DIshwasher sanitizing

[newbrewr4fun]

Okay, I have one more inquiry to make about brewing before I brew on sunday. My dishwasher has a sanitary rinse mode. It raises the water temperature to sanitize dishes during the final rinse cycle. Is this safe to sanitize my beer bottles with? Do you think it will work?

 

[Ben25]

Yes, it will work, lots of people do it. Just make sure you don't use soap.

 

[TheFlatline]

Okay, I have one more inquiry to make about brewing before I brew on sunday. My dishwasher has a sanitary rinse mode. It raises the water temperature to sanitize dishes during the final rinse cycle. Is this safe to sanitize my beer bottles with? Do you think it will work?

My issue with this is that you have to get all that water into (and out of) very small beer bottle openings. Submerged, it takes me a good 5-10 count for a 12oz bottle to fill up with sanitizer.

It might work, but why not just go with what you know will work for sure? Get a big tupperware storage bin and grab your bottle of starsan.

 

[Brewsmith]

I've never had a problem with it. Just make sure all the bottles are clean before going in the dishwasher and as was said before, don't use soap. It's not the water that kills the bacteria. It's the heat and steam.

 

[bottleopener]

heat+pressure (thus steam) = clean

i'm going to have access to a commercial grade fast-sanitizer this coming year (212*+ HIGH pressure within 2 minutes) so life will be good

 

[BlindLemonLars]

My issue with this is that you have to get all that water into (and out of) very small beer bottle openings. Submerged, it takes me a good 5-10 count for a 12oz bottle to fill up with sanitizer.

You don't need to get water in/out of the bottles...the heat and steam is what does the sanitizing. Remember, you're starting with bottles that are already clean, and not counting on the dishwasher to clean them for you.

It's the only method I've ever used, it works great and is very convenient. I bottle right on the open door, and just keep pulling sanitized bottles out of the rack as I need them. Caps sit in a small tub of Starsan. Any spills are contained within the door, so there is virtually no clean-up.

 

[malkore]

My issue with this is that you have to get all that water into (and out of) very small beer bottle openings. Submerged, it takes me a good 5-10 count for a 12oz bottle to fill up with sanitizer.

It might work, but why not just go with what you know will work for sure? Get a big tupperware storage bin and grab your bottle of starsan.

Its the heat created inside the dishwasher that does it, not the fact that the hot water actually touches the inside. glass conducts heat very well so the inside will get hot.

high heat dry cycle is also used here.

Make sure you don't have Jet Dry in the reservoir of your dishwasher either...it kills beer head.

I'd also clean any kind of strainer in the dishwasher first so no crud gets blown into the bottles.

(i personally dunk in star san, then bottle tree drain them.

 

[BigKahuna]

We don't use jet dry anyway, it doesn't play well with our well water. I do dump about 1/2 cup of plain white vinegar in the main cycle, then wash as a load of dishes.
As everyone else has stated, DO NOT expect your dish washer to clean the bottles for you. It just can't do it.
I also bottle right on the open door, with bottling bucket on the counter above. This may be the reason I don't hate bottling as much as some people.

 

[BeerPressure]

my old dishwasher doesnt have a "sanitize" setting like someone stated before, would i just set it to the normal setting without detergent?

 

[BigKahuna]

Mine calls it a heat dry cycle.
Just stick'em in there and it's going to be fine as long as they are hot when it's finished....Just make sure they cool before you go grabbing hold of them.

 

[DuffmanAK]

If you did this, would you want to let the bottles cool at all first? Or will the heat not impact the flavor of the beer enough to care?

 

[Beer Dude]

I came looking for the same answer.

Any thoughts?

 

[BlindLemonLars]

If you did this, would you want to let the bottles cool at all first? Or will the heat not impact the flavor of the beer enough to care?

As long as they are cool enough to handle, no worries. I usually wait about an hour after the dry cycle finishes.

 

[Beer Dude]

Thanks for the help