Oh LORD have mercy! How clean does my carboy have to be?

[BillTheSlink]

I just finished my first bottling, a Hefe Weizen. Let's just say I'll have to systematically rethink my procedures; OK it was a disastrous mess.

This is the problem: we all know clean (remove all organic matter) and sanitize (kill germs left behind). Well, I can't get it all. It's a six and 1/2 gallon glass carboy. I scrubbed the thing so hard I think I've scratched it. There are now what look like "little hairs" in the bevel towards the top. I soaked and scrubbed with PBW until I thought I would die, and still here and there are tiny specs of what appear to be hop pellet residue. Very, Very, tiny and maybe ten of them. If it takes more work than this I want out. Do I gotta get them out?

BillTheSlink

 

[TechyDork]

i fill my carboys with the hottest water i can get out of my bathtub, usually steaming, and let it soak for about 15-20 min and then scrub the heck out of it. I have yet to have anything left behind.

try giving it a soak and see if that helps.

 

[BillTheSlink]

Weep...weep..weep..sob..sob...

 

[ZBrewMan]

Are you using oxyclean? A 30 minute soak in oxyclean and hot water is pretty damn effective even without much scrubbing.

[Edit: I didn't read your post carefully enough, but the suggestion still stands.]

 

[MikeG]

Yeah, Oxyclean works great for me too. I fill the carboy up (cold water, outside from a hose to fill it quick), add oxyclean and let sit for a day. A bottle brush bent at and angle to remove the crud, there is virtually no effort to free the crud from the sides.

 

[caver95]

The bottle jet works great for me, I clean right after racking to my secondary I only scrub a little.

 

[Cheeto]

Yeah you have to get those out !

I would suggest a hop sock and use Oxyclean.
Oxyclean does a fine job of destroying anything left in the carboy so all you will have to do is rinse and sanitize after a 24 hour soak


-Jason

 

[llazy_llama]

The bottle jet works great for me, I clean right after racking to my secondary I only scrub a little.

Especially true with better bottles, which are very light weight and probably shouldn't be scrubbed in the first place.

I have yet to have a better bottle so dirty that a soak in oxiclean followed by a blast with the jet bottle washer wouldn't clean it.

 

[StunnedMonkey]

FWIW, I use a tablespoon or so of PBW and fill with hot water. In 4 or 5 hours there's usually nothing left.

 

[conpewter]

One more vote for oxyclean. After rinsing out the carboy I fill it with 1 scoop of oxyclean and hot water. When I come back the next day and dump it I'll shake it to slosh the water around, then start my rinsing (rinse 3-4 times) and shake it each time. I have not had to get my carboy brush out for 6 months since I never have anything stuck on inside. I'll then put in some Star-san and cap/plug it and store it away for the next use.

Sometimes I'll only fill it halfway with oxyclean, let it it half an hour to clean the bottom (which usually is pretty clean after the rinse) and then I'll flip it over in a bucket such that the water will stay halfway up the carboy and cover the krausen ring, this way I can use less water to clean with. I leave it upside down for a day to work on the ring. I also clean right after I'm done racking from the carboy to the keg-or bottling bucket.

 

[IrregularPulse]

I also clean right after I'm done racking from the carboy to the keg-or bottling bucket.

I think this is an important step. After racking to keg, or secondary if used, I immediately rinse, then fill with hot water and oxiclean. I very seldom have to use a brush.

 

[RedIrocZ-28]

I bet its bubbles in the glass. I do a double take quite a few times when cleaning. It looks like a spec inside the carboy but then you look at it sideways and its a bubble in the glass.

 

[JPicasso]

OBLIGATORY I ONLY USE BUCKETS RESPONSE:

I only use buckets. I leave the carboys on the shelf so that when people enter the basement, they see them and say "What are those for? You make beer or something?" Then I have an opening to talk about homebrewing for a good 45 mins before I scare them off.

 

[DeafSmith]

Oxyclean works great! I fill with hot water and a couple scoops of Oxyclean Free until foam starts coming out of the mouth. Then every once and a while as the foam subsides, I add more water. Eventually, you can get the carboy totally full (up the base of the neck), then put a stopper in it. I leave it like that for at least a couple of days, sometimes more. At this point, I siphon about half the water out, so I don't have to lift a full carboy (BTW, always use a BrewHauler or milk crate if it's a glass carboy). Then rinse with hot water, then a little water with vinegar to remove any alkaline deposits, then another rinse with tap water, followed by a little bit of distilled water. Both glass and Better Bottles come out totally clean without even any water spots.
For Better Bottles, don't use a brush - you can scratch the plastic. With the Oxyclean soak, you shouldn't need the brush anyway.

