Sterilizing bottles for homebrew

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Sterilizing bottles for homebrew
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JH

Joined: 19 May 2006
Posts: 40
Location: Aberdeenshire

Posted: Thu Jun 22, 06 2:36 pm Post subject: Sterilizing bottles for homebrew
Goddamn cooker blew up last night and I have a batches of Dandelion and Cider ready to go but can't sterilise the bottles! Just wondering - those 'mothership' looking things for sterilising babies bottles in the microwave - if I use the tiny green bottles (ex- cheapo brand of beer) sitting in my shed - do you think that'd work?

nora

Joined: 20 Mar 2005
Posts: 1539
Location: West Yorkshire

Posted: Thu Jun 22, 06 2:43 pm Post subject:
We used Youngs steriliser and cleaner powder - 1 teaspoon to 1.5 litres of water left in the bottles for 10 minutes then rinsed with cold water. We got it from Wilkinsons, can't remember how much it cost but it wasn't expensive. It seems to have worked alright too.

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18409

Posted: Thu Jun 22, 06 2:54 pm Post subject:

Have you got an electric kettle ? Or something to boil a pint of water ?

I usually make up a pint of metabisulphite solution with boiling water, let it cool, and then pour it into the bottles through a funnel, shaking each bottle well, and pouring from one bottle to the next, till they're all done, and the liquid gets poured back into the jug so I can use it to sterilise siphon tubing, corks, etc. Once I've cleaned out the DJs the wine was stored in, the sulphite gets poured into them, swilled round and left till the DJ is next used.

AFAIK, the solution doesn't have to be boiling hot to work as a steriliser, and can be re-used.

On the other hand, if I'm sterilising a plastic bucket for a fermentation, I just use boiling water poured in immediately and swilled round thoroughly.

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Thu Jun 22, 06 2:57 pm Post subject:

I often use baby sterilising tablets to clean the bottles before filling.

I stick the "recomended quantity", quite a few as I recall into the fermenting bin (we have two so one is usually free) and mix it all up. I then pour it out of the fermenter and into another bin (a dustbin actually) leaving the fermenter ready for my next batch. The bottles go into the dustbin in batches and half hour later - Bob's yer Uncle.

The tablets are cheap enough in UK but we have a job getting them here. We get family to post them over

Happy bottling.

S

JH

Joined: 19 May 2006
Posts: 40
Location: Aberdeenshire

Posted: Thu Jun 22, 06 3:26 pm Post subject:
Thanks for that. Would sterilzer baby thng woork though? Hesitant to use sterilizing powders/fluid..

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18409

Posted: Thu Jun 22, 06 3:37 pm Post subject:

Ah, I think I understand, now.. (tho' correct me if I'm wrong) :
you were going to put empty bottles to heat up in the cooker, like jamjars when making jam ?

Never occurred to me to use the same method for bottles, even though I make a lot of preserves.

If it's Dandelion wine you've got waiting to bottle, you can keep it in bulk until the stove is fixed (unless you need the demijohn for something else right now).

I have no idea about baby bottle sterilisers - I assumed they all used something like Milton fluid/powder.

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Thu Jun 22, 06 3:39 pm Post subject:

Ummm. For homebrew (and jam), I think you can get adequate sterilisation by putting a little water (ooh, an eggcupful or so) in the bottle and microwaving for long enough to boil the liquid. This should work better in bottles laid on their side than with jamjars, because the steam is restriced from escaping by the shape of the bottle.
Babyfood may need a more rigorous approach, but a touch of steam should be fine.

Naturally, beware metallic trims and unusual glass! Mind your fingers too!

JH

Joined: 19 May 2006
Posts: 40
Location: Aberdeenshire

Posted: Thu Jun 22, 06 3:51 pm Post subject:

Gil - yes

thats how I sterilise most of my stuff for homebrew or jam - I can do 'bulk', its handsfree and unpolluting (excepting electricity to power cooker).

Ok about the dandelion wine - its still at the demijohn full of golden raisins stage - thats still ok to leave like that for a while? It fermented out about a week ago....

(ps you can get baby sterilizers that you put the bottle sin face down, add some water to the base, pop lid on, bung in micro for 8 mintes and bottles come out sterile -thats what I was on about)

Dougal: Ah ok, will try that then. Will use old microwave first in case bottle decides to explode...

*merrily trots off to bottle cider*

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Thu Jun 22, 06 3:58 pm Post subject:

JH wrote:

Will use old microwave first in case bottle decides to explode...

*merrily trots off to bottle cider*

Don't put a lid on the bottle!

If your bottle would take scalding with boiling water it should take the microwave treatment, But hey, having the glass nice and hot (sinkful of hot water?) would reduce the stresses from the thermal expansion.

Have fun!

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18409

Posted: Thu Jun 22, 06 4:10 pm Post subject:

JH wrote:

Ok about the dandelion wine - its still at the demijohn full of golden raisins stage - thats still ok to leave like that for a while? It fermented out about a week ago....

Sounds as though the wine is still a way off bottling, JH. I think you need to rack (siphon) it off the sediment and raisins into a clean, sterile 2nd demijohn (if you have one, otherwise into a sterile bucket while you clean and sterilise the DJ it has fermented in, then siphon back into the original DJ) still with an airlock, and leave in a cool place to settle out some more, clear and mature for a few months. I would hope your stove will be restored to working order by then, so bottling wll be no problem !

meantime, enjoy bottling and drinking your cider....

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu Jun 22, 06 5:13 pm Post subject:
Just a quick word of warning, my new demijohns state that wter no hotter than 40°C should be used.

JH

Joined: 19 May 2006
Posts: 40
Location: Aberdeenshire

Posted: Thu Jun 22, 06 5:47 pm Post subject:

gil wrote:

JH wrote:

Ok about the dandelion wine - its still at the demijohn full of golden raisins stage - thats still ok to leave like that for a while? It fermented out about a week ago....

Ah ok. Was just gonna siphon and bottle then leave for a year as its clear now but yeah, could do what you say. In fact I will. I'm in no hurry to drink it.

(did I actually just say that?

)

No, no lids on bottles Dougal.

Treac - noted.

Purple Martin

Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 57
Location: Canberra

Posted: Thu Jun 22, 06 10:00 pm Post subject:
Demijohns crack easily from hot tap water, so don't put boiling water in them! They also crack easily if you put a hot demijohn on a cold surface. You can sterilise bottles by filling them with diluted bleach, leaving for a while, then rinsing. If you want a no-rinse steriliser for bottles, Iodophor solution (diluted 1000:1) is good.

frewen

Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 11405

Posted: Fri Jun 23, 06 7:45 am Post subject:

I use my baby's steam steriliser to prepare the jam jars and lids when making preserves and it works really well. You can time it just right so that the jam can go straight into a scalding hot jar (steriliser takes 9 mins from a cold start). I make small quantities of jam frequently rather than large batches so this method is ideal.

I haven't tried thin necked glass bottles in it because I didn't think there would be enough steam circulation to properly sterilise the interior. I based this assumption on my antiquated training as an operating theatre nurse (autoclaves and all that) but I would be more than happy to be proved wrong.

JH

Joined: 19 May 2006
Posts: 40
Location: Aberdeenshire

Posted: Fri Jun 23, 06 8:11 am Post subject:
No I believe you! I had that thought as I was loading them up so hands up I used sterilising solution. I hate it but it was either that or the cider.... All bottled

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