Getting Bottles Ready??

[acesb422]

I have looked for good instructions on this step but haven't really found a lot. I will not be ready to bottle for a couple of weeks because I just completed my first batch yesterday. But i have bottles coming to me from Austins and I want to be prepared. Since I am buying new bottles what sanitation methods are best. I have read up about the oven cooking them with aluminum foil over the top which i like best it seems to be the most productive, but i am also understanding that the bottle might break or crack on me. Has anyone ever used this method??

I don't have any star san or whatever it is but the more I read up on it and read what everyone else has to say about it I think i will have to order some. Any suggestions on bottle prep and actual bottling will be very helpful. Thanks

 

[Yooper]

Whatever sanitizer you used for your brewing gear will work for your bottles. Since they are already clean, just sanitize and fill. I've always used a pump sprayer (it's called a vinator) and a bottling tree, and it's very fast. You use the vinator to squirt some no rinse sanitizer in the bottle, and stick it on the bottling tree. Then fill the bottles and cap. It's really quick and easy.

 

[mrkristofo]

Use a sanitizer, let them soak. I prefer a no-rinse sanitizer like Star San or Iodophor for my own reasons...the choice of sanitizer has been discussed extensively in other threads.

 

[Jamo99]

I would prepare for bottling by buying more bottles (with beer in them). Then emptying them down my throat one at a time until bottling day. You'll definately need more bottles eventually, and buying them full is much more satisfying than empty.

I use an iodophor solution for sanitizing. It's cheap and has a short contact time. I dunk/fill the bottles in an extra bucket, then let sit for at least 30 seconds. Usually a few minutes. Then I dump them and set them on the table on top of a towel. I repeat until all are done, then dump anything that has accumulated. Sanitize the rest of my equipment (bottling wand, tubing, bottling bucket, caps) and I fill em up.

 

[Skins_Brew]

I soak them in a bleach/oxiclean solution for a few hours, rinse the hell out of them, Put them on the dishwasher rack to dry, place in box next first.

When i bottle, i fill a cooler with no rinse cleaner and water, Fill them all up with that solution, and just pull them out and empty right before i fill.

 

[brewawan]

The method I have used is relatively easy and quick. Once I'm done drinking a bottle (whether that be HB or store brought), I thoroughly rinse them out and hang them on my tree upside down. Once I'm ready to bottle, I make a bucket of Star-San water and let each bottle soak for 20-60 sec. Then I place them back on the tree. Bottle, sit and try to wait patiently, and enjoy.

Others may say I need to clean each bottle with a cleaner after drinking, but I've always thought it is clean if you don't see anything on the bottle.

 

[DrunkTrucker]

I just started using a squirt bottle filled with Iodophor. I sit out all of my bottles and give each one a few sqirts and let them sit for a few minutes. Then I'll repeat it again right before I start to bottle. It saves me having to make a big batch of Iodophor.