Bottle cleaning

[Chrisbrewbeers]

So far I've had 2 brew times go bad on me.... They were both low on hop styles. The interesting thing is that the samples got progressively worse to absolutely the worst and same obnoxious taste ( these two 5 gal batches were the only I wish I just pounded Immediately before .......)
My question is how does every one clean their bottles?
I just soak in PBw and star san before anything that matters touches it.
Is there chance of not apparent scum in the bottle that requires bottle brush or other more extreme measures?

 

[Munchkin]

From my experience the most important thing when it comes to clean bottles is to make sure you rinse your bottles at least 2 or 3 times with warm water right after you pour your beer. Ive seen some people just sterilize after this point before bottling but i go through a process of adding warm water and oxyclean to one bottle, shake, pour into next bottle, shake and so on. I then rinse, drip dry, then sanitize with iodophor, and drip dry again. Ive had good luck so far with this method.

 

[Onetime]

Pour beer into glass... Rinse with tap water3 times.... Shaking the bottle each time you rinse.... Then upside down on the Rack.

Before bottling i use Starsan on each bottle.

However, i am really considering Kegging soon.


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[FatDragon]

Pour beer into glass... Rinse with tap water3 times.... Shaking the bottle each time you rinse.... Then upside down on the Rack.

Before bottling i use Starsan on each bottle.

However, i am really considering Kegging soon.


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My exact process, only I use iodaphor because Starsan's hard to come by in China and I can get medical iodaphor for about $2.50/liter.

 

[Butchv12]

From my experience the most important thing when it comes to clean bottles is to make sure you rinse your bottles at least 2 or 3 times with warm water right after you pour your beer.

He is right on ---- a clean bottle is easy to soak and sanitize --- if someone returns a bottle to me with dried gunk in the bottom - in the trash it goes...

I bottle about a third of what I brew --- I like to give people a beer or two to take home to enjoy later

 

[bobeer]

yup... pour into glass, fill bottle less than half way with tap water, plug the top with thumb and shake, then dump water. Repeat 3 times then dry it out however. I usually let the bottle sit after the rinse for about 30 minutes then dump out any excess water that collected in the bottom. I dump it out again as I'm cleaning up the kitchen for the night then put the bottles back into storage. I've never had any issues by this method.
Then when it's time to bottle again they're nice and clean. Give them all a rinse, then sanitize, then fill with beer and cap.

 

[flars]

So far I've had 2 brew times go bad on me.... They were both low on hop styles. The interesting thing is that the samples got progressively worse to absolutely the worst and same obnoxious taste ( these two 5 gal batches were the only I wish I just pounded Immediately before .......)
My question is how does every one clean their bottles?
I just soak in PBw and star san before anything that matters touches it.
Is there chance of not apparent scum in the bottle that requires bottle brush or other more extreme measures?

Beer going bad in the bottle may not be caused by dirty bottles. Look at every piece of equipment that touches the beer when you rack to the bottling bucket.
Take apart and clean the siphon, bottling wand, and spigot of the bottling bucket. Sanitize your capper and use Starsan for the bottle caps.
Don't forget to sanitize the mouth of the carboy and your hands before beginning the racking.
Like the other comments, triple rinse each bottle as soon as it is poured. The inside of bottles can be inspected by using a light source from the side against a light colored background.
Clean and rinse all racking equipment immediately after use.
Be sure the PBW is thoroughly rinsed from the bottles after use.
Do not use municipal water in the fermentation process.

You may find other possible sources as you look at your own procedures and how equipment is moved around when getting prepped for bottling.

 

[unionrdr]

+1. I rinse out the bottles a couple times. Then hold up to the window above the sink & look inside the bottom of the bottle as well as the sides. Some may have trub &/or yeast stuck to them,hop particles,etc. Then I use tap water & the bottle brush to clean them. If not,then into some PBW they go for an hour or two. The particles usually float loose at that point. Then scrub,drain & rinse. Then onto the bottle tree to dry.
Having said that,you have to be sure everything that touches the beer is clean & sanitized. Otherwise infections can creep in from these other sources.

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

the way bottles are washed, is debatable. I always use a bottle brush that is put into a cordless drill. For those that just soak and rinse, do you do that to your beer glasses? I didn't think so.

