Is my beer ruined!?

[ClownPrince]

I've possibly had a disaster.
I was bottling a marmalade IPA and asked SWMBO to wash my bottles while I walked the dog.
Got back and she said it was all done, scrubbed and sanitised.
Once most of them had been bottled it was revealed that he hadn't rinsed the bottles after being sanitised (with VWP)
I hastily washed some more bottles and poured them all into the fresh, but has the damage now been done? Should I call it a bad job and tip them away now or wait and until the conditioning period is done and see how they are?

 

[Harry Wright]

If you have the space and spare bottles keep them. Give them a week or two and open one up. If it smells like chlorine then they're probably not gonna be very good, also a chance that the sanitiser will kill your priming yeast. So if flat in a week and smelling like chlorine give them a toss.

 

[terrym]

They might be OK and it might not. And you won't know until you open a few. So instead of tipping them away now why not just keep them as normal for carbing and a week or two conditioning then try them, being aware that some might be worse than others, according to how much VWP solution was left in the bottles. If they are OK you haven't wasted anything and if they are rubbish well, just put that down to experience.

 

[Graz]

As above, every chance it'll be fine.

That said I've never understood using sanitiser that needs rinsing off afterwards. Whilst tap water is pretty germ free using it after sanitising kind of defeats the object to me. Much better off with something that is "no rinse" like StarSan or whatever it's called now.

 

[Drunkula]

You're going to have to taste it after a while. If it tastes of what you can imagine plasters tasting like that'll be caused by the vwp. You can drink it, it's safe but it just won't be ideal. No amount of conditioning will take the flavour away, except for making shandy with it.

 

[An Ankoù]

You could taste it straight away. If it tastes of chlorine then it's not going to improve by conditioning the beer. in fact if it tastes of chlorine, it won't condition. If it doesn't then you should be ok.

 

[GerritT]

I swallowed a standard dilution of Oxi Puro, just for the hell of it: it has hardly taste, but the mouthfeel is weird. As @terrym said: just treat them like there's nothing wrong with it.
Remember, one can't untip a batch!

 

[Dutto]

.......... just put that down to experience.

Don'tcha just love "experience"?

Unfortunately, it's the only method of learning where you get the Test first and the Lesson afterwards.

If you shook out the droplets inside the bottles (a recommended practice) before you started bottling the brew, it will probably be just fine, so don't sling it out until you are sure that the taste is ruined.

 

[Winterbournebrewery]

Divorce her , or accuse of being a witch. That will sort it

 

[Winterbournebrewery]

Ehhh ,, on 2nd thoughts ignore my advice ... I have been on a few very strong IPAs tonight.

 

[Winterbournebrewery]

My info on witch accusations seems to be slightly out of date ! Mid 17th century to be preciseish! Might work though if that beer was gonna be a good one. My commiserations CP. hopefully the wash was a weak one & the beer will overcome.

 

[foxy]

I hastily washed some more bottles and poured them all into the fresh, but has the damage now been done? Should I call it a bad job and tip them away now or wait and until the conditioning period is done and see how they are?

That could be a concern, how did you pour from one bottle to another.

 

[dwhite60]

DON'T PANIC!

It will probably be okay. Maybe not optimal but still okay.

Give it a few weeks. It WILL carbonate. Then decide what to do.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[stephen1546]

I've possibly had a disaster.
I was bottling a marmalade IPA and asked SWMBO to wash my bottles while I walked the dog.
Got back and she said it was all done, scrubbed and sanitised.
Once most of them had been bottled it was revealed that he hadn't rinsed the bottles after being sanitised (with VWP)
I hastily washed some more bottles and poured them all into the fresh, but has the damage now been done? Should I call it a bad job and tip them away now or wait and until the conditioning period is done and see how they are?

My wife did the same thing with wine bottles, thankfully all bottles of wine turned out fine.

 

[dwhite60]

Here's a rule:

If you ever decide to dump a batch, dump it ALL.

Holding on to a few bottles and finding out three weeks later that they are AWESOME
can be a real bummer.

All the Best,
D. White