sanitising bottles

[fredpace]

hello everyone, i am a newbie

could someone tell w

me how to sanitizeet bottles (stubbies) please

[Journeyman]

What do you have now?

I use stellarsan, a no-rinse sanitiser. I have a sprayer from Bunnings, mixed to the 1.5ml per litre strength and just stick the nozzle at the top of bottle, quick spray and onto the bottle tree to drain.

[Malter White]

Hi Fredpace.
Some might disagree with this but you don't have to sanitise your bottles. If they are clean, THEY ARE CLEAN and bacteria won't stick to a clean surface. You do need to clean your bottles though.
My process starts after drinking the contents:
As soon as possible after I rinse with hot tap water (not boiling because I use plastic bottles) to remove all visible gunk.
Then a day or two before bottling day I fill a tub with hot water and add a capful of sodium percarbonate based laundry soaker. I then submerge all my bottles. If the water is too hot to for my hands I use the handles of my long mixing spoons in the bottles to drown them. I let them soak overnight.
Next day I give them a swish around and drain them and then rinse with a swish out of cold water. Hot water might be better but my cold water tap is closest to where I sit next to the tub. The hot water tap is harder to reach.
Then I dry them inverted on my makeshift bottle tree - a wire basket I had sitting at home. Bottle trees cost around $60 or more. Drying them in the sun (if it's around) is best because the sunlight will assist killing bacteria too.

If my bottles have visible dirty deposits I use the silicon brush (pictured) to scrub them before soaking.

I've used this process for around 3 years and haven't had issues. Sanitising your bottles isn't necessary in my opinion but I'm not going to tell anyone they shouldn't sanitise their bottles. That is a personal decision.



 

Edited May 9, 2021 by MUZZY

[Classic Brewing Co]

I do agree with everything @MUZZY  says as I do similar things, it is not really necessary & go & buy expensive equipment that you can improvise with things you may have already.

It is good practice to rinse thoroughly the bottle you have just finished, I also do this as well as soak them overnight.

As Muzzy says if your bottles are clean, they are clean but a quick spray of sanitiser will only do good things.

I use a lot of PET bottles as well as Coopers Longnecks & for these I soak them separately in a large tub mainly to make label removal easier.

If you maintain a routine & keep on it your bottle cleaning/sanitising practices are simplified.

 

[Boot Straps]

@MUZZYHi Muzzy, I do the same and guess what, sodium percarbonate is a sanitiser. I use the Aldi brand on my FV and all my other stuff because it's handy and cheap.

[Journeyman]

44 minutes ago, Boot Straps said:

@MUZZYHi Muzzy, I do the same and guess what, sodium percarbonate is a sanitiser. I use the Aldi brand on my FV and all my other stuff because it's handy and cheap.

The problem is, it's not a no-rinse sanitiser. I prefer to sanitise and pour - rinsing is just another step and my knees prefer me to stand at the sink as little as possible.

[Classic Brewing Co]

I agree the No-Rinse Sanitiser makes everything so much easier, measured into a large spray bottle & you can do your benches, sink top, equipment such as Can openers, Stirring Spoons including Taps/Airlocks/Lids etc.

Great Stuff.

[ozdevil]

like journeyman said   Sodium percarbonate may sanitise  but you if to rinse it...   

to my way of thinking   and shoot me down if ya like,  what is the point in sanitising  your fermenter  and having to rinse it well  undoing all that sanitisation in the 1st place

using a no rinse sanitiser    your leaving that film on your fermenter to protect from the nasties   and the amount of sanitiser  you use   the foam is not in issue


 

[Barramullafella]

Okay this is how I go about the bottle wash/sterilise process. Empty the contents into a glass and drink. Get empty bottle and fill with cool water [partially] and shake and empty. Do this three times and then invert on bottle tree to dry and wait for refill. At refill stage pour some sodium metabisulphite mixed with water into a bottle and shake. Pour that content into the next bottle and repeat until all bottles are sanitised. After each bottle is sanitised place on bottle tree to drain and wait for filling with brew. Cheers.

