Sanitizing Bottles

I just did this yesterday for a batch of hard cider I am bottling today. It took roughly 5 min from the time I went to the basement got a case of bottles and put them in the oven. Then another min or so to empty them and set upside down in the sink strainer. Yes it may take longer because of the oven, but with the two methods I have previously used (dishwasher & bucket of starsan). This is easier for me anyway, plus I save money on sanitizer.

I clean bottles before the junk gets caked on. Old priming sugar and yeast can grow some funky stuff.

I wash my bottles out with soap and water with my pint glasses. Iā€™ll then run them through the dishwasher with my normal dishes. Prior to bottling, Iā€™ll still run them through the dish washer. I do the sani-rinse and bottle once theyā€™ve cooled down. I havenā€™t had issues with head retention or contamination with my method.

And ten times as longā€¦

Well yes this is true, and as I stated in my original post ā€œfairly effortlessā€ not quicker. This just happens to work better for me. My advice for those who arenā€™t a fan of this method would be donā€™t do it and stick with what works ya.

Ha ok

It seems like everyone has their own method that works for them.

I store my bottles in plastic totes while they are conditioning. After I get my bottling bucket sanitized, I dump the star san + water from the bucket into the tote I will be using. I then drop about 8 bottles into the tote and let them soak while I get ready. Then I simply start filling 8 bottles while soaking the next 8 until I am finished. Dump the water when done, dry the tote and put the bottles in there for storage.

Keeping your bottles clean after you pour a brew makes things a lot easier too. I bought one of those bottle jets and makes sure my bottles are clear before they go into storage.

I used to load my bottles in the oven the night before bottling, run them at 250 degrees F for about an hour, and leave them to cool with the door closed. It worked pretty well, the bottles had to be clean of course, but a few times I noticed that the bottles had a baked-on film/haze, and I also had head retention problems. I assumed it was food spills burning off. It seemed easy and it appeared to work, but it really meant that I had to plan a day ahead, and it ties up the oven which put SWMBO in a jam a couple of times. The dishwasher would be similar to loading in the oven, I bet it works (with the caveats of no rinse agent) but it might not be the best solution for everyone.

So I switched to a bucket of sanitizer, dunk the bottles and put them on a tree to drain. It really doesnā€™t take that long. I like to use BTF/Iodophor because it is cheap and it is what Iā€™m used to working with.

How long do you wait after you dunk the bottles? i still see bubbles in mine? should i leave them over night? or does it matter?

Bubbles are ok, usually they say to keep them in contact with the sanitizer for a couple of minutes. I usually soak in PBW and hot water for a couple of hours (or over night ), then submerge in the star San solution for a few minutes then just take them out and put them in the freezer while I take a couple at a time to fill ( I fill from a keg that has already carbā€™ed the beer with C02. So donā€™t sweat the bubbles, they are a good thing. When I fill a keg it typically has a ton of bubbles from me storing them with a bit of sanitizer in them then shaking and spreading it around the keg before filling with beer.

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I wonder if O2 becomes a problem only with the keg processā€¦ In a bottle being primedā€¦ wonā€™t the yeast consume (up to a point) the O2?
Sneezles61

That could beā€¦ I always assumed the yeast would clean whatever was left in the bottle for o2. I am starting to consider the Anvil fermenter that has the lid with a 15psi seal. That would be a nice clean transfer to the keg. I always purge the empty keg with Co2 before filling but If I could get some pressure in the fermenter I assume I could just push the beer right into the liquid post on the keg.

Just what I doā€¦
I put a 2" triclover on the lidā€¦ It becomes a blow off tube connectionā€¦ Easy to add hops, should you wantā€¦
Then swap out with a gas connectionā€¦ apply about 5 psiā€™s and ā€œpush itā€ā€¦ I think they are anvilsā€¦
Sneezles61

Oh its actually the Spike Brewing fermenter I was drooling overā€¦ I will see how long I can hold out.

Grantmesteven has oneā€¦ In fact, since he got itā€¦ heā€™s been very aloof here! Perhaps he will chime in and get you ready! :grin:
Sneezles61