Used Beer Bottles and Bottling question

[mulliganx]

I need to start bottling from my wort. I have a mix of bottles, IPAs, Stella Artois, and Sam Adams. I am not putting on custom labels or anything, can I just put these bottles in the dishwasher with the labels on them... Dishwash them and then bottle?

Just asking to make sure if its ok that I bottle them with the labels still on after dishwasher.

Thanks

 

[z-bob]

I take the labels off mine. In the olden days you soaked them in cold water with a little ammonia or washing soda. Now the adhesives are different; they come off best for me with a quick soak in *very* hot soapy water (almost boiling) and a razor blade.

You only have to peel the labels off once, and they won't clog up your dishwasher filter.

Some people leave the old labels on for character.

 

[McKnuckle]

Kind of a weird question or maybe I'm not understanding you. The labels are on the outside, so they don't touch the beer. Some may peel off from the moisture and heat in the dishwasher, while others will be stubborn. In any case it doesn't affect the interior of the bottles so it shouldn't matter. It's more of an aesthetic issue IMHO.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

I need to start bottling from my wort. I have a mix of bottles, IPAs, Stella Artois, and Sam Adams. I am not putting on custom labels or anything, can I just put these bottles in the dishwasher with the labels on them... Dishwash them and then bottle?

Just asking to make sure if its ok that I bottle them with the labels still on after dishwasher.

Thanks

I do but...

It can make an unholy mess of you filter. You are better off getting a 5-gal bucket (assuming you do not have a laundry sink or tub) and soaking them in hot water for a few hours and peeling off what you can.

For the dishwasher you can run them on a regular cycle with detergent and everything but I suggest not doing so. After you do you will need to run a short cycle with no detergent on the highest temp setting possible with heated dray. If you bottle were not clean when you started the wash cycle they not are likely to be truly clean after all this (tiny hole in the neck, deep vessel, crusty beer residue) and now you have label material everywhere.

Just run two back to back rinse only cycles and then the hot air dry and bottle after. You may have a few you notice to be unusably dirty just before you fill them so set those aside.

 

[Oberon67]

After you soap-and-peel the labels off, you will find there's a residue of gummy adhesive on the bottle that is near-impossible to remove unless you have the right tools...

...which are Goo-Gone cleaner and steel wool.

Apply Goo-Gone to the bottle, then scrub the affected area with the steel wool. The adhesive will come off readily. Then wash the bottle as normal to remove the Goo-Gone (which will come away with soap and water), dry, sanitize, and bottle as normal. The bottles will look pristine.

 

[Zepth]

Welcome to the world of homebrewing. I hope you mean you need to bottle your beer. Wort is the term for pre-fermentation. If you bottle wort you're likely going to have a whole host of problems. Ensure fermentation is done before bottling! Now assuming it's just a nomenclature error:

Dishwasher isn't going to do much for the interior of bottles. You'll need to sanitize before filling them up. Starsan comes in highly recommended. If there's anything inside them that's stuck on it'll need a PBW or oxiclean free soak and good rinse off.

As long as the inside of the bottle is sanitized you're good. Half of my bottles I never got around to taking the labels off. Some have no label but glue residue. Do a quick search for "used soda keg" and check out the exteriors on some of those. Not pretty.

Edit: Should mention that an oxiclean or PBW soak will make the labels fall right off your bottles. If any glue is left on them after the soak it's just a quick wipe with your hand to get the sludge off.

 

[ChiefIlliniwek]

I soak mine in a large Rubbermaid container filled with about 10 gallons of hot water and Oxyclean. I let them soak for about 10 to 15 minutes or longer. Many labels will peel right off, I use a sponge to clean the glue off. Stubborn labels and glue get steel wool. I'm ignoring the painted labels for now. After the oxyclean, they get rinsed out twice and go back into storage until bottling day.

I get two cases cleaned at a time this way.

 

[phyllobeddo]

You can soak the bottles in a hot OxiClean solution for a few hours or overnight and the labels will come right off. Just rinse the bottles real well the next day. Works like a charm. Use maybe one scoop or a little bit less per five gallons of hot tap water.

 

[Psylocide]

Pull the garbage can up next to the sink.

Get yourself some steel wool. Soak bottles in water for ~5 mins, start scrubbing. Let the pieces of label fall in the garbage can.

Label, glue and all comes off. Takes me about 10 mins to do 50 bottles.

 

[Sailingeric]

You can soak the bottles in a hot OxiClean solution for a few hours or overnight and the labels will come right off. Just rinse the bottles real well the next day. Works like a charm. Use maybe one scoop or a little bit less per five gallons of hot tap water.