 

[harebearva]

I agree with the "Check and clean all your equipment" suggestions. Early on I thought I was doing everything right until I got an infected batch. I found that not only should I be removing and cleaning my bottling bucket spigot, but I realized I wasn't taking the spigot APART and cleaning it. I was getting crap in the part of the spigot that rotates. It's a bit of a pain but it does come apart. Even something as simple as spraying starsan on the side of the pot from which I pour my priming solution into my bottling bucket. Might be overkill since the pot is heated to boiling, but why take a chance.

 

[eric19312]

Beer going bad in the bottle may not be caused by dirty bottles. Look at every piece of equipment that touches the beer when you rack to the bottling bucket.
Take apart and clean the siphon, bottling wand, and spigot of the bottling bucket. Sanitize your capper and use Starsan for the bottle caps.
Don't forget to sanitize the mouth of the carboy and your hands before beginning the racking.

+1

actually what you are describing sounds more like a bacterial or wild yeast contamination than bottle cleaning issue. A bottle cleaning issue would probably show up as occasional bad bottles in otherwise good batch. Likely your beer was contaminated before it got into the bottles with something slow growing that has continued to progress in the bottles.

FWIW on bottle cleaning I like to hit them with the jet bottle washer, visually inspect, and then dry on a tree. Before filling I give them 2-3 blasts of star san with a vinerator and let them drip on the tree. Don't sanitize too long before you fill as the star san stops working once it is no longer wet.

 

[MaxStout]

+1 on the Jet bottle washer.

After pouring a beer, I do "3 rinses and a shake" right away, before anything has a chance to dry up in the bottom of the bottle. Later, I blast the bottle for a few seconds on the Jet and invert to drip-dry. On bottling day, 2 or 3 hits of Starsan from a Vinator and set on the bottle tree just before filling. Never had a bottle cause an infection.

 

[brewprint]

Usually I've been rinsing mine once or twice after a beer is poured to get the majority of the scum out of the bottle. Then when I have 6 or so sitting there, when I'm already doing dishes or cleaning other brewing equipment, I'll use a bottle brush and then rinse until all the soap is out.

Then I use the vinator (or whatever it's called) and use starsan and put them on the sanitized bottling tree...that is all when I bottle.

I have not taken my spigot apart and it sounds like I probably should.

 

[unionrdr]

Spigots on fermenters & bottling buckets should be taken apart & cleaned after every instance. & clean the mounting hole as well. I bought a set of aquarium lift tube brushes for this very purpose.

 

[fuelish]

Spigots on fermenters & bottling buckets should be taken apart & cleaned after every instance. & clean the mounting hole as well.

I kind of take this as a given, but, then again.....I'm a nurse...LOL....break down everything as far as you can (spigots, canes and wands from tubing, anything that can come apart comes apart and gets Starsanned!!! Have never ever had a problem related to sanitary practices.....Starsan bottles as well, and do the "standard" rinsing of them a few times after pouring...never had a bottle gunk issue, and can't be bothered to clean gunk from "donated" bottles

 

[Calypso]

For those that just soak and rinse, do you do that to your beer glasses? I didn't think so.

Yup. Minus the soaking.

 

[Chrisbrewbeers]

+1

actually what you are describing sounds more like a bacterial or wild yeast contamination than bottle cleaning issue. A bottle cleaning issue would probably show up as occasional bad bottles in otherwise good batch. Likely your beer was contaminated before it got into the bottles with something slow growing that has continued to progress in the bottles.

FWIW on bottle cleaning I like to hit them with the jet bottle washer, visually inspect, and then dry on a tree. Before filling I give them 2-3 blasts of star san with a vinerator and let them drip on the tree. Don't sanitize too long before you fill as the star san stops working once it is no longer wet.

This is true, at first I was hoping it was just in some of the bottles but it is in all and got worse over time. It reminds me of plain nonfat yogurt. I have noticed the same taste in commercial beers to the same extent as what mine have once or twice.

 

[brewprint]

Well I got this far. It looks like the white part comes apart also but I don't see how

 

[brewprint]

The previous post didn't contain the image

 

[flars]

Well I got this far. It looks like the white part comes apart also but I don't see how

Place the out flow end of the spigot on a hard surface. Press down on the body of the spigot and it will pop apart.

 

[brewprint]

That method doesn't work for me. This thing is all but destroyed now and won't come apart.

 

[brewprint]

I take that back. I reassembled the blue piece and then bent both pieces apart and they popped apart as easy as pie. I hope that the batch I bottled yesterday isn't contaminated.