Help with my sanitation routine for bottling

[Manngold]

Hi all, I was wondering if I could get some advice on my sanitation routine that I currently have. I have only done a few brews, but want to try and make the process noticably easier for myself.

I used a VWP sanitiser to begin with, but having ran out, have moved onto WIlkos Brucens sanitiser.

My general routine before I bottle is the following:
1. Spend the week cleaning the bottles so I have about 45 pint bottles ready for a 23 Litre batch (the amount of beer get seems to be incosistent). I use normal washing up liquid and hot water to soak them and then rinse under tap.
2. On the night of bottling I used the Bruclens, and soak each bottle for about 3 minutes, then rinse each three times.
3. I sanitise the FV that I will siphon to.
4. Sanitise my Siphon and little bottler.
5. Sanitise the caps.

The big thing I think is the rinse I have to give. My last brew I rinsed each bottle 3 - 4 times with cold water from the tap, but after bottling there appeared to be a white powdery haze around the neck of the bottles (I was using clear glass as it was a pilsner).

Whenever I start a brew, I always think that I will be fine, but at the end I get a bit disheartened - my last brew took my approx 5 hours to get it from the FV to the bottle and then capped.

Does going to a non rinse sanitiser save alot of time, and is it as straight forward to use as one mentioned already such as VWP or Bruclens. I really enjoy my new hobby, but cleaning bottles has to be the worst part. I also can't do kegs more than 5l as cant cool them properly. I have seen people mention a variety of non rinse santisers.

Thanks for any and all advice given. (Sorry if this seems like rant - it is not meant to be at all).

[pads72]

Hi Manngold,

There was a really great post by Orlando a while back about this, with pics, I'll see if I can find a link.

As a result of that post, I went to Starsan for a non-rinse sanitiser. After each bottle of beer I drink, I rinse it out straight away and then a few sqirts of Starsan from a ready-made up triggered spray bottle and I stick a re-useable plastic snap-on cap on the bottle.

When it comes to bottling day, I bottle with a little bottler. So I sanitise the little bottler and anything else that may be in contact with the beer. Snap lids off bottles and tip out excess Starsan and fill. Certainly made life easier.

[pads72]

viewtopic.php?f=75&t=61270&start=30

Good post to read all of anyway, but bottling advice from page 3...

[DeadFall]

Can't recommend star-san enough. I converted a friend who brews wine over to it about a year ago. Every time I see him, will he shut up about the bloody stuff? It makes a massive difference.

[Mr. Dripping]

Starsan will revolutionise your bottling day. Seriously.

[Manngold]

Guys, thanks so much. Everytime I post a question, I am amazed, and so thankful for the responses. This is a great community.

As for Starsan, on ebay it comes in two formats, powder and liquid. Is there a difference?

Also, am I right in thinking that I need to fill my bottles up to the top with starsan, and then just tip away, or does it need minimal contact time? Does the same go for a fv?

Thanks so much.

[Mther]

Hi Manngold, I used to use VWP and put all the bottles in the bath, rinse etc, but it took me an awful lot of time. I will give you a few suggestions, what things I bought to make my life easier. They might look a bit expensive but when you start bottling you will see the difference!

1) Buy Starsan (http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/aca ... 6HNyChnCD8). It will last forever and you don't need to rinse!

2) Buy a rinser (http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/cgi ... 96#a101296). Just pour some starsan in the plastic top and spray 2-3 times before you bottle!

3) Optional, get the drainer as well... (http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/aca ... ml#a101330). I know these things look a bit expensive but the last time I bottled using these things, I actually enjoyed bottling!!!

4) Priming: Don't put the sugar in each bottle. Instead, use this calculator http://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/ , mix with 200-300ml of boiled water, cool it down and add it in your bottling bucket!

The above steps reduced my bottling time significantly, and most important, I can now enjoy bottling rather than torturing my self with VWP, rinsing, baths etc.

Also, when you drink your beer, and you want to save the bottle to refill when you brew again, wash that bottle to remove the sediment, so it will just need a few sprays of starsan before bottling!

Hope it helps.

