Is it worth getting a bottle tree/rinser

[LeeH]

I got the tree but my LHBS told me not to bother with the squirter as star san rots the spring

Starsan hasn't hurt mine.

Mines good after 2 years.

 

[Mike1892]

Do you rinse bottle after drinking and then sterilise with starsan, or just apply the starsan?

 

[NickW]

Definitely rinse after drinking. Then star san. Store. Then star san again on bottling day :thumb:

 

[zombrewer]

Another vote for the tree / rinser, makes everything effortless... I have limited space in my kitchen, so the first time I tried to sterilise 40 bottles in the sink without the tree was a nightmare.

I rinse out twice after drinking to get rid of any yeasty gunk, leave to dry before storing, then star san on bottling day :thumb:

 

[LeeH]

Star San it before storage then you are good to go on bottling day.

 

[YoungJames]

I am definitely looking to buy both, but at £40 for the pair its a bit steep.

 

[YoungJames]

I am definitely looking to buy both, but at £40 for the pair its a bit steep.

Saying that i thought Starsan was pricey and i love that stuff now.

 

[LeeH]

A bottle will last you a couple of years. So it's actually really cheap when you look at the dilution ratio.

 

[Cornish Knocker]

I've used a bottling tree for my last 2 brews and I have to say I find it so much easier and quicker.

Also once I've supped a bottle or three, I thoroughly wash the bottles and then pop it on the tree. Once dry I put a used, but clean cap on the top and store it in a crate. Keeps SWMBO happy as there aren't empty bottles on 'her' draining board.

I bought a really substantial bottling tree for about £8 in Italy, a lot less than the UK.

 

[magick777]

For what it's worth, I'd say no, after having bought a bottle tree, rinser, and a range of no-rinse sanitisers last year. The bottle tree makes great storage - but I don't actually use it for sanitised bottles awaiting filling. I mostly use Grolsch bottles with swing tops (which also need sterilising) and whilst I probably could get all the bottles off the tree, sterilise the tree, then the bottles, and line them up ready for bottling, it doesn't make a lot of sense.

Instead, I tend to dump the bottles in a bath (20L bucket( of StarSan, a few at a time, then drain the StarSan, fill and cap the bottle almost immediately. The bottle tree has ended up as glorified storage for bottles coming out of the dishwasher, but it hasn't revolutionised my sanitising and bottling. I think they might be more use in pairs; if I had an empty one ready to sanitise and transfer the clean, sanitised bottles to, it might be a more viable idea, but a single one when I use mainly Grolsch bottles was not a particularly smart purchase. Using 568ml or 750ml bottles with separate crown caps it is slightly more useful, but if you're happy to use sanitiser by the 20L bucket (which I am) then it is superfluous.

 

[DrHopper]

Rinse bottles after drinking. Stick em in the dishwasher with some sterilizer powder a few hours before bottling. Easy life