Cleaning beer bottles

[Chris Sansum]

I am a complete newcomer to home brewing, and am wondering what the best method of cleaning bottles is? Do you sterilise them in the same way as the rest of the equipment? Also should I buy a specialist bottle cleaning brush?

I could go out and buy a set of empty bottles, but it seems pointless since I have a number of empty bottles which I could use instead; I'm just a bit worried that any residual deposits could affect the ale which I am brewing.

Thanks for any info on this!

 

[Kevin K]

Chris, I used a product called diversol that really did a great job of loosening up the mould/gunk that formed at the bottom of my bottles after months and months of sitting in the garage. It's a pink chlorine based cleaner - don't mix it with bleach!

Also, might want to consider getting one of these:

I plan on soaking my cleaned bottles in an Iodaphor solution before bottling as well.

 

[Blender]

There are a number of cleaners that you could use. I use PBW and soak,run the brush inside and let them drain. The day of bottling I sanitize with iodaphor. A bottle brush is nice to have to remove deposits that may have hardened in the bottle. Don't buy empty bottles instead find a brand of beer that is capable to build up your bottle stock. You could scanvange at a restuarant\bar or check a recycling center as well.

 

[RichBrewer]

When you start drinking your home brew, rinse out the bottles as soon as you empy them. It makes cleaning them a whole lot easier. Believe me- it is time well spent.

 

[Cheesefood]

When you start drinking your home brew, rinse out the bottles as soon as you empy them. It makes cleaning them a whole lot easier. Believe me- it is time well spent.

True That! I put my empties by the sink so that I rinse them out within a day or two. Preventative maintanence is a lot better than emergency maintenance!

On bottling day, I fill my bucket up with water and iodaphor and place it on the counter by the sink. I fill my bottles with the Iodaphor water. As I start to run low on water, I dump back in the first couple of bottles I filled, then place them upside down in the dry rack to dry. I've done that several times without incident or contamination.

 

[Desert_Sky]

Yep. I usually rinse them 3 times with cold tap water. I still let them soak in soapy water and take a bottle brush to them before sanitzing on bottling day anyways. But cleaning after pouring the beer definitely makes a diference.

 

[boo boo]

I rinse my bottles immeadiatly after pouring them and place them in their cartons after giving them a quick shot of starsan. Makes it easy to sanitize come bottling day.
Used bottles given to me under go a overnight soak in bleach after scrubbing them with a bottle brush and a shot of water through a bottle washer like the one Kevin shows above. I then wash them inside and out with HOT water to rinse/deactivate the bleach. Then they are sanitized and placed back into cartons until bottling day.
For the most part my bottling days are over because I keg, but it makes it easier to carry bottles somewhere than a 5 gallon keg.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

I rinse them when drinking, then tip them upside down to dry. that way all that is needed on bottling day is to sanitize. I bought one of those pump thingies (nice technical term, huh?). It's like a bowl with a spout sticking up out of the middle. You put your sanitizer in the bowl, put your bottle on the spout, pump a couple times, and the inside of your bottle is sanitized.

 

[gremlin]

i rinse them out real well after pouring the beer out (into my belly).

when bottling day arrives, i fill a sink with sanitizer and water, put the bottles in and let them fill up, let them soak for a minute, take them out and then scrub quickly with a bottle brush, fill the bottle up again with sanitizer water solution, dump it out shake and let it dry. fill with tasty homebrew and cap.

no problems so far! using bottles that used to hold commercial brew is fine, as long as they have a pop top and not a screw top.

if you want to get rid of the labels, let the bottles soak in hot water and dish soap for an hour or so. i HATE drinking somebody else's homebrew with some random comercial label on the bottle. get rid of the label, a brown bottle with no label screams HOMEBREW! or make your own label, even better.

barrett

 

[McCall St. Brewer]

I rinse them out as soon as drink them. Then I run them through the dishwasher with the other dishes, usually the same day.