[Maysie]

^^^+1
The only thing I would add to that is I would suggest you wash the bottles yourself after use.
My wife rinses them on occasions, which in many respects is a really nice thing to do, but they are always still covered in yeasty crud afterwards!

StarSan will revolutionise your bottling day.

[Manngold]

Hi Manngold, I used to use VWP and put all the bottles in the bath, rinse etc, but it took me an awful lot of time. I will give you a few suggestions, what things I bought to make my life easier. They might look a bit expensive but when you start bottling you will see the difference!

1) Buy Starsan (http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/aca ... 6HNyChnCD8). It will last forever and you don't need to rinse!

2) Buy a rinser (http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/cgi ... 96#a101296). Just pour some starsan in the plastic top and spray 2-3 times before you bottle!

3) Optional, get the drainer as well... (http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/aca ... ml#a101330). I know these things look a bit expensive but the last time I bottled using these things, I actually enjoyed bottling!!!

4) Priming: Don't put the sugar in each bottle. Instead, use this calculator http://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/ , mix with 200-300ml of boiled water, cool it down and add it in your bottling bucket!

The above steps reduced my bottling time significantly, and most important, I can now enjoy bottling rather than torturing my self with VWP, rinsing, baths etc.

Also, when you drink your beer, and you want to save the bottle to refill when you brew again, wash that bottle to remove the sediment, so it will just need a few sprays of starsan before bottling!

Hope it helps.

Mther, thanks so much for this information, and appoliogies for not getting back to you sooner.

I have a couple of quick questions about some of the products that you have mentioned. I am interested in the rinser that you suggested, but was wondering if it is powered by electricity or is it the pressure that is applied when pushing a bottle down to rinse?

Also the star-san, you say it will last a long time, can it be re-used or do you dilute (if dilute how much do you use for say a FV?)? Say for example I put some in the rinser, can I then pour it back into the container after?

Sorry if this seems stupid, I just dont get how this one works in terms of quanitity

Thanks very much, have been paid today so need to spend it before SWMBO does!

[DeadFall]

Hi Manngold, I used to use VWP and put all the bottles in the bath, rinse etc, but it took me an awful lot of time. I will give you a few suggestions, what things I bought to make my life easier. They might look a bit expensive but when you start bottling you will see the difference!

1) Buy Starsan (http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/aca ... 6HNyChnCD8). It will last forever and you don't need to rinse!

2) Buy a rinser (http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/cgi ... 96#a101296). Just pour some starsan in the plastic top and spray 2-3 times before you bottle!

3) Optional, get the drainer as well... (http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/aca ... ml#a101330). I know these things look a bit expensive but the last time I bottled using these things, I actually enjoyed bottling!!!

4) Priming: Don't put the sugar in each bottle. Instead, use this calculator http://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/ , mix with 200-300ml of boiled water, cool it down and add it in your bottling bucket!

The above steps reduced my bottling time significantly, and most important, I can now enjoy bottling rather than torturing my self with VWP, rinsing, baths etc.

Also, when you drink your beer, and you want to save the bottle to refill when you brew again, wash that bottle to remove the sediment, so it will just need a few sprays of starsan before bottling!

Hope it helps.

Mther, thanks so much for this information, and appoliogies for not getting back to you sooner.

I have a couple of quick questions about some of the products that you have mentioned. I am interested in the rinser that you suggested, but was wondering if it is powered by electricity or is it the pressure that is applied when pushing a bottle down to rinse?

Also the star-san, you say it will last a long time, can it be re-used or do you dilute (if dilute how much do you use for say a FV?)? Say for example I put some in the rinser, can I then pour it back into the container after?

Sorry if this seems stupid, I just dont get how this one works in terms of quanitity

Thanks very much, have been paid today so need to spend it before SWMBO does!

Star-san can be reused. A bottle really does go a long way, you'll go years between buying them. I make 5L up in a DJ for bottling, and fill a bottle up by a third and then shake (it's very foamy). When I run out I'll start emptying back into the DJ and then repeat with the left over bottles. I'll then re-use this for sanitizing the syphons, caps, capping tool etc. Then I'll probably put it into an FV and sanitize that and the equipment for a brew the next day. After that I'll bin it.

