I agree with Revvy. This seems completely paranoid to me. I have brewed and bottled wine and beer for 10+ years now and have never had any sort of infection I think I would give up brewing if infections were this easy to get.
This sucks 1st time bottling
- Thread starter Cwetherford
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I don't do it alot, but I've been leaving the labels on some of the bottles of the beers I tend to clone. Especially if the bottles are distinctive like Hoegaarden and Leffes are.
And I wouldn't minimize the need to appease the beer gods either, else you're doomed to be visited by "Evil Beer Gnomes" and they are mean bastards.
And ugly too....
I cultivate some beer fairies to protect your stuff. You do that by leaving a bottle capful of wort for them, as tribute. (They like sweet stuff.) You do that and they will keep the beergnomes at bay.
I'm lucky, mine are hot....
ACESFULL
Well-Known Member
Again you do it this way... Others may not and having lables on the bottles pose another possibility of infection. Just because it hasnt happened to you doesnt mean its not possible nor is it silly.
ACESFULL
Well-Known Member
The only way I would say not to worry is when you think your sanitation is 100% fool-proof. With a 1st time bottler I would go the route of removing labels or buying new glass. Leaving labels on is to risky of a move for a beginner.
TriggerFingers
Well-Known Member
Don't have oxyclean? Use equal parts peroxide and baking soda in a sink full of hot water (this makes oxyclean). It works great for removing labels, but will leave a powdery haze when it dries.
Use a separate rinse bath of star san and water with a brush and let them dry upside down in a drying rack.
Then bottle your beer.
Use a separate rinse bath of star san and water with a brush and let them dry upside down in a drying rack.
Then bottle your beer.
Wolfhound180
Well-Known Member
I might be a noob, but I am having a really hard time figuring out how your bottles could get infected because there are labels on them. Do you not soak your bottles in star san before bottling? It is a sanitizer after all, right? It shouldn't make a difference what is on the outside of your bottles because it's the beer inside that you are worried about.
ACESFULL
Well-Known Member
Everyones process is going to be different. I use the dishwasher as my method of sanitizing. Now if you dont soak and or use dishwasher this is what poses the issue. Some us viniators (sp?) with starsan to sanitize there bottles.
BradleyBrew
Well-Known Member
BradleyBrew
Well-Known Member
what are you talking about? I remove the labels because I want a uniform look. Removing the labels has 0 to do with sanitizing.
Im not gonna go through all these pages to see if someone said this but PBW is my best friend when it comes to cleaning and de-labeling bottles.
I fill a big rope tub with about 5-10 gallons of water and enough PBW for that amount and dump like 20-30 bottles in there. They sit in there over night and the next day most of the labels are literally just floating in the water. Get the bottles out and rinse well with water. And the stubborn labels come off with a little scraping or scrubbing.
I fill a big rope tub with about 5-10 gallons of water and enough PBW for that amount and dump like 20-30 bottles in there. They sit in there over night and the next day most of the labels are literally just floating in the water. Get the bottles out and rinse well with water. And the stubborn labels come off with a little scraping or scrubbing.
Oh yeah, I remove my labels because it makes it look nice and clean, and well, like un labeled home brew. I once got homebrew from someone and they were in Dos Equis bottles with labels still on. I felt that this was tacky. Iono...
Yeah me too. PBW is amazing for removing labels and glue.
Also Starsan will remove painted labels such as corona, stone and rouge bottles have.
ACESFULL said:
You say so. I say it's completely paranoid. All you are doing is making the beginner more paranoid. If they clean their bottles and equipment and sanitize with starsan before bottling, they will be fine. With labels or without. You need to go to brewing tv on YouTube or Northern Brewers site. Watch episode 4 on open fermentation and watch how hard it is to get an infection.
johnheather125
Well-Known Member
I have found that Sierra Nevada bottles are about the easiest to delable. Hot water & dawn soap they peel right off. There is a bonus also, they come with beer
ACESFULL
Well-Known Member
Again your opinion... All this matters not if the HB isnt clean and follows proper sanitation procedures. Labels or not. Thats my point. Yes the idea of open fermentation at home sans clean room you are asking for trouble. With the bottles its preference. Personally I just want to avoid ANY chance of my beer having to be poured down the drain due to a lack of sanitation.
mrduna01
Well-Known Member
ACESFULL said:
Don't disagree with the beer god, aka Revvy. People frown on that here as if he created the concept of beer his self. For me, I will second his favorite phrases "shrug" and "rolls eyes" and participate in discussions I'm interested in, regardless of the beer gods approval.
I only mention this because the thread topic indicated "1st time bottling" , and, it sucks... So if the original poster is new to homebrewing, my advice is save up for a keg system.
When I got back into hombrewing after a 10 year hiatus, the first time bottling again I rememberd how much I did not enjoy the task.
I was happy to see that after 10 years corny kegs provided a less tedious and quicker procedure to getting beer in my belly.
I know for a lot of people kegging is out of budget scope. But if you have to save up for something first, I would recommed a 5 Gallon Keg System w/ used keg. You can get a kit for around 150-200$, or better, if you shop around.
