Sanitizing Bortles

[jasonclick]

I'm bottling my first beer tomorrow. I have a question about sanitizing the bottles. I'm using star san. Do the bottles need to be completely dry before putting beer in them? If so, what's the best way of drying them? Thanks!

 

[StanJohnson]

This should answer your question.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/should-you-let-star-san-dry-before-bottling-201098/

 

[kgalle]

Ha... "Bortles"

 

[zeg]

Botlets I've heard of (particularly botlets of vodak), but bortles is new to me.

One hunderd bortles of bere on teh wlal?

I have been using Saniclean, which I picked up because the shop was out of Starsan when I needed it) and haven't worried about letting it dry. When I bottled, I first soaked the used bottles in a bleach solution overnight a couple days ahead (partly to sanitize, largely to remove the labels), and then kept them "cleanish" until bottling day. Then I sprayed Saniclean into the bottle and on/around the lid and then inverted them onto my dishwasher rack. I prepped a dozen, then filled them. This gave a few minutes of draining time so they were pretty empty, but not yet dry.

Going to find out tonight how things turned out.

 

[amazinglarry]

I soak my bottles over night in b-bright then dunk them in star san before I fill and cap. I don't let them dry. I have heard of some people using the dry function on their dish washer to sanitize and dry them as well. I've never personally used this but it seems like a good idea.

 

[kgalle]

I use the vinator method. Two pumps and I'm filling.

No drying.

 

[Jayhem]

I love the oven method. Sanitize, drain and stand bottles upright in oven at 170 degrees for 20 minutes, can be filled as soon as they are cool enough to touch. Holding wet, slippery Star San bottles is a good way to lose precious beer and bottles!

 

[unionrdr]

Only if you're dunking them. I have a vinator that sits on top of my bottle tree. 5 pumps each till I get 45 bottles on it,then start bottling. Clean & sanitized inside,dry outside.

 

[spokaniac]

On my first batch I used iodophor for sanitation. After having all of the bottles, carboy, and other bottling equipment clean - made up a few gallons of iodophor in the bottling carboy - got everything set up and practiced bottling with the sanitizer, letting it sit in the bottles for a while then dumping the bottles back in and letting them air dry until I had all the bottles I though I would need (plus a few to be safe). I figured that way I was sanitizing everything and got a little practice in.

From what I've read here, the vinator and starsan seem to be the easiest way to go and you do not have to rinse the starsan.

 

[unionrdr]

Exactly so. Many of us save a lot of time with the vinator & starsan. Putting the vinator on top of a bottle tree makes for a smaller footprint for all those bottles too. Just a great time saver!

 

[kgalle]

From what I've read here, the vinator and starsan seem to be the easiest way to go and you do not have to rinse the starsan.

The vinator has a reservoir that I fill with bottle caps, too.

It's super nice.

 

[kh54s10]

Do not let the Starsan dry or rinse it off. If you do then your bottles are no longer sanitized.

 

[kgalle]

Do not let the Starsan dry or rinse it off. If you do then your bottles are no longer sanitized.

Keep it sloppy!

 

[helibrewer]

If you have a one of those mobile gates for kids/dogs, extend it and place it between 2 sawhorses, then just dip the bottles and stick them inverted into the gate mesh, they drip dry by the time you are using them.

There is no problem with air drying StarSan, just don't rinse it.

 

[unionrdr]

Seems to me it does say something about drying on the label. I'd need a magnifying glass to read that tiny print though. They really need to fix that,as even my kids have trouble reading it.
Anyway,I think it reduces it's effectiveness by 50% when dry. Def a wet contact sanitizer.

 

[rifraf]

I have heard of some people using the dry function on their dish washer to sanitize and dry them as well. I've never personally used this but it seems like a good idea.

My dishwasher has a sanitize setting, so I loaded the bottles upside down in the washer, ran the cycle (no soap or anything) and bottled right out of that, worked great!

 

[maffewl]

Ha... "Bortles"

This

 

[fbold1]

My bottles are well rinsed after use, then put through the Maytag sanitizing cycle without soap just before bottling.

 

[ProFF184]

The vinator & starsan was the best for me. I use a lot less solution and bottles are dry and easy to handle!