Sourcing and preparing bottles

[Snrub]

As I've mentioned in another thread, I'm pretty new to homebrewing but have done a couple of 5 gallon batches per month this year (shared with a friend). That means that I have a constant need for bottles.

For the first batches, we bought brand new bottles online, but quickly realised that's damn expensive.

Since then, I've enlisted the help of a local beer shop who have a tap room, they've been saving all of their used 500ml brown bottles for me.

I collect them once a fortnight, and take them through the following process:
1. I soak them in very hot water for 3-4 hours and remove the labels.
2. I rinse them with hot water and pour back out.
3. I fill them with hot water and leave them to stand for 20-30 mins.
4. I dunk them in a bowl of sanitiser, twice.
5. I rinse them out with warm water again, twice.
6. I put them through a cycle in my dishwasher, immediately before bottling.

It feels like I'm being pretty thorough, but as they're bottles that have been used before that seems necessary.

Just wondered what other people do? Am I doing enough, not enough, or too much? any tips?

 

[tobyjrn6]

arguably too much, i tend to rinse well once ive used mine - so if they were used a while ago you could justify soaking them in sodium percarbonate cleaning solution (will sort your label problem too) and then probably just rinse and sanitise and youre good. that said, never hurts to be on the safe side

 

[BarnBrian]

As I've mentioned in another thread, I'm pretty new to homebrewing but have done a couple of 5 gallon batches per month this year (shared with a friend). That means that I have a constant need for bottles.

For the first batches, we bought brand new bottles online, but quickly realised that's damn expensive.

Since then, I've enlisted the help of a local beer shop who have a tap room, they've been saving all of their used 500ml brown bottles for me.

I collect them once a fortnight, and take them through the following process:
1. I soak them in very hot water for 3-4 hours and remove the labels.
2. I rinse them with hot water and pour back out.
3. I fill them with hot water and leave them to stand for 20-30 mins.
4. I dunk them in a bowl of sanitiser, twice.
5. I rinse them out with warm water again, twice.
6. I put them through a cycle in my dishwasher, immediately before bottling.

It feels like I'm being pretty thorough, but as they're bottles that have been used before that seems necessary.

Just wondered what other people do? Am I doing enough, not enough, or too much? any tips?

I would skip 2. 3. 5. and do the diswasher first after label removal. Then sanitize.

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
I think you're being incredibly OCD on this!
I do it this way:
Labels - stand bottles in hot solution of Wizz Oxi, making sure the hot solution is also inside the bottles. After about 10 minutes some labels simply slide off; others take a little longer. Use a kitchen sponge scourer to remove glue residue from the outside. I don't leave them longer thatn 30 minutes.
Rinse several times until they don't feel "soapy".
A quick slosh around with Star San and they're ready to go.

 

[LED_ZEP]

Rinse out then 40ml of bleach in a 23l f.v. gives you plenty of sanitiser, 30 seconds contact will do the trick but you can soak to help with label removal. Use the thin bleach without any scent.

There's a thread here that gives the full info:

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/over-1000l-of-steriliser-for-35p.76129/

 

[MmmBeer]

I rinse out with hot water after use (half fill, shake vigorously with a thumb over the top and drain), repeat if any sediment remains, then store in a box or bag until ready to use. On bottling day put in dishwasher on hottest setting, using a scoop of Oxi powder in place of a tablet, then finally spray inside with no-rinse sanitiser (a bottle washer and drying tree come in handy), drain and fill with beer. Wait and drink.

The dishwasher removes about half the labels, I've given up being so OCD about the rest.

 

[Clint]

Don't waste time trying to remove the plastic or foil type labels...

 

[Snrub]

Thanks very much for the tips! I think the thoroughness is because I don't know exactly where the bottles have come from, how long they've been sat around and so on, so I might relax a bit as I begin to re-use what I've got.

Will definitely get some Oxi powder, hadn't heard of that one.

Cheers!

 

[MmmBeer]

Will definitely get some Oxi powder, hadn't heard of that one.




You can get it in most supermarkets, sold as a laundry additive, but I find it cheaper in Wilko's, £2 for a kilo. Don't buy the more expensive branded versions, as they also contain other compounds that wouldn't be good for your beer. It's also good at cleaning fermenting buckets and other equipment too.

 

[jeg3]

Wash out with hot running water.
Soak in sanitiser for 15 minutes
Wash out with hot running water
Fill

Cleaning 40 bottles takes about 2 hours.

The bottles are generally clean, the sanitiser removes any stubborn mould dots

 

[Alex.mc]

I have an Aldi near me, and I've been steadily drinking my way through a fair few bottles of their "Bank's" amber ale at 89p a bottle!
Given you can pay 60p for a 500ml bottle, at 29p for the beer on top it's a no brainer for me! ;-)
It's not a fantastic beer, but it's totally acceptable, light and easy on the throat.

The great thing though, is the labels literally fall off after 15 mins in hot water! Usually if I drink a bottle or two in an evening, I chuck the bottle in the sink bowl and cover it in hot water. Then in the morning the labels are already off, and 10 seconds scrub with a pad and all the adhesive is gone too!