Getting ready to bottle my first batch of beer. Now I’m washing bottles. Fun right. I have some celebrater double bock bottles that are very nice. The labels fell right off and left no glue. The bottles are definitely heavier and more substantial . Any other suggestions out there?
Be sure to rinse well and drain. Fill the bottles while the Starsan solution is still wet.
I’ve heard this several times and this is simply untrue. You do NOT need to fill while the bottles are still wet. The manufacturer’s instructions say to let it air dry. It really can be used either way, but it isn’t necessary to fill immediately while still wet.
http://www.fivestarchemicals.com/wp-con ... ch-HB2.pdfI’m washing today and plan on bottling day to just put them all in a pail of star San, pluck them out and fill. I’m looking for advice on the best bottles to use. Ayinger brewery has the best so far, unfortunately or not I only have four.
The only bottles I won’t reuse are stubbies. They don’t always cap well. I’ve had a few that seemed like the cap fit fine, but months later had a sh!tty, oxidized beer.
Not sure where you’re from and if these are all available, but Magic Hat, Dogfish Head, and Victory bottles all have labels that fall right off after a short soak in hot water / oxyclean.
I have some dogfish and saranac that a snap to clean. The victory I found a little harder. After handling the German bottles I mentioned the others feel kind of light and thin. I’m already narrowing down my beer selection at the packy by studying the bottles. Is this normal?
Any commercial bottle should be fine to reuse for home brew. Just stay away from stubbies as I mentioned above. I’ve had mixed results.
So I take it lagunitas bottles aren’t any good to reuse. While we are on the subject I also have swing top bottles and swing top mini growlers. And I was going to try to fill one screw top growler. Can I use the same priming solution for all these or is it best not to mix types of bottles and to use different solutions for different size bottles.
I’d stay away from any stubbies or at the most try one and see how it works out.
Swing top bottles are fine, but I’d be careful of any growler. They aren’t built to hold pressure like regular bottles. I’ve never tried to carb in one but have read many posts that advise against it.
I’ve carbed in a growler several years ago when I ran out of bottles while bottling. It worked well — I duct taped around the cap to the bottle as an insurance policy. Not something I would recommend unless you have to do it.
I sanitize in my dishwasher, so I like stubbies since they can fit in the top rack. The downfall is that the Sierra Nevada ones are more prone to crack in my crap-ass wing capper.
As far as brands that are easy/difficult to peel, here’s a list I have laying around from an old thread:
Easy to peel: Samuel Smith, Red Hook, Sierra Nevada, Samuel Adams, New Belgium (warning - possible cracks), Bell’s, Guinness Draught (11.2oz bottle), Three Floyds, Goose Island, Schells, Deschutes, Bass Ale, Ommegang and Saranac
Hard to peel: Brooklyn, Summit, Founders, Firestone, Shorts, Mad Anthony, Blue Mountain, Weyerbacher, Dark Horse and Harpoon
I’ve been using Sierra Nevada bottles for years without oxidation issues. I had a five year old RIS the other day and it tasted fine – made me wish I had more than one bottle left 
I’ve heard this several times and this is simply untrue. You do NOT need to fill while the bottles are still wet. The manufacturer’s instructions say to let it air dry. It really can be used either way, but it isn’t necessary to fill immediately while still wet.
http://www.fivestarchemicals.com/wp-con ... ch-HB2.pdf[/quote]How long does the sanitized surface remain sanitized after the Starsan solution has dried?
I’ve heard this several times and this is simply untrue. You do NOT need to fill while the bottles are still wet. The manufacturer’s instructions say to let it air dry. It really can be used either way, but it isn’t necessary to fill immediately while still wet.
http://www.fivestarchemicals.com/wp-con ... ch-HB2.pdf[/quote]How long does the sanitized surface remain sanitized after the Starsan solution has dried?[/quote]
Until it gets dirty again. 
If the bottles are covered so dust doesn’t fall in, it can be a long time.
The OP might also want to try plastic 12 oz or 1/2 liter soda bottles. They aren’t good for very long term storage (drink within a few months), and you need to keep them away from UV light, but they are really easy to use and you can tell how carbonation is progressing simply by feeling how firm they are. I used to use at least one per batch when I was bottling, just as an indicator.
[quote=“dobe12”]The only bottles I won’t reuse are stubbies. They don’t always cap well. I’ve had a few that seemed like the cap fit fine, but months later had a sh!tty, oxidized beer. [/quote] Well, since it usually takes a couple of months for oxidation to show up, is it possible the damage was done before the beer went into the bottle? I’ve bottled many beers in stubbies with no oxidation or loss of carbonation after 18-24 months in the bottle.
I like to bottle in stubbies because they fit under the shelf in my keg fridge. I had to build a little shelf at the same height as the hump in the bottom. Pint jars of yeast and stubbies fit perfectly under there.
I recently got rid of all my New Belgium bottles because somebody pointed out how thin they are. I like the Deschutes bottles for their cool hops cones around the top. Of course, your bottles are only as strong as your sanitation regime.
My favorite bottles are the 5-gallon stainless ones :mrgreen:
