Sanitize or Heat Sterilize Bottles

[darth5aint]

Will be bottling in a week. In Palmers book he mentions heat sterilizing using the oven. Does anyone do this or should i just use sanitizer? If i use sanitizer should i allow to dry before filling with beer? Thx first post, first brew, very excited!

 

[philly224]

I dont think you have to let it dry if you use a sterilizer like san star or another no rinse sanitiser. You also have the option of doing it in the dish washer if yours can get hot enough.

I would probably just go with whatever is easiest.

 

[unionrdr]

Some here use the heat cycle on the dishwasher,others the oven. I prefer to use starsan & a vinator on top of my bottle tree. I always thought all those heat cycles could weaken the glass,besides maybe not saitizing every nook & cranny.

 

[HBngNOK]

Big + on star-san, leave wet and don't try to rinse out the foam. Welcome aboard!

 

[Homercidal]

You can do whatever floats your boat. Be aware that although a heat sanitizing cycle in the dishwasher may do as good a job as Starsan Sanitizing right before filling, it isn't a sterilizing process.

Heating the bottles up in the oven to 260F for a half hour WILL KILL everything. On the downside, it doesn't also clean the bottles, so you could end up with perfectly sterile bottles of gunk...

Either way you do it, I'd wash everything and visually inspect AT LEAST. If I were to do this in the oven I'd cap each bottle with a bit of foil and let them cool completely before filling.

 

[twobears]

Best way I have found is with the pump sanitizer atop a bottle tree. Just place the bottle upside down on the plunger, pump it twice, and hang it to drip. It's that easy. If you're recapping used bottles its also a good idea to brush the insides with a non-fragrant dishsoap before sanitizing.

 

[unionrdr]

Dish soap for cleaning your bottles isn't a good idea. It has an enzyme it it to prevent spots that kills the head on the beer. PBW or oxyfree would be better. Then use starsan before filling.

 

[philly224]

What's the correct oxyclean to use? There are so Damn many of them.

 

[barmyarmy]

Use dishwasher w/out soap and starsan.

 

[unionrdr]

Oxyclean free is the typically used. I prefer PBW myself. Right tool for the job.

 

[philly224]

I wish it wasn't so expensive. How long does a 1lb last you would you estimate?

 

[unionrdr]

I think I've gotten 6-8 months out of a pound. I use my digital scale to weigh out 1-1.5ozs to go in a gallon of water. I store mine in a 1 gallon Sunny-D jug. They're heavier than milk jugs.

 

[birdroad]

I wash mine with Oxyclean and then use the heat cycle of the dishwasher.

But I just got a bottle tree so I am going to try doing a heat cycle to make sure they are cleaned out and then sanitize with StarSans on the bottle tree...

 

[unionrdr]

If you have the bottle tree,vinator,& starsan,it'll sanitize better than the dishwasher inside the bottles. The dishwasher can't clean on the heat cycle,much less get well into the bottles on the other cycles.

 

[Homercidal]

Use dishwasher w/out soap and starsan.

Just for clarity, do NOT put Starsan IN the dishwasher... Unless you want to mop your floors.

 

[barmyarmy]

Dishwasher then starsan. Clean then sanitize.

 

[rodwha]

"Dish soap for cleaning your bottles isn't a good idea. It has an enzyme it it to prevent spots that kills the head on the beer. PBW or oxyfree would be better."

Dadgummit! This is what I've been doing for a while now. I thought that it was only rinse aid in the dishwasher that killed the head, at least when talking about beer glasses. Obviously rinsing well isn't enough...

 

[homebrewdad]

Unionrdr is right on the money.

Oxiclean free works in a pinch. Not as good as PBW, but it works.

Vinator + bottle tree is an incredible combo. Saves me a solid hour of labor in sanitizing bottles. My wife got me these as a surprise for Christmas, an I can't brag on them enough.