For me, kegs and growlers are a lot less tedious to clean\sanatize and fill up with beer. If you still require some beer be bottled, then the Blichman Beer Gun is a nice upgrade to the keg. I bottle up the occasional six pack for a friend, but that is a lot less cleaning and sanatizing than bottling up the entire 10gal batch.
When I got back into hombrewing after a 10 year hiatus, the first time bottling again I rememberd how much I did not enjoy the task.
I was happy to see that after 10 years corny kegs provided a less tedious and quicker procedure to getting beer in my belly.
I know for a lot of people kegging is out of budget scope. But if you have to save up for something first, I would recommed a 5 Gallon Keg System w/ used keg. You can get a kit for around 150-200$, or better, if you shop around.
For me, kegs and growlers are a lot less tedious to clean\sanatize and fill up with beer. If you still require some beer be bottled, then the Blichman Beer Gun is a nice upgrade to the keg. I bottle up the occasional six pack for a friend, but that is a lot less cleaning and sanatizing than bottling up the entire 10gal batch.
ACESFULL said:
If you are this worried about ANY chance of contamination. You should probably get a surgical mask, hairnet and full body latex suit presoaked in Starsan. Sorry if this seems condescending, but to me its about as reasonable as delabeling for sanitation purposes
As far as label removal goes. I like soaking in PBW or Straight A with hot water. I have a copper wire sponge brush that tears that label off in seconds. I delabel because I like the clean look, not for sanitary reasons
Backslider
Active Member
This may have already been said but there are a lot of pages and I'm lazy..
Chemicals SUCK. I spend $3 on copper coated steel wool..
Let bottles batch soak in the tub, or a large container, or the kitchen sink, whatever.
After soaking peel labels with your fingers, to immediately get the glue off use the steel wool. This method is chemical free and super fast. It doesn't have any negative impact on the glass either.
After this you're ready to clean, sanitize and bottle.
Took me a couple of cases of bottles to realize that steel wool is the easy way to do it - But now I can get a 24 case de-labeled and fully rinsed (ready to sanitize) in about 20 minutes or less.
Chemicals SUCK. I spend $3 on copper coated steel wool..
Let bottles batch soak in the tub, or a large container, or the kitchen sink, whatever.
After soaking peel labels with your fingers, to immediately get the glue off use the steel wool. This method is chemical free and super fast. It doesn't have any negative impact on the glass either.
After this you're ready to clean, sanitize and bottle.
Took me a couple of cases of bottles to realize that steel wool is the easy way to do it - But now I can get a 24 case de-labeled and fully rinsed (ready to sanitize) in about 20 minutes or less.
Dolemite78
Active Member
O'Dell Brewing Co. bottles are my absolute favorites to re-use. First and foremost, the beer is really good IMO, I particularly like 90 Schilling. Secondly the labels literally fall off the bottle with little to no effort. I often grab the base of the bottle and as I pull it out of the water the labels, both top and bottom, slide off on their own. I use Oxiclean / Water combo and these bottles seem to only need an hour or so. I suspect they would come off as well in just hot water. And lastly, the bottles have a oak leaf, vine like imprint just below the base of the neck. I personally think they look really cool without the labels on. I've found Becks to be almost as easy, just don't like the beer as much.
I use PBW to soak/de-label the bottles. I've found that Paulaner bottles come off in about an hour as well. & they have the embossed,bearded monks around the shoulder of the bottle. Looks cool to me.
gmcapone
Well-Known Member
Buy a case of Guinness. The bottles have a plastic sleeve that you can just tear off with no adhesive left over and the bottles are brown with no markings on them. They're perfect!
eltorrente
Well-Known Member
I'm amazed at the fact that noone seems to mention using ammonia to get the labels off!
Ammonia costs just a couple bucks for a big bottle of it, and it works much faster than oxyclean at getting labels/glue off of bottles.
1 cup of Ammonia per 5 gallons of water works rather quickly. If you use hot water, some labels will float off within the first hour, and all will slide right off and wipe down easily within only a few hours. Any gunk on the inside of the bottle will also dislodge and float away.
I'd save oxyclean and/or pbw for other tasks. Ammonia is much better for labels.
Ammonia costs just a couple bucks for a big bottle of it, and it works much faster than oxyclean at getting labels/glue off of bottles.
1 cup of Ammonia per 5 gallons of water works rather quickly. If you use hot water, some labels will float off within the first hour, and all will slide right off and wipe down easily within only a few hours. Any gunk on the inside of the bottle will also dislodge and float away.
I'd save oxyclean and/or pbw for other tasks. Ammonia is much better for labels.
Yeah, I was just remarking on the fact that you COULD do it. PB is good for taking labels off stuff you don't want to get wet or can't get wet. You don't need a lot. About a half teaspoon would be enough to remove most anything.
solbes
Well-Known Member
Oxyclean and 1-2 hours and many of the labels fall off for me. Schells beer has great bottles and the labels slide right off. My BIL likes Lakemaid for some reason, so I get a fair number from him (he says it tastes like Guiness?!?).
