Hey i'm bottling this weekend and i need bottles (crown top). Some of them have mold in them. Should i throw them away, or could i wash them in the dishwaher, then soak them in pbw overnight and sanitize before bottling. Would it do the work?
Mold and stuff in beer bottles
- Thread starter Colizza
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This happens when beer bottles aren't properly cleaneded and dried prior tom storage. I Get a carboy brush, soak them in hot water, use the brush to clean each bottle, then dip each bottle in sanitized hot water. I then visually inspect each bottle in the light. mold can be really clingy. After the sanitized water I allow bottles to cool down and then fill.
Never had a issue post cleaning. It's time consuming but worth I. Trust me, you don't want a you or a buddy drinking a contaminated beer or pouring a big mold spore into your/his pint glass.
Never had a issue post cleaning. It's time consuming but worth I. Trust me, you don't want a you or a buddy drinking a contaminated beer or pouring a big mold spore into your/his pint glass.
flars
Well-Known Member
A dish washer can't do a very good job of cleaning bottles. Bottle mouth is to small. Soak in PBW overnight, bottle brush, and then rinse. Will come out clean. You can inspect the bottles with a strong light at the side against a light colored background.
I thought star san works best at room temp?
flars
Well-Known Member
Starsan is mixed into solution and used at cold water tap/room temperature.
New bottles cost about 50 cents each if bought in case lots. My time is worth something. If a bottle has gunk dried to the bottom, it goes out in the recycle and I replace it.
william_shakes_beer
Well-Known Member
I clean bottles by preventing them from getting dirty(moldy) in the first place. Rinse as soon as I empty into the glass, upend in the dishwasher to drip dry and then place in the frige til the 6pak rack is full of empties. Then goes downstairs into a cardboard box with a closed top to keep out the dust. Daqy before bottling, the buttles come up, run through the dishwasher on the sanitize setting then squire with starsan from a vintator. Only one bottle has ever survived that r4eguimine with mold in it and that was one returned from someone I gave free beer to. (note to self don't share beer with people who don't brew)
In the beginning I washed bottles with gunk in them because when I shared HB, I got back cruddy bottles. No more. I would rather spend cash on a case of bottles then to scrub another set of bottles again.
I've used plenty of bottles that initially had mold in them. Don't be lazy. Just soak them in a strong Oxiclean solution for a day or 2 and then hit each one with a bottle brush, rinse and dry and sanitize with heat or star san before bottling. I've never once had an infection in a bottle. I heat sanitize right before bottling.
In this case I soak'em overnight in PBW. The moldy stuff floats right out.Scrub with bottle brush, rinse well & onto bottle tree to dry before storage in closed boxes.
Just to clarify I never mention starstan. But yes if you want to use starstan the way the creator says it is room temp/cold water. However, I've never had issues using it or any other cleaner in hot water.
Seriously though it takes like 25 minutes to clean 50+ bottles- if that. Why spend the gas, effort, and cash for new bottles? By the time you've done that the ones you have could be clean.
Now if your talking 200+ bottles I would pass.
Seriously though it takes like 25 minutes to clean 50+ bottles- if that. Why spend the gas, effort, and cash for new bottles? By the time you've done that the ones you have could be clean.
Now if your talking 200+ bottles I would pass.
Overnight soak in hot water with a scoop or two of oxiclean... Fix you right up. Then sanitize as usual.
I actually use DIY PBW... 70% oxiclean, 30% TSP-90. Gunk floats right out.
No need to toss perfectly usable bottles.
I actually use DIY PBW... 70% oxiclean, 30% TSP-90. Gunk floats right out.
No need to toss perfectly usable bottles.
I had issues with what I found out were mineral deposits on the bottoms of many bottles, as well as what appears like small yeast piles that just won't budge.
Soaking and scrubbing with a bottle brush wouldn't always get everything. I ended up taking a nylon .45 cal pistol cleaning brush and bending it almost 90* to scrub better.
Now I have too many bottles and so I just recycle them when I find rings in the necks or junk at the bottom. I still buy plenty of commercial beer too.
Soaking and scrubbing with a bottle brush wouldn't always get everything. I ended up taking a nylon .45 cal pistol cleaning brush and bending it almost 90* to scrub better.
Now I have too many bottles and so I just recycle them when I find rings in the necks or junk at the bottom. I still buy plenty of commercial beer too.