[Classic Brewing Co]

20 minutes ago, Barramullafella said:

Okay this is how I go about the bottle wash/sterilise process. Empty the contents into a glass and drink. Get empty bottle and fill with cool water [partially] and shake and empty. Do this three times and then invert on bottle tree to dry and wait for refill. At refill stage pour some sodium metabisulphite mixed with water into a bottle and shake. Pour that content into the next bottle and repeat until all bottles are sanitised. After each bottle is sanitised place on bottle tree to drain and wait for filling with brew. Cheers.

That process is OK but as @Journeyman says Sodium Percarbonate is not a No Rinse Cleaner/Sanitiser.

This was nicked from the Internet but may help newcomers.

Sodium percarbonate is 100% active ingredient so it is a very powerful cleaner. Sodium percarbonate is sodium carbonate (i.e. Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda) reacted with hydrogen peroxide and it is a very effective cleaner for all types of brewing equipment. It rinses easily. Sodium percarbonate uses active oxygen to penetrate carbon or protein soils and has a high kill rate on wide range of microorganisms making it an effective sanitiser as well as cleaner. This is a fantastic product for use on all brewery equipment including beer lines, pots, fermenters, heat exchangers. It will effectively remove beer stone and dried up yeast. Sodium percarbonate gradually decomposes into non-toxic, environmentally safe, food grade elements. It decomposes into oxygen, sodium carbonate and water. In our opinion, percarbonate-based cleaners are the best choice for equipment cleaning. These products combine sodium metasilicate with the percarbonate in a stable form which increases its effectivity and prevents the corrosion of metals like copper and aluminum that strong alkaline solutions can cause.

General Usage Directions:

Use 30 grams per 9-10 Litres of Water. Let it soak for 10 minutes before rinsing. For beer line cleaning use 30 grams per 3 Litres of Water.

For Brew Kettles and Lauter Tuns:

Use 10 grams per litre (1-2 ounces per gallon) of water for single brew cleaning. 

For multiple brew cleaning, use 30G per 5L of water. Soak, scrub, or a combination of the two, for 25 to 30 minutes with warm to hot water. 

Rinse immediately after with same temperature water.

For Fermenters, Conditioning & Aging Tanks and Kegs:

Use 5 grams per liter (3/4 ounces per gallon).  Use 25g per 5L of water for 25 to 30 minutes with warm to hot water.

Rinse immediately after with same temperature water.

[Barramullafella]

42 minutes ago, CLASSIC said:

That process is OK but as @Journeyman says Sodium Percarbonate is not a No Rinse Cleaner/Sanitiser.

This was nicked from the Internet but may help newcomers.

 

 

Yep, that is why I use sodium metabisulphite to sanitise  

[Journeyman]

2 minutes ago, Barramullafella said:

Yep, that is why I use sodium metabisulphite to sanitise  

Sod Met is a sanitiser but has issues. vis-a-vis, "Sodium Metabisulfite
'Sodium Met' is probably the most familiar 'no-rinse' sanitiser to homebrewers. It is sold as a white powder in all homebrew shops and most supermarkets that carry a range of brewing ingredients, and it is found in most starter kits. Unfortunately, it is one of the worst sanitisers available now that so many better alternatives exist.
Sodium Met is slow to act and often used ineffectively.
To use it properly, dissolve the sodium metabisulfite in the correct amount of water, as directed by the instructions, rinse all surfaces with the solution and allow to air dry. Drying is essential because this is when the sodium metabisulfite does its thing. It does not kill bacteria outright but it inhibits the growth of wild yeast. The fumes are highly irritating (particularly to asthmatics) and should not be inhaled."

Stellarsan and starsan are contact sanitisers. No need to wait for things to dry.

[Malter White]

4 hours ago, Boot Straps said:

@MUZZYHi Muzzy, I do the same and guess what, sodium percarbonate is a sanitiser. I use the Aldi brand on my FV and all my other stuff because it's handy and cheap.

