Clean Bottles

[BrewZer]

For thoose on a budget... what does Joy of Homebrewing reccomend for a bleach based sanitizer? Like a teaspon in a gallon of water?
Ive never done it, but it is an inexpenaove way to get a sanitizer.

I use the "gurgle" method.

Three large gurgles to one 15-gallon utility tub of water.

I thoroughly immerse all the bottles open end up and let sit for an hour or two -- or even overnight. Then I use a rinser like @MaxStout showed with hot water and I haven't had an issue with infections or gushers.

 

[Nate R]

I use the "gurgle" method.

Three large gurgles to one 15-gallon utility tub of water.

I usually gurgle after too many beers!!

Using your method, one gurgle to one 5 gallon bucket would work, too!!

 

[BrewZer]

I usually gurgle after too many beers!!

Using your method, one gurgle to one 5 gallon bucket would work, too!!

LARGE gurgle.

 

[dwhite60]

I rinse well after decanting and store them away.

I sanitize in lots over a few days before bottling. I fill them with a One-Step solution and let them sit five to ten minutes. I dump the solution and place a sanitized cap on the bottle without crimping.

One-Step cleans and sanitizes. I really don't care about people saying One-Step isn't a sanitizer. It's worked for me for years.

 

[KyBeer]

I built a bottle / Keg / Carboy washer. I hated washing bottles so much I went to kegs. I hated cleaning those and the carboys as well!
After 30 years of homebrewing I've had two infections in my beer. On year three or four I made a beer that tasted like broccoli-licorice. Too many brews while I brewed or bottled and had never used sanatizer. I have since then. The second time was when I was keging. Daisy chained my kegs (5). Hot PBW to air to Starsan to rinse to CO2. Some how mixed a dirty keg in the rinse cycle. Lost 3 kegs of beer.
I blame the Imperial IPAs I was drinking. Not my fault!
Clean then sanatize. You work very hard to make good beer so don't be lazy when you package it.

 

[Bill9000]

Here's my method (8 batches under my belt with no contamination issues -

• Rinse out used bottles with hot water a few times when they are emptied and wash in dishwasher with other dishes. Store bought bottles get an oxyclean soak.
• Store in finished basement (some are in closed boxes but some sit out in the open - looking to keep them all covered)
• The night before bottling, run all the bottles in the dishwasher on sanitizing setting - no dish detergent
• Soak them in Starsan for a minute or two during bottling setup - I use a large flat plastic container that can soak a dozen or more bottles at a time
• Store sanitized bottles in dishwasher facing down (racks sprayed with Starsan solution)

I always wonder if the dishwasher water is able to fully reach the bottle bottoms, but until I have a problem, I'm not going to change my procedure

 

[ncbrewer]

I always wonder if the dishwasher water is able to fully reach the bottle bottoms, but until I have a problem, I'm not going to change my procedure

I haven't tried using the dishwasher, but BYO had this to say: "The heated rinse cycle of a home dishwasher is great for sanitizing bottles, but keep two things in mind. First, the bottles still need to be clean prior to being placed in the dishwasher; any deposits inside the bottles will not be removed by the water spray. Second, be sure to run at least one cycle of water only (no soap) in the dishwasher prior to placing your bottles in."

Edit: This was from http://byo.com/stories/article/indices/19-brewing-tips/52-24-brewing-tips-and-rules-of-thumb - but the link no longer works. It was from March 1998.

 

[z-bob]

I haven't tried using the dishwasher, but BYO had this to say: "The heated rinse cycle of a home dishwasher is great for sanitizing bottles, but keep two things in mind. First, the bottles still need to be clean prior to being placed in the dishwasher; any deposits inside the bottles will not be removed by the water spray. Second, be sure to run at least one cycle of water only (no soap) in the dishwasher prior to placing your bottles in."

Edit: This was from http://byo.com/stories/article/indices/19-brewing-tips/52-24-brewing-tips-and-rules-of-thumb - but the link no longer works. It was from March 1998.

Brew Your Own: The How-To Homebrew Beer Magazine - Story Index - Brewing Tips - 24 Brewing Tips and Rules of Thumb (archive.org)

 

[d40dave]

I use a cordless drill with a bottle brush to clean the bottle after use. I then rinse the bottle and inspect. Sometimes there is some trub/gunk near the top of the neck (beerline). I use a small brush to get rid of that. I store the bottles upside down. I just sanitize on bottle on bottling day. I have been doing it this way for about a year and it's been working out well for me. When I first started doing this I would go through bottle brushes quite often. Some brushes are not as good as others. Some deform very quickly. The ones I got from BrewHardware are lasting a long time and do a good job too.

 

[Rish]

I currently rinse my bottles in hot water, cover with aluminum foil, then sanitize in 6 pack holders in a 180*F oven. I'm wondering (lazy) if I could skip the foil and just invert the bottles in the holder, then leave them like that until time to use. Any thoughts about what problems I might have?

 

[ncbrewer]

Brew Your Own: The How-To Homebrew Beer Magazine - Story Index - Brewing Tips - 24 Brewing Tips and Rules of Thumb (archive.org)

So you recognized a three-sentence quote from a 1998 BYO article - and new where to find the current link to it. You obviously spend way too much time reading about brewing. Good to know I'm not the only one.

 

[z-bob]

So you recognized a three-sentence quote from a 1998 BYO article - and new where to find the current link to it. You obviously spend way too much time reading about brewing. Good to know I'm not the only one.

No, I just knew how I might could find the article using your link and the wayback machine

 

[RufusBrewer]

I had a bottle bomb once. Now I am a suspenders and belt bottler.

After I open a bottle of beer, it gets 1/4 - 1/3 filled with tap water. Hand over the top and shake a few times. Empty the bottle. Repeat the fill and shake step. Set bottle aside.

Bottles get a soak in PBW (NOT Oxyclean) and a good rinse with the brass water jet mentioned before.

I love my bottle pump and bottle tree. Each bottle gets pumped with Starsan and hangs on the tree until it gets filled and capped.

 

[SFC Rudy]

I used to clean my bottles, then got lazy and did the "rinse after pour, dry then sanitize before filling" and had no problems. Recently I had a dirty bottle and used a bottle brush hooked up to my drill to clean it. Just for ***** and giggles I decided to do the same to the "clean" bottles I was getting ready to use. I was amazed at how quick my cleaning solution got dirty from my "clean" bottles. So, now I'm back to cleaning my bottles before use.

 

[MrBJones]

I had a bottle bomb once. Now I am a suspenders and belt bottler.

After I open a bottle of beer, it gets 1/4 - 1/3 filled with tap water. Hand over the top and shake a few times. Empty the bottle. Repeat the fill and shake step. Set bottle aside.

Bottles get a soak in PBW (NOT Oxyclean) and a good rinse with the brass water jet mentioned before.

I love my bottle pump and bottle tree. Each bottle gets pumped with Starsan and hangs on the tree until it gets filled and capped.

Why not Oxiclean?

 

[RufusBrewer]

Why not Oxiclean?

In the past, I have had problems with Oxyclean not rinsing clean. I am a right tool for the job kind of guy. PBW never failed me. I use it and do not worry.

Certainly others use Oxyclean and report, "I have never had a problem." There is a recipe for making a DIY PBW, which is lower cost.

Speaking for myself, I do not use enough PBW to bother with the time and energy to whip up a batch of DIY PBW.

Your situation could be different.

 

[KyBeer]

What is the DIY PBW recipe?