Sterilising bottles

[Soupgdragon]

Hi,

I started my first lager brew yesterday. I'm gonna bottle it in two weeks as per instruction as long as fermenting has completed.

I am buying 40 bottles with caps and a capper because I'm a sucker for authenticity. Has anybody got any tips on the best way to sterilise them.


Cheers

 

[Covrich]

Hi,

I started my first lager brew yesterday. I'm gonna bottle it in two weeks as per instruction as long as fermenting has completed.

I am buying 40 bottles with caps and a capper because I'm a sucker for authenticity. Has anybody got any tips on the best way to sterilise them.


Cheers

Well you will get a few people suggest different methods but one thing I think which will save you a LOT of time would be to use a no rinse sanitiser and not a steralising agent which you have to rinse off 3 times.

Some people find putting the bottles in the oven to a certain temp can sanitise them..

 

[cornyandy]

I'm old school three crushed campden tablets, a shake of citric, stand back and add water, then stir. (trying not to gas yourself) run from one bottle to another give it a good shake and off you go.

It works for me and doesn't require rinsing (and is cheap)

 

[dad_of_jon]

I'm a fan....

of star san. :lol:

(see what I did there?)

I did use wilkos sodium percolate (SP) for my first 2 brews but rinsing takes an age. Star san can be re-used if within its ph limit and I reckon its not that much dearer. I think SP was working out at 50p a brew.

Star san I paid about £14 and have done 7 brews with it so far with 2/3 of a bottle left, so in my completely unscientific test I reckon I'll get another 2 brews making 9 per 1/3 of a bottle equals 27 brews for £14 = 51p

I dilute not bang in the middle of recommended range but at 3/4 of maximum so If it gets diluted slightly it's still within range.

 

[MyQul]

have done 7 brews with it so far with 2/3 of a bottle left, .

What have you been doing with it, drinking it? I've got half a bottle left and I bought mine over 18 months ago

Edit: To be fair I do reuse it a LOT

 

[DeckchairBlue]

I've got 40 PET bottles to sterilise for my first brew.

Will I be ok just running them through the dishwasher, sealing them as soon as they come out then using when needed ?

 

[MyQul]

I've got 40 PET bottles to sterilise for my first brew.

Will I be ok just running them through the dishwasher, sealing them as soon as they come out then using when needed ?

Yes. :thumb:

 

[Niman]

I've got 40 PET bottles to sterilise for my first brew.

Will I be ok just running them through the dishwasher, sealing them as soon as they come out then using when needed ?

how hot does dishwasher run...pet bottles not great with heat

 

[ppmyboy]

How do you use Star San ? Do you make it up in a bottle then transfer from bottle to bottle ?

 

[MyQul]

how hot does dishwasher run...pet bottles not great with heat

That's a good point

 

[MyQul]

How do you use Star San ? Do you make it up in a bottle then transfer from bottle to bottle ?

can do. The easiest way I've found is just to fill up my bottle rinser with it and give each bottle a couple of pumps/squirts before putting them in my bottle drainer

 

[Niman]

im not saying it wouldnt work as i havent tried it but i know if u rinse em in "hot" water they get soft and cave in

 

[Soupgdragon]

I think Star San is the way forward for me. The less effort the better IMHO .

 

[dad_of_jon]

How do you use Star San ? Do you make it up in a bottle then transfer from bottle to bottle ?

I empty 4.5 litres of volvic into a plastic bowl then add the however many ml of star san is needed and mix up. I dunk each bottle into the bowl of star san filling it up and then empty it back out into the bowl.

I funnel what's left back into the empty bottles of volvic after sanitizing.

It's been lasting a lot longer that way now I no longer drink it @myqul

 

[DeckchairBlue]

how hot does dishwasher run...pet bottles not great with heat

Good point. What sort of heat would be advisable to run them through at ? It has different settings for different things.

Quick wash, eco, intensive etc.

 

[wheazy_joe]

Not sure dishwasher is a great idea for plastic PET bottles. In order to 'sanitise' them you are going to have to run it on a pretty hot cycle, and I don't reckon PET bottles will enjoy anything like 60degrees celcius heat (or hotter!)

For what it is worth I fill a ten litre bucket with no rinse sanitiser, double dunk each bottle (emptying the solution back into the bucket) and move to bottle tree. No problems so far. Keep meaning to try the oven for my glass bottles, will defo do that next brew.

 

[lukehgriffiths]

My Method Start to Finish...

1) Put 5l star san in bottling bucket (put kettle on). Spray saucer with star san in spray bottle also spray piping inside and out (for racking later)

2) Pour boiled water on caps and fill a pyrex jug. Pour boiled water on required amount of priming sugar in a mug stirring thoroughly (cover with boiled water rinsed sanitised saucer). Now run some star san through bottle wand into bottle (no need to fill), then coat all of inner surface with fluid as tipping back into bottling bucket. Hang bottle on bottle tree. Repeat for all bottles. (put kettle on again!)

3) Spray FV tap with star san. Coat bottling bucket with fluid... Leave for a couple of minutes.

4) Pour star san from bottling bucket back into container. Rinse bucket and bottle wand with boiled water (quicker than waiting for star san to dry). Rinse piping ad FV tap with boiled water.

5) Tip priming sugar solution into bottling bucket. Rack beer into priming solution through piping on FV tap.

6) Take a bottle from the bottle tree, rinse, fill do about 4 at a time then cap them... or get a capping assistant.

5) Tidy up!

 

[stevey]

I was using wilko steriliser, but found it a bit of a pain, and it don't last long. So for my last couple of brews I used Milton tablets. They are a lot cheaper and no rinse as well, and when I bought mine they were 3 for 2 in sainsbury. :)

 

[MyQul]

I was using wilko steriliser, but found it a bit of a pain, and it don't last long. So for my last couple of brews I used Milton tablets. They are a lot cheaper and no rinse as well, and when I bought mine they were 3 for 2 in sainsbury. :)

Although Milton tabs are supposed to be no-rinse that's for sprogs. Any chlorine based saniser that isn't thoroughly rinsed off has the potential to cause off flavours in you beer. The chlorine reacts with the beer to create chlorophenols which create a band aid medicinal off flavour. Having said that I thing Chippy or is it Slid (one of the other mods anyway I think) regularly uses Milton tabs with no ill effect (so far)