Well I've learnt something new today. Thanks, BS.

[Malter White]

24 minutes ago, Journeyman said:

Sod Met is a sanitiser but has issues. vis-a-vis, "Sodium Metabisulfite
'Sodium Met' is probably the most familiar 'no-rinse' sanitiser to homebrewers. It is sold as a white powder in all homebrew shops and most supermarkets that carry a range of brewing ingredients, and it is found in most starter kits. Unfortunately, it is one of the worst sanitisers available now that so many better alternatives exist.
Sodium Met is slow to act and often used ineffectively.
To use it properly, dissolve the sodium metabisulfite in the correct amount of water, as directed by the instructions, rinse all surfaces with the solution and allow to air dry. Drying is essential because this is when the sodium metabisulfite does its thing. It does not kill bacteria outright but it inhibits the growth of wild yeast. The fumes are highly irritating (particularly to asthmatics) and should not be inhaled."

Stellarsan and starsan are contact sanitisers. No need to wait for things to dry.

Not only are the sodium met fumes quite overwhelming, I get a rash if the liquid makes contact with my skin. In particular the backs of hands.

[Boot Straps]

1 minute ago, MUZZY said:

Well I've learnt something new today. Thanks, BS.

Your welcome, I guess this is what it's all about, tips to keep the costs down but create a great product. I mean we don't need to sterilize just sanitise.

[Boot Straps]

3 hours ago, Journeyman said:

The problem is, it's not a no-rinse sanitiser. I prefer to sanitise and pour - rinsing is just another step and my knees prefer me to stand at the sink as little as possible.

@Barramullafella@CLASSICPrior to reading these posts I saw a post about "don't fear the froth" well I had no idea idea what they were talking about so I thought well what the heck. So the next time I brewed I cleaned all my gear as per normal but I didn't rinse (which I never did any way). No problems. I did rinse on my last brew which is the Coopers Beekeeper. My point is if it works for you then that is good.

Edited May 9, 2021 by Boot Straps

[ozdevil]

41 minutes ago, Boot Straps said:

@Barramullafella@CLASSICPrior to reading these posts I saw a post about "don't fear the froth" well I had no idea idea what they were talking about so I thought well what the heck. So the next time I brewed I cleaned all my gear as per normal but I didn't rinse (which I never did any way). No problems. I did rinse on my last brew which is the Coopers Beekeeper. My point is if it works for you then that is good.

the reason why you sanitise  is to keep the bacteria from your brew.

sanitiser creates the barrier but if you rise it away   you have invited bacteria back in

[James Lao]

I normally rinse and fill my bottles as soon as they are poured with cold maybe lukewarm water overnight (thought I read somewhere hot water is bad for PET bottles).

Day before packaging day fill an esky or old fermenter with Luke warm water and maybe a cap full of sodium percarbonate - soak for 6-24 hours.

Rinse with cold water and dry on bottle tree.

Day of packaging give each bottle a spray of Starsan no rinse sanitizer.

Bottles have been cleaned with Sode Perc and sanitized with Starsan.

Same process for kegs and lines etc, no issues in 6 years touch wood
 

Cheers

James

[Boot Straps]

Poor old Fred, his head must be spinning after all that advice.

[Shamus O'Sean]

18 hours ago, Boot Straps said:

Poor old Fred, his head must be spinning after all that advice.

I think everybody scared him off. 

[jackgym]

Here's another head spinner:

When I empty a PET bottle I run a silicon brush (like MUZZY's) around the ring near the top and rinse it a few times.

Then I squeeze in a drop of dishwashing liquid and fill it with water overnight.

Next day I rinse it thoroughly a few times to get out the suds.

Then onto the bottle tree ready for the Starsan just before bottling.

*** NEVER use hot water with PET bottles. 

[Classic Brewing Co]

1 minute ago, jackgym said:

Here's another head spinner:

When I empty a PET bottle I run a silicon brush (like MUZZY's) around the ring near the top and rinse it a few times.

