Sterilising bottles

[Urbangoose]

Hi All

I have a big day of bottling today - but relatively small capacity to sterilise. How long can I leave bottles standing once sterilised before I risk chance if contamination?

Thanks in anticipation for your Support

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
Do you mean sanitise or sterilise?
If you are sanitising, cut up some squares of aluminium foil and put them in a container with sanitising solution.
Sanitise each bottle and wrap a square of foil over the opening. Nothing will get in!
If you use Star San, it works after 30 seconds of application, so you could sanitise a small batch, say 4 bottles, fill and cap them, and move on to the next batch.

 

[DizzyDazz]

What are you using to sterilise or sanitise your bottles?

 

[lancon]

are the bottles clean? if so then put some starsan in, shake, clean thumb over top is ok, it will get sanitized too, drain, when enough clean paper kitchen towel over the top (1 sheet covers 16, 4 x 4.)

 

[Urbangoose]

Just using Miltons tablets in bucket - bottles are clean.

 

[Bigcol49]

Just using Miltons tablets in bucket - bottles are clean.

Hi!
Milton requires 15 minutes of immersion before the bottle is sanitised.
I suggest you switch to Star San, or something similar, that leaves your bottles sanitised after only 30 seconds application.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

From our sister site - https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/sanitizing-beer-bottles-in-the-oven.511269/#post-6616419


Oven

Dry heat is less effective than steam for sanitising and sterilising, but many brewers use it. The best place to do dry heat sterilisation is in your oven. To sterilise an item, refer to the following table for temperatures and times required.

Dry Heat Sterilisation

Temperature
Duration

338°F (170°C)
60 minutes

320°F (160°C)
120 minutes

302°F (150°C)
150 minutes

284°F (140°C)
180 minutes

250°F (121°C)
12 hours (Overnight)


The times indicated begin when the item has reached the indicated temperature. Although the duration seem long, remember this process kills all microorganisms, not just most as in sanitising. To be sterilised, items need to be heat-proof at the given temperatures. Glass and metal items are prime candidates for heat sterilisation.

Some home-brewers bake their bottles using this method and thus always have a supply of clean sterile bottles. The opening of the bottle can be covered with a piece of aluminium foil prior to heating to prevent contamination after cooling and during storage. They will remain sterile indefinitely if kept wrapped.

One note of caution: bottles made of soda lime glass are much more susceptible to thermal shock and breakage than those made of borosilicate glass and should be heated and cooled slowly (e.g. 5 °F per minute). You can assume all beer bottles are made of soda lime glass and that any glassware that says Pyrex or Kimax is made of borosilicate.

 

[dad_of_jon]

From our sister site - https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/sanitizing-beer-bottles-in-the-oven.511269/#post-6616419


Oven

Dry heat is less effective than steam for sanitising and sterilising, but many brewers use it. The best place to do dry heat sterilisation is in your oven. To sterilise an item, refer to the following table for temperatures and times required.

Dry Heat Sterilisation

Temperature
Duration

338°F (170°C)
60 minutes

320°F (160°C)
120 minutes

302°F (150°C)
150 minutes

284°F (140°C)
180 minutes

250°F (121°C)
12 hours (Overnight)


The times indicated begin when the item has reached the indicated temperature. Although the duration seem long, remember this process kills all microorganisms, not just most as in sanitising. To be sterilised, items need to be heat-proof at the given temperatures. Glass and metal items are prime candidates for heat sterilisation.

Some home-brewers bake their bottles using this method and thus always have a supply of clean sterile bottles. The opening of the bottle can be covered with a piece of aluminium foil prior to heating to prevent contamination after cooling and during storage. They will remain sterile indefinitely if kept wrapped.

One note of caution: bottles made of soda lime glass are much more susceptible to thermal shock and breakage than those made of borosilicate glass and should be heated and cooled slowly (e.g. 5 °F per minute). You can assume all beer bottles are made of soda lime glass and that any glassware that says Pyrex or Kimax is made of borosilicate.

mine only go in for 40 mins gas mark 6 to kill yeast, as starsan doesn't. starsan kills bacteria.

