bottle rinser/sterilizer sterilizing solution advice

[natty brew]

I am having a major disaster!!! I have had a whole batch of beer go bad in the bottle. Lots of white blooms on the inside surface of the bottles and now the next batch I have done is looking like it may be going the same way!! Very stressed and upset about the situation and what should be a cheaper option for beer is now looking like a waste of time and money (says the wife!!) I clean the bottles thoroughly using a mild detergent and milton solution then use a 50/50 water and milton liquid solution in a plunger style bottle rinser sterilizer. I am desparate for answer to what is the best product to use for the cleaning and also for the sterilizing using the bottle rinser that goes on to an bottle drainer tree.

Many thanks people I need your help

 

[Dave1970]

I'm surprised your Milton hasn't worked but the best option, especillay with a bottle tree and rinser is Starsan or similar

Starsan is quite expensive to buy at £9.60 but you only use a tiny amount (0.6 mls in 500 ml of water) so that bottle will last you a long time

The main advantage is it's no-rinse so once you've sprayed the bottles they just go straight onto the tree to drip and they're ready to use

 

[fizz head1982]

VWP rinse sanitizer - no problems here, cheap as chips.

 

[Moley]

Before using a steriliser squirter your bottles need yo be physically clean first, either with something like an oxy cleaner or just soapy water and a bottle brush.

However, if you've lost a whole batch, then the problem didn't come from the bottles and the bucket was infected before you bottled it.

 

[natty brew]

Thank you everyone, everything is cleaned with a mild detergent and sterilizer first plus then sterilized on the rinser. I shall definitely get starsan if it means no rinsing. It does make sense to me that the bucket that it got transferred to was possibly infected as i used a differrent one for these last two batches and not had any problems before with bottles going bad ever. Very frustrating, but a learning curve.

Many thanks

 

[Bowl sprayer]

I use vwp and I make sure I sterilise and thoroughly rinse everything from start to finish throughout the whole process. This includes the cans in the kit (the outsides are washed/rinsed), the can opener, the fv, the lid/airlock, bottles/lids, barrel, the spoon (you get the picture) and anything else which comes into contact with a surface that the beer may also come into contact with.

I even sterilise my hands and then let then drip dry. I don't use the kitchen towel to dry them as that my be harbouring bugs.

Make sure it is all sterile and then rinsed so you leave no reside of the sterilizing solution.

Btw have you tasted the bottled beer and are you sure it has gone off. Sometimes I get some secondary activity in the bottle after priming and it can look a bit odd.

Don't forget to sterilise your siphon!

 

[adomant]

Don't forget to sterilise your siphon!

And your caps...

 

[NickW]

Don't forget to sterilise your siphon!

And your caps...

:whistle:

 

[mcc111]

With the FV, are there any scratches or anything on the inside that could be harbouring bugs? Even if you clean it out well, you'll probably still leave things hiding in there.

 

[GavH]

I don't wash the bottles at all - just rinse them immediately after use. Fill with hot water, empty, repeat three times, leave to dry, sanitise either using VWP (then repeat the rinse process), leave to dry and then cap with plastic tops to keep them clean and bug free until I need to use them. Easy. I've also sanitised a bunch in the dishwasher using VWP and a 70C dry cycle. No problems thus far.

 

[mike77]

Lots of white blooms on the inside surface of the bottles

Sorry, not sure how many homebrews you have done. Are you sure this isn't just yeast?