When I'm going to bottle, I run the dishwasher empty with no detergent. Then I put the bottles in, and run it with no detergent on hi-temp wash and sanitize.

When they're done, they go into a tub of sanitizer and then I put them back into the clean dishwasher rack to drain while I start bottling.

 

[Indiana Red]

When you start drinking your home brew, rinse out the bottles as soon as you empy them. It makes cleaning them a whole lot easier. Believe me- it is time well spent.

There is iron in his words.

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

Chris, I used a product called diversol that really did a great job of loosening up the mould/gunk that formed at the bottom of my bottles after months and months of sitting in the garage. It's a pink chlorine based cleaner - don't mix it with bleach!

Also, might want to consider getting one of these:

I plan on soaking my cleaned bottles in an Iodaphor solution before bottling as well.

Maybe it's the HB talking, but I find that pic strangely erotic...

 

[Lost]

You won't need a bottle brush or a bottle/carboy washer (though they are nice at times). As others have said, if you just make sure that as soon as you pour your beer you rinse your bottle before that first sip then all you'll have to do is sanitize the bottles on brewday. If you somehow miss a bottle and it's got some stuff growing in it then pour some full strength bleach in there, that'll dissolve anything.. and you don't need to agitate it, just let it sit for a while and then rinse *real* well with hot water.

I don't really care for dish soap as a cleaner for fear that my beer might smell or taste like lemon, green apple, or orange. I also have heard that it leaves a film which can be bad for head retention. Anyhow, if you do things right, there should never be any need for soap or any other cleaner (except for removing labels that is).

 

[northernlad]

After a few off bottles of a good batch I started examining my bottles. I found that over time just rinsing the bottle out leaves a film of on the inside.
To remedy this, I periodically actually clean them. I soak them in hot water and hit them with my bottle brush attached to my cordless drill. It is a pain in the ass but we already knew that about bottling...
I don't use any kind of soap, etc, but that is a personal preference.

 

[Gusco]

When you start drinking your home brew, rinse out the bottles as soon as you empy them. It makes cleaning them a whole lot easier. Believe me- it is time well spent.

Yes, Make sure you start out with clean bottles and keep them clean!!

 

[Revvy]

Holy 4 year thead bumping batman.

 

[northernlad]

Holy 4 year thead bumping batman.

Is there a prize?

 

[MikeGottsch]

Use the bottles you have. Soak in hot water and remove labels (that's the hardest part). Then soak in powder one-step sanitizer and clean with bottle brush. If you can get bottles that were just drunk out of, that's the best. No yeast sediment. After you drink a beer, rinse the bottle well in hot water no later than one day later. Shake it. Rinse it. When you're going to use that bottle again, just put in one-eighth teaspoon of one-step sanitizer and hot water, shake, let sit for 5 min. then empty and use. I have followed this procedure for 7 years and my bottles are going strong. Avoid labeling your bottles (except on the cap) if you possibly can because almost all labels are a pain to get off. Btw, I have gotten most of my bottles from recycling centers. You might luck out and see that someone just discarded a case. Easiest bottles to cap: Sierra Nevada, Guiness extra stout (short bottles), Heineken. Avoid Amstel bottles. They're thin and hard to cap. Good luck

 

[Sievers]

Hi guys

This is my first time brewing so I wanted to hear if my cleaning routine sounds acceptable:

4 steps:

• Step 1: Soak the used bottles in hot water. Remove labels and rinse roughly.
• Step 2: Clean outside with soap and pour hot water inside. Clean with bottle brush attached to a fast rotating drilling device. (Got the tip from this very thread). Rinse with hot water.
• Step 3: Add boiling water to each bottle and leave for minimum 5 minutes.
• Step 4: Airdry

I have some "chemipro oxi" but I figured the boiling water would do the trick as well.

Any comments?

Thanks in advance!

 

[iijakii]

I rinse them out upon drinking and then throw them in a large bucket. Once the bucket is decently full, I throw a scoop of oxyclean on there and fill it up with water. Soak them overnight, rinse out/let dry and then toss them in a case. Then sanitize them with iodophor/starsan the day of bottling.