And as RedIroc says, your problem may be bubbles in the glass.

 

[Hegh]

I rinse two or three times to get the trub out, then leave the carboy to soak in 1-2 scoops of oxyclean, completely full of water. Make sure it's sitting on something that can get wet, though, 'cause the oxyclean will bubble and foam out of the top. A day of that will generally get everything out, then I rinse a couple times, add some soap, and rinse another half-dozen times (add a couple inches of water, shake around, dump).

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

OBLIGATORY I ONLY USE BUCKETS RESPONSE:

I only use buckets. I leave the carboys on the shelf so that when people enter the basement, they see them and say "What are those for? You make beer or something?" Then I have an opening to talk about homebrewing for a good 45 mins before I scare them off.

I second cept' my carboys are building a dust collection in the attic.

Heck, I don't even "clean" my buckets anymore thanks to Reynolds Ferment In A Bag.

 

[BillTheSlink]

OK Guys, I'll try an all day soak in Oxy Clean tomorrow.

JPicasso: I love that avatar. I watch that show from time to time. Did you see the episode where their matches from a parallel universe, who called themselves "The Bizzaros" showed up. Funny as heck. Not as good as "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" with the talking Milkshake, French Fries, and Ball of Meat, but still funny. I don't get the title though. I mean Hunger Force is understandable, but not Aqua Teen. Their adults and there's no water involved. Ahh, the mysteries of life.


Funny, I don't feel as depressed and desperate now; I guess in home brewing "Time does heal nearly all things". It was 4:00am in the morning though.

Thanks for the advise,
BillTheSlink

 

[Louielizard]

They are always in Karl's pool.

 

[user 34291]

i havent tried oxyclean but its pretty miraculous at things. I use 1/4 cup of bleach and then i fill the carboy up with hot tap water. let it sit for a few hours. and then drain it. its sanitized and all the bits go away.

 

[Kriznac]

You could also try some hot water and rock salt to remove stubborn chunkies. The salt works great as an abrasive and all it takes is some swirling of water.

 

[Trubadour]

Cold water, PBW and a bent brush immediately after using.

 

[malkore]

Dude, if its not clean, it can't be sanitized.

You must remove all organics prior to sanitizing, or you won't be fully sanitized.


i've found an overnight soak with PBW or Oxyclean free will remove damn near anything.

 

[msabin]

I took a page from the manual on my wine carafe -- very narrow neck, really wide body:

After a good and thorough soak and rinse, I pour 2-dozen stainless ball-bearings into the carboy and a bit of hot water (add PBW or whatever you like) then swirl [alot] until clean.

--Matthew

 

[LaurieGator]

Also make sure you are using enough of your cleaner when soaking...

Oxyclean is great! I use 1/2 of a large scoop (or 2 of the little scoops) with really hot water and let the carboy sit overnight. For my better bottles, I don't scrub at all, just rinse and dry. For my glass carboys, I have only used the brush one time when it was a really nasty fermentation to get the residual krausen off of the top of the carboy. I don't think I will use a brush with the better bottle for fear of scratching it.

Also, oxyclean is great for getting labels off of beer bottles and getting them cleaned out nicely too!

 

[beersydoesit]

+1 on bubble in glass. I scrubbed and scrubbed might have scratched the glass a little.

Look REAL close. Turn the carboy this way and that and see if it is a bubble in the glass.

Golly they look like hop bits.

When I guy a carboy now I look to see how many there are. I have never seen a carboy w/o bubbles in the glass.

Regards.

 

[BillTheSlink]

Well as it turn out,

Most were indeed bubbles in the glass. Most of the others were on the OUTSIDE (what a dam* idiot I am; I need new glasses). There were a few however that did turn out to be hop pellet flecks inside. I put 4 scoops of Sun Oxyclean from Dollar General ($5.00 for a big old tub) and filled with scalding water in the bath tub. Within a minute or two they were dislodged in the bubbling action. I am going for an overnight soak though just to be safe that I haven't missed anything.

BillTheSlink