[Manngold]

Star-san can be reused. A bottle really does go a long way, you'll go years between buying them. I make 5L up in a DJ for bottling, and fill a bottle up by a third and then shake (it's very foamy). When I run out I'll start emptying back into the DJ and then repeat with the left over bottles. I'll then re-use this for sanitizing the syphons, caps, capping tool etc. Then I'll probably put it into an FV and sanitize that and the equipment for a brew the next day. After that I'll bin it.

Thanks Deadfall. So how much star san are we thinking then for 5l of a DJ? Does it need minimal contact time with what I am sanitising? Part of the old problem I had was that the Bruclens sanitiser needed about 3 minutes contact time, so I could either be econmoical and soak the bottles whch then took along time to do 45 times, or I could fill them all up individually. How long could I theoretically leave the 5l of starsan in FV for with it still being able to do its job. I normally bottle and then leave a week to start the next brew (dont have the money to do it any quicker!).

Thanks for your help.

[Mther]

Hi Manngold, I used to use VWP and put all the bottles in the bath, rinse etc, but it took me an awful lot of time. I will give you a few suggestions, what things I bought to make my life easier. They might look a bit expensive but when you start bottling you will see the difference!

1) Buy Starsan (http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/aca ... 6HNyChnCD8). It will last forever and you don't need to rinse!

2) Buy a rinser (http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/cgi ... 96#a101296). Just pour some starsan in the plastic top and spray 2-3 times before you bottle!

3) Optional, get the drainer as well... (http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/aca ... ml#a101330). I know these things look a bit expensive but the last time I bottled using these things, I actually enjoyed bottling!!!

4) Priming: Don't put the sugar in each bottle. Instead, use this calculator http://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/ , mix with 200-300ml of boiled water, cool it down and add it in your bottling bucket!

The above steps reduced my bottling time significantly, and most important, I can now enjoy bottling rather than torturing my self with VWP, rinsing, baths etc.

Also, when you drink your beer, and you want to save the bottle to refill when you brew again, wash that bottle to remove the sediment, so it will just need a few sprays of starsan before bottling!

Hope it helps.

Mther, thanks so much for this information, and appoliogies for not getting back to you sooner.

I have a couple of quick questions about some of the products that you have mentioned. I am interested in the rinser that you suggested, but was wondering if it is powered by electricity or is it the pressure that is applied when pushing a bottle down to rinse?

Also the star-san, you say it will last a long time, can it be re-used or do you dilute (if dilute how much do you use for say a FV?)? Say for example I put some in the rinser, can I then pour it back into the container after?

Sorry if this seems stupid, I just dont get how this one works in terms of quanitity

Thanks very much, have been paid today so need to spend it before SWMBO does!

Hi mate

The rinser doesn't need any electricity. it is just a spray but it works very well.

I usually dilute around 10ml of starsan in 5L of water every brew day. 1 L goes in my spray bottle and with the rest I sanitize my buckets and anything else that needs sanitizing. You can use the solution as long as the pH is lower than 3 but because I don't have any ph papers or device (I ordered one) I usually discard the 5 L on the next brew day. So basically I do 10 ml in 5L of water for every batch. Including transferring to secondary, bottling etc. If I could measure the pH and see that it is actually below 3 then I would use it for longer, but I just don't want to risk it for 10 ml.

Cheers

[Manngold]

Hi Mther, thanks for the quick response. I am not a chemist, and haven't considered my PH table in a while (Sociology teacher here). Does the PH change over time then? I guess what I am really asking is, do I need to worry about PH from the tap directly?

Thanks

[DeadFall]

Star-san is 1.6ml per litre if you convert the measurements from the label, a little over won't hurt. I use a syringe because I know from experience how damaging the neat stuff is and I don't want to splash it around. It will eat pretty much anything you throw at it, it loves to dissolve kitchen worktops. Wipe any spills up immediately and rinse with lots of water.

[LeeH]

Throw the 1/4 oz marked on the bottle into a 5L bottle of Tesco Ashbeck. We're not making Swiss watches, just sanitiser.