first bottling day tommorrow! need advice

[theintern43]

so should I bother cleaning the bottles I'm using? (straight from the home brew supply store so brand new) and just sanitize them?

how important is it to let the bottles dry 100% before bottling?

best method for sanitizing? I plan on using star San and if needed clean them with oxyclean free, has anyone tried the sterilize method with the oven?


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[stpug]

Brand new bottles:
-Quick rinse with water
-Quick shake of starsan - do not let dry
-Fill and cap

Edit: Caps should be sanitized in starsan as well.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

Oven method seems overkill imo. I soak in pbw/oxyclean to delabel. Then load up the dishwasher run it on high temp or sanitize function if available. Then leave it for a bit to dry some more. Spray with starsan if you want, I usually don't anymore. Bottling takes long enough already.

 

[Puddlethumper]

so should I bother cleaning the bottles I'm using? (straight from the home brew supply store so brand new) and just sanitize them?

how important is it to let the bottles dry 100% before bottling?

best method for sanitizing? I plan on using star San and if needed clean them with oxyclean free, has anyone tried the sterilize method with the oven?

Good luck tomorrow! Good times.

I've used the oven-sterilize method and it does work. I found it to be a PITA so stopped after a few batches.

The brand new bottles probably only need to be rinsed and sanitized. That being said, if it were me I would run them through at least a quick dunk in PBW, OxyClean or the cleanser of your choice. Rinse in warm water and drain a bit. (I'm a little OCD about sanitation.)

I found that my kitchen sink holds almost exactly 5 gal. of water so an ounce of StarSan was exactly right. I think the label calls for a 1 minute exposure. Push them down into the StarSan allowing the bottle to fill. Let 'em soak for a minute and then pull them and dump them out. I bought a bottle tree but your really don't need one. Just set them where they can drain upside down while you are waiting to bottle.

A little StarSan in the bottle won't hurt your beer a bit so go ahead and bottle away. (The pH of the beer effectively neutralizes the StarSan. And it does absolutely nothing to the flavor of the beer.) But don't rinse after sanitizing.

Cheers!

 

[IvanTheTerribrew]

Congrats in getting to bottle. IMO get yourself a large covered plastic storage bin from walmart and make it your designated sanitizer bin. StarSan lasts a while so you shouldn't waste it and just make a new batch every time. I keep mine for months at a time.

That being said, new bottles, I would rinse them with hot water to get any dust or debris off and then let them soak for a minute in StarSan. It is not a big deal if the bottle is still wet with StarSan when you bottle but I wouldn't let it be saturated or filled with it if you keep them upside right after you dunk. Diluted StarSan in small amounts actually gets eaten by the yeast.

Do you have a bottle tree or fast rack to let your bottles drain upside down?

If not, you can use your dishwasher rack and put the bottles on the prongs that hold items up. Make sure you sanitize it first tho before you dry bottles on them.

I never used the sterilizing oven method because to me I'd think I'm putting the bottles through thermal stress by heating them up so high (things expand when heated) and then cooling (shrink) multiple times. But that's just me.





- ISM NRP

 

[dmashl]

I start my boiling water, add my dextrose, boil for 5 minutes. Gather my bottles. then I use a spray bottle with diluted starsan in it. Rinse with water, spray with starsan, swish around then dump the excess starsan out, place on contertop. I do 2 bottles at once. by that time your boil should be done. cool the sugar water. Rack your beer to the bottling bucket. then bottle. Wife helps by filling bottles BTW. Good Luck!