hi! i love this website and have been here before but just joined to ask this question. i have learned to brew from an experienced friend of mine and made 2 batches so far. tonight i want to bottle the first batch. my friend gave me a bunch of old bottles because he kegs his homebrew now. they have been in his basement for a few years. he said he always keeps them clean and washed them right after he poured the beer out so i should be good to go. when i look at them they do look very clean. they have all been boxed up. i know how to sanitize so i was wondering if they are clean do i still need to scrub them first? i was going to make a sink of starsan and let them soak for half an hour before i bottle. is this ok, or do i still need to scrub them out with my bottle brush first and then starsan?
first time bottling questions
- Thread starter bierhure
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk:
If it were me, I would clean them. You never know what may have crawled into a bottle, possibly laid eggs and has now vacated the bottle. I live in Florida and cockroaches get into everything. I wouldn't take the risk just for the sake of saving time and work. The beer is worth it. Just my two cents.
Sent from my iPad using Home Brew
Sent from my iPad using Home Brew
Take a look in the bottom of the bottles. If they look clean, then they're probably OK to just sanitize. But as dkeller says there's only one way to be absolutely sure they are clean, and that's do it yourself.
JosephLongbow
Active Member
Clean them. No doubt.
JosephLongbow
Active Member
Also.... get the spring loaded bottling wand. The gravity wand sucks, I'very learned this the past few batches when I got beer all over the floor.
ok i started to wash them. i dont have oxyclean, but i will get it. i use ivory dish soap. i know soap can effect the head so i am rinsing each bottle 3x in hot water. now there is no time to bottle i will probably have to wait until saturday. can i just put plastic wrap over the clean bottles and then sanitize on saturday???? i dont want to have to wash again, but i will if it will spoil my beer. i should of waited i guess. i have tried to be sooooo cearful about sanitizing everything!! i think i will get an automatic bottle washer for my sink.
i do have a spring load bottle filler, its plastic with a spring tip that lets the beer out.
i do have a spring load bottle filler, its plastic with a spring tip that lets the beer out.
![Craft A Brew - Safale S-04 Dry Yeast - Fermentis - English Ale Dry Yeast - For English and American Ales and Hard Apple Ciders - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [1 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41fVGNh6JfL._SL500_.jpg)
number40fan
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2014
- Messages
- 462
- Reaction score
- 80
That sucks that you couldn't get anything bottled, but good that you took the time to get the soap out. Do you have a dishwasher? If so, check if there is a sanitize option. Put all of the bottles in there (top down) and let it run without any detergent. Leave the washer closed. Sanitize once more with Star-san just before filling.
No dishwasher with sanitize. Cover the opening of the bottle the best you can and Star-san just before.
No dishwasher with sanitize. Cover the opening of the bottle the best you can and Star-san just before.
I just clean & rinse the bottles, dry them on my bottle tree & box them up till bottling say. Then Starsan in the vinator on top of the bottle tree for sanitizing right before filling.
