is there any concern about rinse agents, like Jet-Dry? I'm guessing that because it's safe to eat off of dishes that have been in contact with a rinse agent that it's probably safe for our beer, but prolonged exposure (ie. conditioning time) might change the effects...Anyone have any thoughts?
 
mavol said:
Is there any concern about rinse agents, like Jet-Dry?

Rinse agents prevent spots by breaking down surface tension. This would spell disaster for your beer, assuming you want a head on your beer when you drink it!

Don't use rinse agents, and don't use dishwasher detergent. Just put your already washed bottles in (upside down, obviously!) and run it. If you use flip-top bottles, don't sweat it...the seals won't be damaged. Use the hottest cycle, if you dishwasher has a "sani-clean" cycle, all the better. Once they've finished, don't open the door until you're ready to bottle.

I like to put my bottling bucket on the counter above the dishwasher, and place the bottles I'm filling on the open door. Once they're filled and capped, I just pull more fresh bottles from the dishwasher rack, very convenient.
 
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