 

[Bigcol49]

mine only go in for 40 mins gas mark 6 to kill yeast, as starsan doesn't. starsan kills bacteria.

Hi!
Do you have evidence for your assertion that Star San doesn't kill yeast?

 

[Drunkula]

Hi!
Do you have evidence for your assertion that Star San doesn't kill yeast?

I've read threads and heard on the Basic Brewing podcast about people putting wort into fermenters without taking out a few inches of Starsan and they still brewed. On Basic Brewing the guy wanted to know if the beer was still safe to drink.

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi @Drunkula
There seems to be some evidence of yeast developing in blow-off tubes and bottles containing Star San, but according to several comments the wort may have altered the pH of the Star San, or watered it down, or the Star San solution may have been watered down to begin with.

 

[lancon]

I think if the bottle is clean (to visual inspection) then the quantity of yeast present would be minimal and if any present (likely as airborne yeasts) then it would not be in enough quantity to cause a problem. I know that when I dry hop I must introduce some wild yeast into the beer but the alcoholic content and anaerobic condition would make it difficult for yeast growth and development.

 

[Duxuk]

The trouble with Milton is you don't want any residual solution in the bottles. It will taint the flavour. So do you rinse with tap water? It's not a great choice, I'm afraid.
The finished beer has alcohol as a preservative so bottle sterilisation is not as crucial as sterilising brewing equipment.

 

[itry]

To steralise bottles i usually line bottles up , fire up the grainfather and fill them all with bpiling water and leave them. I normally use washingup liquid and a bottle brush to get clean. Question.

After ive put vmc(powdered steraliser) throuvh kegs ect. Do i rinse them after with water?

 

[Drunkula]

After ive put vmc(powdered steraliser) throuvh kegs ect. Do i rinse them after with water?

If it's like VWP and chlorine based then rinse it. I had a ton of crappy vinyl tasting beer from not rinsing a DIY bleach no-rinse solution after they changed the cheapy thin bleach I was buying to something definitely not fully thin.

 

[Bigcol49]

I normally use washingup liquid and a bottle brush to get clean

Hi!
Very early in my homebrewing experience I was advised never to use washing-up liquid to clean equipment.

 

[itry]

Vwp is what it is !! And i do alwYs rinse it out after then leave to dry

 

[DavidDetroit]

Just for fun, because there are many ways to process the bottles, this is my method. Maybe someone can get a useful idea from it.

I do 16oz flip-tops (fewer bottles to fill). Once I have bottles free of debris (whole new topic) I keep them that way. I pour a beer or pour another person a beer and rinse them thoroughly. At the end of the evening, it's into the dishwasher (possibly/probably not necessary). Then they're stored with no extra attention.

Day before bottling, I quickly bottle-brush them using a mixture of scent-free soap and a splash of bleach in hot water. I use this to get the insides properly:

I let the bottles drip on the bottom rack of the dishwasher (which I set on my stove). It takes about 20 seconds a bottle. My rack holds nearly 42 bottles. I transfer them to three milk crates, 14 per. No other attention at this point.



On bottling day I use the Vinator

filled with Starsan, and leave them to drip dry on the same dishwasher rack. At the same time I put the rubber gasket on (taken from a small bowl of Starsan)
When they're done dripping I close but don't lock them before putting them in the milk crates.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Very early in my homebrewing experience I was advised never to use washing-up liquid to clean equipment.

I am sure i have read here using washing up liquid to clean bottles can badly effects head retention.

.

 

[dad_of_jon]

Hi!
Do you have evidence for your assertion that Star San doesn't kill yeast?

yes but i'm too pished to fish out the link. It is yeast friendly and breaks down to act as a yeast nutrient. at this point google is your friend because i've just come off a night shift and have hit the sauce running...