Rinsing sterlised clean bottles?

[farmhousekeg]

Hi everyone

I am returning to the homebrew world after an absence of over 25 years. I've also been motivated by increasing boredom with commercial beers and being fed up paying £1.80 a bottle for anything half decent! Last time I made a brew was a Milk Stout for my sister who had just given birth to my nephew who is now 27! Don't know if it helped him to grow into a fine young man but it used to send her to sleep very quickly!

Anyway I got my first experimental (2 gallon) all grain bitter going 2 weeks ago. Gravity is now around 1010 and its been in the secondary for almost a week. Planning to bottle on Sunday. Now to my question.............

I realise that I have to sterilise my bottles, but what should I rinse them with, given that any sterilant residues will (I assume) inhibit the yeast in the bottle?

I'm sure there is a very simple answer to this and sorry for teh dumb question. 27 years is a long time and I lost a lot of braincells in the meantime so I can't remember what I did back then.

Thanks in advance and also compliments to Jim on this superb site. I have learned so much already in the few days I have been on here. I guess I might be talking cornies and asking for the legendary "Norm's" contact details before long!!!

[awalker]

I just rinse with some cold tap water (or use a no rinse steriliser)

If you have lots of time and are paranoid about beasties you could boil the tap water, let it cool and then rinse with it
Or rinse with it while it is still hot

The other way is to use a proper no rinse steriliser, save on a lot of water and time

[farmhousekeg]

I just rinse with some cold tap water (or use a no rinse steriliser)

If you have lots of time and are paranoid about beasties you could boil the tap water, let it cool and then rinse with it
Or rinse with it while it is still hot

Thanks for that. I had read somewhere that you shouldn't use tap water as it might have beasties that would spoil the beer - to be honest a bit worrying if we are supposed to drink the stuff straight from the tap! I guess I am just being a bit paranoid then

[boingy]

Tap water will be fine. It is possible to get a bit too obsessed with sterilisation and stuff. Any infection is likely to arrive in the air rather than in the water. Just make sure you rinse and fill immediately.

Hmmm... maybe I need to build a clean room and triple filter the air and make a bottle-filling robot and... and..

[awalker]

You joke boingy

But some of the American bretheren do use positive air pressure in their home brewer's
To stop the beasties getting in
A step too far me thinks

[farmhousekeg]

Thanks gents! I'll just keep the windows shut then! The hot air coming out the missus should be enough to create some positive pressure in the kitchen Anyway, looking at the forecast for Sunday I think any airborne nasties will be well and truly frozen before they hit my beer!