Then I squeeze in a drop of dishwashing liquid and fill it with water overnight.

Next day I rinse it thoroughly a few times to get out the suds.

Then onto the bottle tree ready for the Starsan just before bottling.

*** NEVER use hot water with PET bottles. 

That's all good but I stopped using Dishwashing Liquid years ago when I discovered this article written by a guy who is now a commercial brewer. There are lots of other products better than Dish Wash liquid & I am sure at least some others would agree with me, however, it is always up to you as you can do what you want. I used to use it  (years ago ) for cleaning out the FV but not anymore.

If it works for you, there is nothing wrong with that.

Cheers.

 

Don’t use washing up detergent

There are several reasons not to use normal washing up detergent when cleaning bottles for homebrewing. It’s not that this product is bad for you or necessarily bad for homebrewing, it’s just that using it will slow you down.

The major issue is that using even a little bit of washing up detergent will lead to a lot of residue being left on the inside of your bottles. This can lead to foaming when you come to use the bottles later and could also affect the head retention of your beer.

Another issue is that most washing up detergents have an aroma of some sort. It is highly possible that this aroma could transmit into your beer unless you rinse the bottles thoroughly.

Which brings me to the main reason you don’t want to use washing-up detergent, you’ll always have to rinse each bottle at least once or twice, and this is a time-consuming activity. So it’s best to cut out any unnecessarily rinsing by choosing a better cleaning product.

[jackgym]

9 minutes ago, CLASSIC said:

That's all good but I stopped using Dishwashing Liquid years ago when I discovered this article written by a guy who is now a commercial brewer. There are lots of other products better than Dish Wash liquid & I am sure at least some others would agree with me, however, it is always up to you as you can do what you want. I used to use it  (years ago ) for cleaning out the FV but not anymore.

If it works for you, there is nothing wrong with that.

Cheers.

 

Don’t use washing up detergent

There are several reasons not to use normal washing up detergent when cleaning bottles for homebrewing. It’s not that this product is bad for you or necessarily bad for homebrewing, it’s just that using it will slow you down.

The major issue is that using even a little bit of washing up detergent will lead to a lot of residue being left on the inside of your bottles. This can lead to foaming when you come to use the bottles later and could also affect the head retention of your beer.

Another issue is that most washing up detergents have an aroma of some sort. It is highly possible that this aroma could transmit into your beer unless you rinse the bottles thoroughly.

Which brings me to the main reason you don’t want to use washing-up detergent, you’ll always have to rinse each bottle at least once or twice, and this is a time-consuming activity. So it’s best to cut out any unnecessarily rinsing by choosing a better cleaning product.

Thanks for the info, CLASSIC.

My bottles don't seem to be collecting residue,  but maybe I should pick a better product.

Any suggestions off hand?

 

[Classic Brewing Co]

4 minutes ago, jackgym said:

Thanks for the info, CLASSIC.

My bottles don't seem to be collecting residue,  but maybe I should pick a better product.

Any suggestions off hand?

 

This one is good, but there are others, I buy this from BIG W for about $3 last for ages, most home brew shops have something similar, you still have to rinse with this product but it does't leave any residue.
Cheers.

Ensure your bottles are clean and primed for pouring with the Brigalow Home Brew Bottle Wash Powder. Simply mix 25 grams of the solution with hot water for best results.

Product Features:

• Mix 25 grams with 4.5 litres of hot water for best results
• Alkaline salts 97.5%

[jackgym]

15 minutes ago, CLASSIC said:

This one is good, but there are others, I buy this from BIG W for about $3 last for ages, most home brew shops have something similar, you still have to rinse with this product but it does't leave any residue.
Cheers.

Ensure your bottles are clean and primed for pouring with the Brigalow Home Brew Bottle Wash Powder. Simply mix 25 grams of the solution with hot water for best results.

Product Features:

• Mix 25 grams with 4.5 litres of hot water for best results
• Alkaline salts 97.5%

Okay, looks good.