BasementBrewmistress
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Would you rate ammonia as more efficient than oxyclean or plain dish soap? Have only used hot soap and water, but I do have a bottle of Pine Sol around.
Guessing that you'd need to be careful with the ammonia/Pine Sol to not get it inside the bottle or have to sure to rinse well?
Big_Belgian
Well-Known Member
I rent a local bio-lab facility for my label-removing process to ensure protection against infections, and store my bottles in a deep-freeze locker, with each bottle wrapped with a condom for extra protection. I always wear full haz-mat gear during the bottling process and incinerate all of my used equipment after every batch. So far I'm 100% infection-free.
Shawnylocks
Well-Known Member
davefleck
Well-Known Member
Big_Belgian said:
Your post broke my sarcasm meter
paulster2626
Well-Known Member
All of these ideas wouldn't work for me, until I learned magic. Now I just use the Dark Arts to remove labels and sanitize. It's quick and mess-free.
VillageBrew
Well-Known Member
I couldn't imagine actually sitting there trying to do this all at once. I have a 5 gallon bucket that is full of water and a little bleach to ward off flying creatures that bite. I just let them soak a day or so. When I finish drinking a fresh brew, I put in the empty and take one out. The labels practically fall off. It is like a bottle pipe line! We have some really goods beers that come in 22 oz bottles that are around $3. Building my bottle supply has been fun! I think, for what I can remember.
n00tz
Member
I'm new to the hobby (in experience) but what experience I do have is removing labels from bottles.
Take a 5 gallon bucket (I don't plan on using it for brewing/fermenting) and fill it with 4 gallons of hot water. Add oxyclean. I use the measuring cup that came with the box to the first line. Stir to dissolve oxyclean, if necessary. Add bottles and leave overnight. In the morning the labels will be easy to remove, if they haven't fallen off on their own. I use a baby-gate as my drying rack, then transfer them to the sixer/twelver box upside-down for storage.
I do 14 bottles at a time (or 12 12oz and a 22oz bomber) with this method.
Take a 5 gallon bucket (I don't plan on using it for brewing/fermenting) and fill it with 4 gallons of hot water. Add oxyclean. I use the measuring cup that came with the box to the first line. Stir to dissolve oxyclean, if necessary. Add bottles and leave overnight. In the morning the labels will be easy to remove, if they haven't fallen off on their own. I use a baby-gate as my drying rack, then transfer them to the sixer/twelver box upside-down for storage.
I do 14 bottles at a time (or 12 12oz and a 22oz bomber) with this method.
+1 Oxyclean
Fill brewpot with oxy and hot water. Drop in bottles. Cover. 24 hours later, labels are floating around and a simple wipe with a sponge will remove glue residue as you rinse with warm water.
Fill brewpot with oxy and hot water. Drop in bottles. Cover. 24 hours later, labels are floating around and a simple wipe with a sponge will remove glue residue as you rinse with warm water.
Big_Belgian
Well-Known Member
I found a very good solution to this problem about a month ago. Taking a note from Mark Twain (Tom Sawyer's whitewashing), I convinced my 6 year old son that he is the world's most awesome label remover and its become a very fun activity for him (at least until he catches on to my ruse). He pulls them out of the soaking tub and vigorously removes the labels and hands the bottle to me. I rinse and put on the drying tree, then take another drink while he works on the next one. He actually chose this activity over the Wii one night last week. I've just got to get enough bottles done before he catches on. Huge eyerolls from the wife.
Backslider
Active Member
I am a poor student (not starving or anything) and relatively new father. I have been using a second-hand stainless steel dish strainer for drying bottles... I can dry about 15 bottles at a time. Of course I plan on eventually upgrading to kegs but for now I have been trying to improvise something for bottle drying.
Why didn't I think of this? I have baby gates at the top of the stairs, the kitchen entryway, on the entry for the back patio. An extended baby gate would be perfect for seating an up-ended bottle. Thanks for the idea!
paulster2626
Well-Known Member
I just took a couple 2x4 scrap pieces I had lying around, screwed 'em together, and then put a bunch of 3" screws in to the wood. Screws hold the bottles, wood absorbs the water. You can get 24 screws in a small area. It works quite well, and costs nothing.
Of course, I only wash/rinse about maximum 6 bottles at a time. I find it better to keep on top of this ****ty task rather than doing it all at once.
Backslider
Active Member
It's ok for the bottle tops to touch the wood?
The only reason I didn't do something similar is that I worried about the bottles touching the wood and the wood soaking up water and getting nasty over time. Being a noob I'm probably just being way too careful.
The only reason I didn't do something similar is that I worried about the bottles touching the wood and the wood soaking up water and getting nasty over time. Being a noob I'm probably just being way too careful.
BasementBrewmistress
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Actually, this is what the guy at our local shop told us to do. Guess you could probably put a seal on the wood to extend its useful lifetime.
Then again, I'm too new to give qualified advice...that's just what we were told to try on a short-term basis.
n00tz
Member
That's exactly how I use it. I prop it up on two chairs I have in the basement, fully extended. Mine holds about 45 bottles at a time.
I want a bottle tree, but I'm starting to think I might be kegging sooner than a bottle tree would pay for itself.
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