Least favourite part of the brewing cycle

[pantsmachine]

Hi all,

I am starting on my 150 bottle delabelling and cleaning session this morning with an eye to bottling on Sunday. Definetely my least favourite aspect of the hobby!

My own personal bottle cleaning routine starts when i open a beer. I immediately rinse the bottle out to remove the yeast layer from the bottom of the bottle. Once i've brewed a batch my routine is to soak the bottles for about 5 hours in a roasting hot water/thin bleach solution in the bath. This sterilises the bottles and makes the bottle ready for a delabel and swill out.



The labels fall off and the bottles are ready to go onto the bottle tree to drain and wait stored until the beer hits its FG.



I use two bottle trees with a total storage capacity of 160 bottles, co-incidentally also the maximumn that my current FV will hold! SO, that's my least favourite thing and my method of minimising its hassle factor. What's your one and how do you deal with it?

[Kinley]

Thankfully I am now 95% from cask, only bottling Belgian-type beers. As to the sterilisation of bottles, I put them in the oven at 120C for 15 minutes (having, of course, rinsed the bottle thoroughly at the time of consuming the contents).

[math]

I think that's my least favourite too! But I just use the dishwasher/thin bleach to sterilise shortly before bottling, with the advantage that they dry well in there too.

[Beer O'Clock]

When you drink them, swill them out then spray StarSan into them. Reseal with reusable caps, then they require no more cleaning. At bottling time, simply upend said bottle, fill with beer, cap, store. Simples.

[Capped]

When you drink them, swill them out then spray StarSan into them. Reseal with reusable caps, then they require no more cleaning. At bottling time, simply upend said bottle, fill with beer, cap, store. Simples.

I don't mind the bottling-time ritual; it's just a case of bunging some choons on,acquiring a zen-like state of mind and getting on with it. But I've gotta say,that's a cracking idea! Worst bit of brewing for me is the cleaning as-you-go during the brewday itself.

[Jez]

When you drink them, swill them out then spray StarSan into them. Reseal with reusable caps, then they require no more cleaning. At bottling time, simply upend said bottle, fill with beer, cap, store. Simples.

This works ok does it? That sounds like a really good regime.
When you say upend - do you mean store the bottle upside down or am I being daft?!

[Beer O'Clock]

When you drink them, swill them out then spray StarSan into them. Reseal with reusable caps, then they require no more cleaning. At bottling time, simply upend said bottle, fill with beer, cap, store. Simples.

This works ok does it? That sounds like a really good regime.
When you say upend - do you mean store the bottle upside down or am I being daft?!

It's the sentence that the upending features in When you come to refill them with fresh new beer, pour off excess StarSan by (and here's the clincher) upending the bottle onto a bottle tree.


Oh, if it helps, I use these http://www.biggerjugs.co.uk/plastic-res ... -1599.html

[oz11]

Does no one else get nasty looking deposits on the inside of their bottles (other than the bottom) that a swill with water doesn't shift or is it just me? I frequently find when I hold the empties upto the light they're not as clean as they seem and need a good soak with VWP or oxy to shift it.... or maybe I shouldn't be holding them up to the light?

[Beer O'Clock]

Does no one else get nasty looking deposits on the inside of their bottles (other than the bottom) that a swill with water doesn't shift or is it just me? I frequently find when I hold the empties upto the light they're not as clean as they seem and need a good soak ith VWP or oxy to shift it.... or maybe I shouldn't be holding them up to the light?

No

[brokendiet]

I find if I rinse my bottles as I use them I don't get any deposits, I do like the starsan and seal idea a lot, that will take some of the pain out of bottling day.

Oh and hello everybody btw, I've been lurking and reading for a while now, some great advice round here.

[sunny_jimbob]

My least favourite part of the brewing cycle is the waiting for the beer to condition!

I use ex Grolsch swingtops for bottling, so one I've drunk a beer I rinse the bottle thoroughly, then totally fill it with clean water and recap it, which is how it stays until I'm ready to sanitise and bottle.

[Capped]

I find if I rinse my bottles as I use them I don't get any deposits

I can't believe that there are some blatantly bone-idle barbarians around who can't be a**** to spend ten seconds or so,rinsing out a bottle immediately after discharging the contents into their pint-pots. Sheesh,don't they bother wiping their a**** either,immediately after discharging the contents of their bowels down the pan? Oh,and welcome to the wacky world of Jim's !

[Beer O'Clock]

I find if I rinse my bottles as I use them I don't get any deposits

I can't believe that there are some blatantly bone-idle barbarians around who can't be a**** to spend ten seconds or so,rinsing out a bottle immediately after discharging the contents into their pint-pots. Sheesh,don't they bother wiping their a**** either,immediately after discharging the contents of their bowels down the pan? Oh,and welcome to the wacky world of Jim's !

Top rant !!!!

[oz11]

I do rinse the bottles as I use them, but I always hold them up to the light afterwards and often they seem to have just a light film on the inside which it's hard to shift.

[Jez]

It's the sentence that the upending features in When you come to refill them with fresh new beer, pour off excess StarSan by (and here's the clincher) upending the bottle onto a bottle tree.

I have no tree
I always seem to miss out on any upending fun and frolics....
i do feel a little bit stupid now to be honest......

Thanks for the link as well - I've ordered some tops and some Star San. Cheers!