Am I potentially wasting time?

[big brew ejit]

This is how I sterilize with VWP but think I might be wasting time :

The sink has a VWP solution with 6 bottles at a time in it. I turn a bottle upside down covering the top with my hand and give it a shake several times then pour the water out.
To rinse I fill up with about a third of water then upside down, shake several times, pour out and repeat another 5 times.
It's a pain in the arse but never had an infection however if I only need to rinse out less that would be great.
Cheers
Phil

[oldbloke]

I stick the bottles in the dishwasher (no soap) on a quick run while I prep everything else.
I make up a gallon of VWP and funnel it into the bottles (so filling them all), and leave them to sit while I make sure I'm ready to go
Then I empty them back into the gallon bucket, looking for gunk coming out in case extra cleaning is needed
The syphon gear then goes in the bucket while I rinse each bottle twice
Then I chuck the corks in, get the Campden and sorbate into the bottles, rinse the corks (and leave them in boiled water), rinse out the syphon
Fill the bottles, cork them, mop up, labels, wash everything...

[floydmeddler]

I think you're wasting time purely because you're using liquid sanitiser. When I used to bottle (and still do occasionally) I used the oven. The night before I bottled, I put around 30-35 bottles in the cold oven, set the temp for 140c and left it for 90 mins. I switched it off and went to bed. Next day, (morning or after work) I opened the oven, filled and capped. 30-35 didn't hold all my beer so I'd have to wet sanitise a few more. Really was a 'piece of piss' way of doing it. Just make sure that every time you drink a bottle of beer, you rinse the bottle.

I'm bottling this: viewtopic.php?f=24&t=52142 within the next few weeks and intend to do just this. Give it a try.

[Cully]

Wash my bottles after use then store. Another quick wash before use, then Videne from squirter, on to the bottle tree, sugar in each one and beer. never yet had an infection. As with everything else in brewing, K.I.S.S. Leaving the wort 14 days in the FV virtually cuts out gunk in the bottles (well it does in kit brewing anyway), no need to bleach clean them every bloody time you use them if you keep them clean to start with.

[Fil]

when bottling its a 5gallon bucket with wvp and in goes everything after ten mins or so the first set of bottles are pulled out and the second set go in while i rinse the first set, 3 times not 5,
then i sit em in the crate with the stoppers sat on top while i get on with batch 2 and soak batch 3..........
bottling is a faf. but worth it

[Andy]

Starsan for me, spray into clean bottles, swoosh around for a bit and tip out into a bucket. No worries about any residual liquid.

[subfaction]

Get one of those blast bottle rinsers, it makes it much quicker. I fill an fv with a weak bleach solution the dunk n fill all the bottles, leave for 10-30mins then tip the solution out. Rinse with the blast, for about 4 secs. Done.

[big brew ejit]

Thanks lads for the replies, I'll be changing the way I sterilize so will have to get my hands on some Starsan.
I think I'll be saving plenty of time so might have to put 2 brews on next time

Phil

[Skittlebrau]

+1 for Starsan. It's all I've ever used and I'm so glad I went that way straight off.

[CestrIan]

+1 for starsan

I used to spend hours rinsing bleach from my bottles. Now I bottle the last brew while I'm waiting for the mash from the next brew!!

[orlando]

Got a great tip from someone, I think on this forum, sorry would like to give credit but can't remember who.

Goes like this once you have thoroughly cleaned your bottle and sanitised then filled, each time you drink one throughly rinse, spray starsan into it with the usual hand sprayer place a plastic resealable cap on it and store till needed. On the bottling day take off cap place on bottle tree, refill. Drink, thorough rinse, spray with starsan resealble plastic cap. Take off cap upend on bottling tree, drain refill. Drink, throrough rinse with starsan etc. etc.

Keep an eye on each bottle after it has refilled and check the internal sides if yeast begins to stick then it's time for another through wash and the cycle starts all over again. I have no idea how many times you could recycle before cleaning again as I've never had a problem yet. Saves an enourmous amount of time and has made bottling a much more attractive option,

[big brew ejit]

Cheers for the tip Orlando,

As all my bottles are Magners, I take that using a little bit of cling film would do as well?

Phil

[orlando]

It probably would. One of the things mentioned in the Book Yeast by White & Zainasheff that was an "of course" moment they talk about covering receptacles with loose fitting covers because "bacteria can't crawl". As long as the bottles are covered nothing untoward can get in. I might add though that the resealable plastic caps are dirt cheap and can be used over and over again and simplicity itself to use.

[greenxpaddy]

Got a great tip from someone, I think on this forum, sorry would like to give credit but can't remember who.

Goes like this once you have thoroughly cleaned your bottle and sanitised then filled, each time you drink one throughly rinse, spray starsan into it with the usual hand sprayer place a plastic resealable cap on it and store till needed. On the bottling day take off cap place on bottle tree, refill. Drink, thorough rinse, spray with starsan resealble plastic cap. Take off cap upend on bottling tree, drain refill. Drink, throrough rinse with starsan etc. etc.

Keep an eye on each bottle after it has refilled and check the internal sides if yeast begins to stick then it's time for another through wash and the cycle starts all over again. I have no idea how many times you could recycle before cleaning again as I've never had a problem yet. Saves an enourmous amount of time and has made bottling a much more attractive option,

+1