What do you guys do with empties?

[Darklordenron]

So I just realized I can't drink 48 plus beers in one night. Nor would I want to! So my question is, when you are drinking your beers, do you wash them out and store them so that once they're all drank you can wash them all together? Wash each one right after drinking? Simply buy more bottles and chuck the used ones? What's the best way to go about this, I don't want to be scrubbing bottles with gunk caked in them from weeks previous!

 

[TwoFortySX]

Cleaning the bottles is not that bad. I would not throw them out. Although I have a bottle collecting obsession. I normally just clean the bottles when I am done drinking or the next morning by soaking them in the sink. I like to have them to the point that they only need rinsed and sanitized when I want to use them again. Always save the box and 6 pack holders to keep your bottles organized. I don't know if this is common sense or not but I have done this long before I thought about home brewing.

 

[Special Hops]

Don't bottle much anymore, but when I did I just gave a bottle a quick double rinse after it;s empty. then putit upside down to drain on the dish rack. Then all you need is some sanitzer when you bottle and you are good to go.

 

[Palefire]

Rinse out good soon after drinking. It'll save you time and energy in the long run. Far easier to rinse out the dregs while they're wet than when they've dried out and crusted up.

 

[Darklordenron]

Sounds good on the quick rinse method! Thanks!

 

[rico567]

Absolutely. I rinse thoroughly immediately after pouring the beer, put the bottles away until next time. Then I sanitize with Star San using a vinator, and re-bottle.

 

[jldc]

Get a bottle tree. Rinse after drinking and put on the bottle tree. When you have six or 12 or more bottles on the tree, then put them in six pack or case boxes and store.

I would still clean them before sanitizing. I usually wash with a jet nozzle that attaches to a kitchen faucet and sanitize in a dishwasher.

L

 

[Darklordenron]

Jeez, thanks for all the replies! I realize now a bottling tree would be a wise investment. Pleased to announce I no longer feel bad about letting bottles sit for awhile after washing the out a little after drinking. Can't even smell there was beer in them at this point..

 

[jfowler1]

Absolutely. I rinse thoroughly immediately after pouring the beer, put the bottles away until next time. Then I sanitize with Star San using a vinator, and re-bottle.

This had been my exact system for the past year or so, but I was not sure the bottles were really "like new" by the time I was refilling them. I made the decision for my last batch that while I had a bucket full of hot PBW from cleaning the bottling gear, I would carry my two cases of bottles inside and give each one a good shake full of PBW and make a close inspection before rinsing and sending on their way to the vinator full of Star-San.

I am so careful about sanitation pre-fermentation, it seemed a little silly to skip a 30 minute step on bottling day and break the rule; first clean, then sanitize. You will always clean your carboy with PBW before rinsing and adding Star-San, so why not give your bottles the same respect? You already invested 6 hours on brewday, and 4 weeks for fermentation, so why not spend an extra 30 minutes on bottling day and treat those bottles right.

So.....
Drink, hot water rinse, semi-clean storage, (then on bottling day) clean with hot PBW, hot water rinse, Star-san, bottle tree, fill.

It seems so obvious, I don't know why it took me so long to start doing it. Also, I am going to make a bold statement - no homebrewer has regretted purchasing a bottle tree or Vinator. They make things so much smoother.

Joe

 

[kingmatt]

I rinse my bottle out thoroughly after I pour into my glass and then put my bottle back in the case with the lid closed (I have about 10 case boxes).

The day before I plan to bottle, I put two cases of bottles in a plastic tub filled with hot water and oxyclean to soak over night (this removes any gunk that may be in the bottles as well as any lables from commercial beers).

Then on bottling day, I simply hook up my bottle washer, blast the inside to rinse the oxyclean and sanitize the inside with starsan.

Might be a little overkill but I haven't had any infection problems yet **knock on wood**

 

[homebrewedipa]

I rinse my bottle out thoroughly after I pour into my glass and then put my bottle back in the case with the lid closed (I have about 10 case boxes).

The day before I plan to bottle, I put two cases of bottles in a plastic tub filled with hot water and oxyclean to soak over night (this removes any gunk that may be in the bottles as well as any lables from commercial beers).

+1 -- exactly what I do.

Rinse right after you pour. I hate getting empty bottles back from friends who did not rinse... lots of nasties and hard to remove buildup makes me nervous about infections.