I also reuse the oxyclean solution two or three times. It removes labels and gunk so good. I've never had the need to use my bottle brush, either. Soak, rinse, sanitize. SRS!

 

[northernlad]

Hi guys

This is my first time brewing so I wanted to hear if my cleaning routine sounds acceptable:

4 steps:

• Step 1: Soak the used bottles in hot water. Remove labels and rinse roughly.
• Step 2: Clean outside with soap and pour hot water inside. Clean with bottle brush attached to a fast rotating drilling device. (Got the tip from this very thread). Rinse with hot water.
• Step 3: Add boiling water to each bottle and leave for minimum 5 minutes.
• Step 4: Airdry

I have some "chemipro oxi" but I figured the boiling water would do the trick as well.

Any comments?

Thanks in advance!

The drill makes short work of em huh?
The boiling water is a little overkill and the thermal shock will wear your glass out.
I store them upside down after cleaning, then hit with starsan and bottle.
I never use bleach or soap.

 

[HItransplant]

I rinse them out as soon as drink them. Then I run them through the dishwasher with the other dishes, usually the same day.

When I'm going to bottle, I run the dishwasher empty with no detergent. Then I put the bottles in, and run it with no detergent on hi-temp wash and sanitize.

When they're done, they go into a tub of sanitizer and then I put them back into the clean dishwasher rack to drain while I start bottling.

holy overkill.


...wow, this thread was 4 years old..haha

 

[Sievers]

The drill makes short work of em huh?
The boiling water is a little overkill and the thermal shock will wear your glass out.
I store them upside down after cleaning, then hit with starsan and bottle.
I never use bleach or soap.

Yeah the drill was quite effective!
Good point with the boiling water. In the future I will try and use chemical sanitizers like Chemipro oxy and Iodophor only. Thanks!

 

[FLBrewMeister]

Hello
What I like to do is fill a large bucket up with water and oxy-clean for removing labels
then rinse it clean and put them on my beer tree.
When I'm ready to bottle i then put them through the dishwasher on the sanitize setting and use. Some people also put them in the oven for intense sterilizing.
I have more details, plus some other topics at my site:
http://winklerbrewery.blogspot.com/search/label/Sanitizing
Check it out and let me know what you think!

 

[CB-Brewer]

Always rinse your bottles within a day to prevent mold. When I am ready to bottle, I give them a brief soak in a bleach & water solution and then a rinse in hot water with a jet bottle/carboy washer that attaches to my kitchen faucet. Turn the bottles upside down to drain for a couple of minutes, then bottle. I don't like to use soap, chemical cleaners or iodophor. A brewpub I once worked at used iodophor to sanitize and you could taste it in the lighter/pilsner beers. The best sanitizers are steam & heat.

This method has worked for me over 15 years with great success, including GABF silver medal.

 

[skullface1818]

I actually cleaned out a huge batch of fresh bottles (post party cleanup) with a hand steam cleaner (a jet of steam into each bottle)

I plan on rinsing them out before bottling but they are all pretty clean at the moment.

 

[odh2507]

What if theres still some clean water in the bottle from sanitizing? Gonna hurt the beer or let the bottles completely airdry?

 

[iijakii]

If there's any pooling up definitely tip it over. But worried about a little moisture on the walls? Eh.

 

[odh2507]

Yea i mean a few drops on the walls, not like a good amount sitting in the bottom. Thanks. Good to go. Bottling in an hour or so. That was the only thing i was worried about.

 

[andysim]

I rinse them out as soon as drink them. Then I run them through the dishwasher with the other dishes, usually the same day.

When I'm going to bottle, I run the dishwasher empty with no detergent. Then I put the bottles in, and run it with no detergent on hi-temp wash and sanitize.

When they're done, they go into a tub of sanitizer and then I put them back into the clean dishwasher rack to drain while I start bottling.

+1 on that