Washing bottles

[yewtah-brewha]

I washed and sanitized my bottles about 2 weeks ago, put them in my garage, i am wondering If I should re0sanitize them. I kinda thought I would anyway just to double up on the bug zapping!

what will happen if a little water is left in the bottle when filling? I noticed my last batch the dry ones foamed up better than the wet ones or was this my Imagination.

 

[Revvy]

You should always sanitize just before doing whatever you are doing. The sanitizers we use are wet contact/no-rinse sanitzers. That means they are at their most effective when the sanitizer is still wet and clinging to the surface. It kills two ways, killing first anything on the surface, then leaving everything wet with sanitizer anything that then comes in contact with that sanitizer barrier is then neutralized. On the other hand if we let out sanitizer dry, anything landing on the surface renders that object no longer sanitized. So you want to just sanitize fresh.

 

[cluckk]

Absolutely re-sanitize them. They are moist and dark places where creepies loves to crawl and grow. I have pulled some nasty junk out of bottles that had been clean only a few weeks before.

Use a no-rinse sanitizer like Star-san. I wash mine with cleanser, a bottle brush and a water jet. After they drip pretty dry I immerse them in a 5 gallon bucket of star-san. After a minute or two I pour out the star-san and let them air dry on my sanitized bottle rack while I am preparing my priming solution and racking. Then just bottle and don't worry if there is a bit of foam in them.

 

[unionrdr]

Also,when you're cleaning them after drinking,rinse out the yeast & lil bit of beer at the bottom & take the bottle brush to them. I've been chasing down a carbonation problem for a couple batches now. Lil tiny bits of yeast dregs sticking to "only rinsed" bottles was one of them.
Anyway,I also put'em on the bottle tree to drain & dry before storing them in covered boxes.
I also discovered recently that if you aren't soaking the bottles clean every time,a grity crust builds up on the lip of the bottle. I'm gunna take a 5qt ice cream bucket with maybe an inch of starsan in the bottom & stack 7 bottles upside down in it to soak this grainy crust loose. Take a dobie & scrub the lips clean & wipe down.
Then use the vinator & bottle tree at bottling time to sanitize & fill as usual. I have high hopes that my next pm batch fermenting now will carb better & faster than the previous few. I'll let y'all know my findings next month.

 

[elwood]

If in doubt rinse and sanitize.

 

[cluckk]

Then rinse and sanitize again, and again, and again.

 

[brobi-wan-kanobi]

how dry do the bottles need to be before i put my brew in them to carb? and what about the caps as well?

 

[cluckk]

If you use a no rinse sanitizer like Star-san they don't need to be dry at all. Their main mantra with Star-san is "Don't fear the foam," so you are able to rack right in with the sanitizer foam still in the bottle. I just use the bottle tree to hang them on until I get around to filling them as a way to keep them safe, sanitized and close. It holds them upside down, helping to prevent things falling in and they only touch one thing--that was also sanitized--the tree itself.

 

[F250]

Man, I hate to wash bottles.

But it's got to be done. I soak them in hot water with a cleaning agent, I'm using Easy Clean these days, then rinse them well. Then right before I bottle I dunk them in a Star San solution, put them on the bottle tree and start filling. I believe it's best, as others have said, if they are still wet when filled.

Rick

 

[yewtah-brewha]

Lot of people are saying they need to have alittle bit of sanitizer left in, It depends on what your instructions on the bottle say, my local brew shop set me up with cipton for the cleaner and iodine for the sanitizer. he swears this is the best. I like to let it dry completly in the bottles , but it can take a long time.(several hours) I noticed with my last batch that the dry bottles foamed up better than the wet ones. The foam is needed to remove the oxygen from the bottle. I don't have alot of expierience so I cant say if that was the true reason for the foam. I have been single bottle priming, but my next batch I am going to try bulk priming.

how dry do the bottles need to be before i put my brew in them to carb? and what about the caps as well?

