Preparing bottles for bottling.

[Hopperty]

I really can't be bothered with washing out 40 bottles in one go, and I have been using a couple of different methods over the past couple of years without problems and wondered which you felt was best, and what are the likely shortcomings of each.

Method 1
After drinking the bottles and tops go through the dishwasher, the next morning they are filled with a very mild solution of thin bleach (about double the strength of a public swimming pool) recapped and then kept in a dark cupboard, On the day of bottling I rinse them out 6 at a time on a home made rinser, its all very quick and easy to do,

Method 2
After drinking the bottles and tops go through the dishwasher, the next morning they have 10 minutes in the top oven at 100c, they are then recapped when hot. This is a fabulously quick method on bottling day, the caps are removed (distinctive suction noise as air is drawn back in) primed then bottled.

I doubt in either method the bottles would be stored for more than a year, most probably less than 40 days.


Thoughts please

 

[RichardM]

I rinse my bottles after pouring the beer, store them and then sanitise them with Starsan when I am bottling again.

 

[An Ankoù]

I really can't be bothered with washing out 40 bottles in one go, and I have been using a couple of different methods over the past couple of years without problems and wondered which you felt was best, and what are the likely shortcomings of each.

Method 1
After drinking the bottles and tops go through the dishwasher, the next morning they are filled with a very mild solution of thin bleach (about double the strength of a public swimming pool) recapped and then kept in a dark cupboard, On the day of bottling I rinse them out 6 at a time on a home made rinser, its all very quick and easy to do,

Method 2
After drinking the bottles and tops go through the dishwasher, the next morning they have 10 minutes in the top oven at 100c, they are then recapped when hot. This is a fabulously quick method on bottling day, the caps are removed (distinctive suction noise as air is drawn back in) primed then bottled.

I doubt in either method the bottles would be stored for more than a year, most probably less than 40 days.


Thoughts please

Both methods effective. I do even less than that: I rinse the beer dregs out thoroughly, pour in a few CCs of overstrength Metabisulphite solution that I keep in 1-litre PET for that purpose and then recap with an old cap. On bottling day, it's uncap, pour and rinse. In my experience, only one yeast, MJ M-84, leaves a film that needs to be removed with thinned bleach. It won't spoil the next beer, but the roughness of its surface causes the bottles to fob on opening.

 

[Graz]

I rinse my bottles after pouring the beer, store them and then sanitise them with Starsan when I am bottling again.

This^ Good rinse out from very hot tap water after pouring the beer (or maybe in the morning if I have become complacent (drunk)). If there's any visible yeast film, usually round the shoulder of the bottle, then I'll scrub it off with a bottle brush. Then just stored for next use.

On bottling day each one gets a good blast of StarSan with one of these:

On to this to drain:

And shortly after that it gets filled with delicious fresh beer

 

[damienair]

I give my bottles a good rinse out on the evening of consumption. The next morning I fill each bottle with boiling hot water for a few minutes and then allow to drip dry. I then store them away. On day of bottling I just use a bottle washer with a no rinse sanitizer.

 

[colm89]

I rinse mine with water once I pour the beer and store them til bottling day. On bottling day they get 15-30 mins in vwp, rinse with water, drip dry on bottle tree, then a few squirts of starsan from a bottle washer, let most of the liquid drip out and fill with beer.

The vwp is probably overkill but I’m committed to my process now.

 

[dad_of_jon]

I really can't be bothered with washing out 40 bottles in one go, and I have been using a couple of different methods over the past couple of years without problems and wondered which you felt was best, and what are the likely shortcomings of each.

Method 1
After drinking the bottles and tops go through the dishwasher, the next morning they are filled with a very mild solution of thin bleach (about double the strength of a public swimming pool) recapped and then kept in a dark cupboard, On the day of bottling I rinse them out 6 at a time on a home made rinser, its all very quick and easy to do,

Method 2
After drinking the bottles and tops go through the dishwasher, the next morning they have 10 minutes in the top oven at 100c, they are then recapped when hot. This is a fabulously quick method on bottling day, the caps are removed (distinctive suction noise as air is drawn back in) primed then bottled.

I doubt in either method the bottles would be stored for more than a year, most probably less than 40 days.


Thoughts please

I do option two but fill bottles with water on emptying rinsing the yeast out just before the dishwasher after which a rinse of tap water and drain upside down to ensure no rinse aid left then in oven for 40 mins on gas mark 6.

cap when cooling down. a quick rinse with starsan on bottling day because i have CDO. - only had 1 gusher out of 2000+ bottles

 

[hoppyscotty]

The method that works for me is after drinking beer the bottle gets washed and brushed out.

Thegoes through the dishwasher then topped off with tin foil and stored ready for bottling day.

On bottling day all bottles go into a big bucket of Milton for a soak, then transferred Into a bucket of Starsan/Chemsan when I am ready for bottling, then I pull the bottles out of the Starsan bucket, give it a shake and fill with new beer.

Caps just come out of the plastic packet and get a good soak in Starsan before use.

Not had an issue with this yet.

 

[Galena]

I rinse mine with water once I pour the beer and store them til bottling day. On bottling day they get 15-30 mins in vwp, rinse with water, drip dry on bottle tree, then a few squirts of starsan from a bottle washer, let most of the liquid drip out and fill with beer.

The vwp is probably overkill but I’m committed to my process now.

That is pretty much exactly how I do it, only it doesn't get 30 minutes.

 

[Nicks90]

Wow, some people go to extraordinary lengths to get their bottles clean and sanitary

I give mine a rinse the following morning after consumption and on bottling day I fill the sink with Milton solution. Dunk the bottles in 4 at a time and immediately drain back in to the sink. Once all 34 bottles have been dunked and drained, they all get a rinse from the tap and filled with beer.
I suppose each bottle will sit on the draining board having been dipped in Milton for about 5 mins - which seems to be enough, as I've not had any bottle bombs so far.

Other brands are available. I quite like the aldi own brand one as its about 90p a bottle!

 

[Victor Churchill]

ASAP after pouring, rinse under tap.
Store the bottles in crate/box with flip-tops open (so I know they haven't yet been through the next step)
Shortly before bottling blitz the bottles on the dishwashe's hotest programme (70 deg) - no detergent - and close the flip tops while hot. Collect closed bottles in crate/box.
Take crate/boxes to brewroom, bottle, close, condition, cool, wait, succumb to temptation, open & enjoy.