Sterilizing water

[beerisuber]

I'm about to bottle my first batch and I'm supposed to sterilize the bottle caps. Is spring water considered sterile or do I need to boil it?

 

[Dunerunner]

Mix up some starsan in a spray bottle and give them a spritz. Shake them dry before capping. No StarSan!!! Soak them in Vodka for 15 minutes before capping.

Sterile water is in itself, sterile, but it won't make anything else sterile...Unless you boil them in it!!

 

[ryandlf]

Not to be technical about it but sterile means devoid of all life which is nearly impossible without using lab equipment or a pressure cooker. That being said, all you need is a little sanitizer like starsan and you're good to go.

 

[beerisuber]

How about sterilizing the bottles? What's the easiest way?

 

[Dunerunner]

Rinse them in a weak StarSan solution then in cold tap water once. Shake the residual out of the bottle and fill.

 

[beerisuber]

What's the best way to get the star San solution in them?

 

[brewit2it]

Boiling them (in tap water) is the easiest way.

 

[Dunerunner]

I mix a weak solution of StarSan in a 5 gallon bucket and submerge the bottles in that. From that, into a bucket of cold tap water then shake dry (relatively). But, I bottle from the keg.

Boiling works, but you have to wait for them to cool to fill and during that time, even when inverted, they draw in air from the surrounding area.

What ever floats your boat.

 

[jd3]

Boiling them (in tap water) is the easiest way.

Putting them in a dishwasher with a sanitizer cycle is the easiest way.....

I just put them in the night before and use heated dry. By the time I am ready to bottle they are nice and cool and ready to go.

 

[RugerRedhawk]

Rinse them in a weak StarSan solution then in cold tap water once. Shake the residual out of the bottle and fill.

Star san is a no rinse sanitizer so rinsing with tap water afterward offers no benefit, but introduces possible contamination through microorganisms in your tap water.

 

[RugerRedhawk]

What's the best way to get the star San solution in them?

Easiest way is with a bottle sprayer. It's handy, but will cost you $18 or so. Just fill the reservoir with sta san, pump an upside down bottle a few times, then set it aside. Right before you fill the bottle dump any star san that settled to the bottom.

Other common way would be to mix up five gallons or so in a bucket. Submerge a dozen bottles at a time. Pull them out and dump the starsan back in. Set them aside and do the same as above.

No point in rinsing with either of these methods. Just make sure your bottles are good and clean before sanitizing. And if using the bucket method you'll probably want the exterior of your bottles to be completely free of glue and labels so residue doesn't get in the mix.

 

[brewit2it]

He asked about sterilizing bottle CAPS and the last 4 replies are about bottles. Bottles = Starsan, caps = Boiling for ease of use.

 

[JPicasso]

Not to be arguementative, but why bother boiling your caps, when dropping them in a bowl
full of starsan is easier. I mean, it's easier, right?


so, bottles = starsan and caps = starsan.

 

[zachary80]

Easiest way is with a bottle sprayer. It's handy, but will cost you $18 or so. Just fill the reservoir with sta san, pump an upside down bottle a few times, then set it aside. Right before you fill the bottle dump any star san that settled to the bottom.

I switched to this method and it saves me tons of time. I put the caps in the reservoir of the Vinator

 

[Revvy]

You don't want to boil your caps, you'll melt the little plastic gasket doohickeys inside. I just do what zachary does.

 

[kpr121]

Yepp when I bottle I just throw enough caps into a cup full of star san. Fish them out as you are capping.

BTW, do NOT rinse with tap water after you star-san, that defeats the purpose!

 

[brewit2it]

I've never had any problem boiling them so thats the method I use. I suppose maybe it depends on the cap?

 

[Gridlocked]

I throw the caps into a tupperware dish full of Starsan and keep them on the back of the dish-washer door which is where I bottle. I simply pluck them out as needed, touching only the edges and put it on each bottle after it's full.

 

[NorthRiverS]

If you put Starsan in the Vinator, how much foam is produced?

NRS

 

[Revvy]

If you put Starsan in the Vinator, how much foam is produced?

NRS

A lot, but you just scoop it out and use it to sanitize your hands. It's no big deal, and kind of fun actually.

 

[eastoak]

that vinator has to be the best homebrewing invention ever.

 

[malkore]

What's the best way to get the star San solution in them?

with your current equipment: mix up a gallon of star san in your bottle bucket.

fill each bottle with 2 oz of star san an shake several times.
pour back into bucket.

I find this works better/faster/just as effective as trying to 'dunk' 2 cases in a bucket or shallow tub.

those vintanator things look nice, but since I mostly keg, the above method plus a bottle tree is all I require.