That is what I do but I fill the bottles with water and then stand them up in the oxiclean solution up to the neck. This keeps the oxiclean out of the inside.

 

[phyllobeddo]

That is what I do but I fill the bottles with water and then stand them up in the oxiclean solution up to the neck. This keeps the oxiclean out of the inside.

Well....that's a pretty darn good idea. I hadn't thought of that. But if the bottles are dirty on the inside, the Oxi would take care of that. Same concept as using it to clean out a fermenter. Still a good idea.

 

[Psylocide]

Why is no one using steel wool?

Just curious really... 5 minute soak (max) in regular water and they just wipe right off, glue and all. Am I missing something?

Really not worried about scratching the bottles since I relabel, but it doesn't seem that is happening.

 

[Sailingeric]

Well....that's a pretty darn good idea. I hadn't thought of that. But if the bottles are dirty on the inside, the Oxi would take care of that. Same concept as using it to clean out a fermenter. Still a good idea.

I try to avoid the dirty bottle. I give them a good rinse after use and another before sanitizing and bottling.

 

[RaHarmakis]

I do a combination of PBW (Powdered Brewery Wash in case you've never seen it... Best Stuff Ever) Soak in hot water for the easy labels and Steel Wool for the stubborn bits.

I also highly recommend drinking beers that come in 500ml or 650ml Bottles. Bigger bottles means less bottles to clean and less bottles to fill!

 

[mfgann]

I used a couple of 5 gallon buckets with a scoop of oxyclean in each and hot water to the top of the bottles. Let it soak overnight. 90% of the labels fell off or slid off without effort. Recycle the ones that don't come off easily.

Just be sure you don't accidentally save twist-off style bottles. I had a few of them slip through.

 

[phyllobeddo]

I try to avoid the dirty bottle. I give them a good rinse after use and another before sanitizing and bottling.

Yep. If they are dirty, I usually get rid of them.

 

[glenn514]

I just use plain tap water to get the labels off. A little scrub with the stainless steel wool scrubber, and clean as a whistle!

glenn514

 

[aprichman]

I used baking soda and hot water. Labels will usually float off and I'll hit them with steel wool for a few seconds.

 

[KLAAYHAUS]

Another vote for the OxiClean soak followed by a Brillo pad scrub. Stubborn labels get the razor blade and lighter fluid treatment.

 

[David_Trucks]

Why is no one using steel wool?

Just curious really... 5 minute soak (max) in regular water and they just wipe right off, glue and all. Am I missing something?

Really not worried about scratching the bottles since I relabel, but it doesn't seem that is happening.

Exactly. I soak them in hot (or not so much) water for a few hours or whenever I get to them. Most of the labels come off pretty easily, then steel wool quickly takes care of the rest. Y'all are wasting time and money by adding PBW or Oxy.

 

[fastengine]

I use oxyclean and dishsoap in my sink with hot water and let them soak overnight. Then a simple brushing inside with a bottle brush and peeling the labels off and using a quick scrub with a stainless steel scrubber and the bottles are as clean as brand new.
I have had some bottles stained with some pretty evil crud inside and the oxyclean removes everything. I never throw out good bottles because they are dirty. When the oxyclean is done they are never dirty.

 

[fastengine]

Exactly. I soak them in hot (or not so much) water for a few hours or whenever I get to them. Most of the labels come off pretty easily, then steel wool quickly takes care of the rest. Y'all are wasting time and money by adding PBW or Oxy.

Oxyclean breakes up protiens stuck inside of the bottles better than anything else I have seen. The cost is not even a concern for a sink full and the time is spent sleeping. Nothing wasted.

 

[David_Trucks]

Oxyclean breakes up protiens stuck inside of the bottles better than anything else I have seen. The cost is not even a concern for a sink full and the time is spent sleeping. Nothing wasted.

I rinse bottles right away, so I don't have anything stuck in them ( that I know of). But, to each their own, if you're system works, use it. I just wanted to point out that extra cleaners aren't necessary, in my opinion.

 

[fuelish]

I just leave labels on and sanitize my bottles....they come off eventually, with enough cleanings, but can't be bothered to go out of my way to remove labels up front...my stuff is for home consumption, so, no competitions to worry about labels/embossed bottles

 

[Zepth]

I rinse bottles right away, so I don't have anything stuck in them ( that I know of). But, to each their own, if you're system works, use it. I just wanted to point out that extra cleaners aren't necessary, in my opinion.

I'm thinking that every brewer does this. The cleaning off used bottles is usually reserved for that first time around, or that 6 pack that a former friend didn't bother to rinse. I have had more than one person come to me "So I hear you use empty beer bottles" then hand me a pack of bottles that I don't bother to try cleaning and send right back for refund.