 

[cluckk]

Lot of people are saying they need to have alittle bit of sanitizer left in, It depends on what your instructions on the bottle say, my local brew shop set me up with cipton for the cleaner and iodine for the sanitizer. he swears this is the best. I like to let it dry completly in the bottles , but it can take a long time.(several hours) I noticed with my last batch that the dry bottles foamed up better than the wet ones. The foam is needed to remove the oxygen from the bottle. I don't have alot of expierience so I cant say if that was the true reason for the foam. I have been single bottle priming, but my next batch I am going to try bulk priming.

If you use iodine (I used Iodophor for years) you have to rinse. It will kill anything you put in it, though. As for needing the foam to get out the oxygen, I always use the oxygen absorbing caps. I'd hate to spend money and time to formulate, brew, ferment and bottle a great beer only to find that it was ruined to save a few cents on a cheap cap.

 

[kiwicalifornia]

If you use iodine (I used Iodophor for years) you have to rinse. It will kill anything you put in it, though. As for needing the foam to get out the oxygen, I always use the oxygen absorbing caps. I'd hate to spend money and time to formulate, brew, ferment and bottle a great beer only to find that it was ruined to save a few cents on a cheap cap.

I thought iodophor is no rinse???. We plan to bottle our 1st batch on Xmas day. The plan was to sanitize the bottles, then onto the sanitized bottle tree and then fill.. I wasn't going to rinse the bottle after sanitizing, but should I?

 

[ingchr1]

I thought iodophor is no rinse???.

It is, do not rinse it.

 

[unionrdr]

I prefer PBW & starsan myself. Starsan doesn't stain like the iodine bases ones can. And I use the o2 barier caps myself,since they only cost about $1 more per 144ct bag than the regular ones.Cheap insurance to me.

 

[yewtah-brewha]

The guy I've been buying from insits iodine is the best, he seems knowlegable, but I think I will try one of the others next time. He says to rinse and let air dry and that makes sense, it's just that It can take a day or more for all of the water to evaporate, and thats with the bottles upside down.

I bought 4oz of Iodine from him and theres about half a bottle left. I paid 4.00 for the bottle, but I think its not worth it, ready to try starsan

 

[ingchr1]

He says to rinse and let air dry and that makes sense, it's just that It can take a day or more for all of the water to evaporate, and thats with the bottles upside down.

Iodophor is no rinse, when used in the proper concentration. By rinsing and leaving for a day or two will increase the risk of contamination.

Iodophor Wiki Link

 

[Golddiggie]

The guy I've been buying from insits iodine is the best, he seems knowlegable, but I think I will try one of the others next time. He says to rinse and let air dry and that makes sense, it's just that It can take a day or more for all of the water to evaporate, and thats with the bottles upside down.

I bought 4oz of Iodine from him and theres about half a bottle left. I paid 4.00 for the bottle, but I think its not worth it, ready to try starsan

Wait until you start using Star San to sanitize.

I had one guy from a LHBS who was giving no love to Star San (even though they sold it ). Then, he tried it one day... He was loving it after that. IMO, the guy at your LHBS has never tried Star San.

 

[cluckk]

It is, do not rinse it.

I just re-read the bottle and sure enough it says to air dry with no mention of rinsing. Well now I am just shocked. Where did I read that it had to be rinsed? I've been rinsing it for some time now and switched to Starsan to try a no rinse sanitizer.

Even considering this, I still prefer the Starsan because I don't have to wait for it to dry, but can rack right into wet containers. I also store some of my equipment with an inch or two of Starsan in them. I've heard Starsan can darken some plastics, but Iodopher seems to stain almost everything.

 

[unionrdr]

Starsan hasn't darkened or stained anything of mine so far. Being clear,there aren't any colorants to be left behind on surfaces.

 

[yewtah-brewha]

The onlything that has stained my bucket was the last porter I did!

I just re-read the bottle and sure enough it says to air dry with no mention of rinsing. Well now I am just shocked. Where did I read that it had to be rinsed? I've been rinsing it for some time now and switched to Starsan to try a no rinse sanitizer.

Even considering this, I still prefer the Starsan because I don't have to wait for it to dry, but can rack right into wet containers. I also store some of my equipment with an inch or two of Starsan in them. I've heard Starsan can darken some plastics, but Iodopher seems to stain almost everything.