Best/quickest way to clean & sterilize bottles

[BritishBelgianTwst]

Hi,

I've decided that in the long term I'm going to go down the corny road (have to persuade SWMBO that it's a good investment) however at the moment I'm bottling my beer in 500ml bottles and was wondering if anyone has a quicker way to clean and stanitize them than using a brush/bottle cleaner and active oxygen sanitizing powder.

I was thinking of iodophor to sanitize them but was wondering if there is some fantastic contraption (that isn't too expensive) that would speed up the cleaning process. The bottles aren't dirty as such as I rinse them after serving so that the yeast doesn't dry and stick to the bottom but I guess it is better to clean them rather than just sanitize.

Cheers,
Paul

[thesaintv12]

I use the dishwasher. Just don't add power/tablet and turn off the rinse aide. Not had a problem yet.

Of course, if you don't have a dishwasher then this does not really help.

[farmhousekeg]

Like you I am dealing with "clean" bottles which have already been well rinsed with hot water after the beer has been drunk.

When I come to bottle my beer, I just put a gallon of sodium metabisulphite solution (1 teaspoon to the pint) in my FV and then submerge the bottles in there in batches of about 15 at a time, so that they get a bit of the solution inside. Then I empty the solution from the bottles back into the FV as I take them out. Then they get dropped in the sink which is filled with fresh water, "slooshed" out and put on the draining board. 3 batches of 15 bottles is usually enough to bottle a brew. Not the smartest solution but reasonably fast - I estimate it takes me about 20 minutes to sanitise 45 bottles. Also the FV gets a good sanitisation at the same time and you have a good ol' volume of solution to sanitise other bits like the hydrometer jar, thermometer, siphon tube etc.

I suppose I am a bit old fashioned using metabisulphite? I've seldom seen it mentioned on here but my "love affair" with it comes from my wine making days 25 or 30 years ago when that was the only cleansing agent that Boots the Chemist sold at the time for home brewers!! I have read somewhere that yeast are not too much affected by metabisulphite so any small residues left after the final rinse will not cuase any great harm to your yeasties in the bottle.

[BritishBelgianTwst]

When I come to bottle my beer, I just put a gallon of sodium metabisulphite solution (1 teaspoon to the pint) in my FV

Does Pottasium metabisulphite do the same job? Thats Campden powder isn't it? Do I need to add citric acid (read it on the HBS's site here in Belgium).

Thanks,

Paul

[farmhousekeg]

When I come to bottle my beer, I just put a gallon of sodium metabisulphite solution (1 teaspoon to the pint) in my FV

Does Pottasium metabisulphite do the same job? Thats Campden powder isn't it? Do I need to add citric acid (read it on the HBS's site here in Belgium).

Thanks,

Paul

Others on here (like Chris) are much more experienced than I and can answer this one better than I can!

I thought that sodium metabisulphite was Campden powder but I could be wrong. It is alse effective at neutralising the chlorine in bleach if you use it to rinse with after cleaning with bleach. I think citric acid added to metabisulpite will simply increase its effectiveness. As to whether its as good as bleach or a substitute for bleach or best used to neutralise bleach? I leave that to others more experienced and qualified to comment. So far at least in my wine making and brewing career I have never had an infection after using it to sanitize already clean glassware and then rinsing with clean cold water. Each to his own I guess....

[BritishBelgianTwst]

I've done it, I convinced SWMBO that it was a good idea to get some mini kegs so off I went to the HBS and back I came with a corny! Shiny times ahead even if it is a second hand one. Unfortunately I've got to use 16g CO2 cartridges until I can get the money together for a CO2 bottle and the rest, still I've got to start somewhere.

[DarloDave]

Im dead lazy and can never be arsed rinsing bottles just after i've poured the drink from them, which means when cleaning them is a complete ballache. I should learn, but I never do .

[floydmeddler]

My method:

After every bottle I rinse with hot water then store back in my homebrew cupboard. When it comes to bottling day I put them all in the oven at around 80c for 40 mins. Have had no problems to date using this method.

Cheers

[pantsmachine]

Liking your lateral thinking Floyd.

[Flibblebot]

An added extra to floyd's idea is to rinse the bottles before putting them in the oven - wet heat is better at killing bugs than dry heat. I've never tried this with beer bottles (only just bottled my first kit brew, putting them in the oven didn't even cross my mind ), but I do it all them time when chutney-making time rolls around.

[floydmeddler]

I agree. There is usually a little water still in them from the initial rinse so I don't need to re-rinse. Can't think of an easier way of sanitizing my bottles. I've heard stories of brewers putting their bottles in the oven at 200c for over an hour. One guy heated his bottles so much they cracked when he was capping them!

Around 80c - 90c for 40 mins is plenty. Make sure you put them in cold though (shock may break them) and start timing when it reaches 80c - 90c.

Give it a go.

[Chiltern Brewer]

I came across this Bottle Washing Machine (see page 9) idea by David Edge of the CBA recently. I also treated myself to a rotating bottle tree - brilliant - I wish I'd got one years ago.