Bottling Issues

[dannybzr]

Hi all,

Ok, so i'm looking for some reassurance, hopefully!! I bottled my kit beer this evening.

My concern is, I cleaned the bottles and cleaned them some more and some more, but even still on some bottles there was tiny dots of residue of sorts(they were second hand bottles) so I decided to bite the bullet in the end and go ahead with bottling.

So I filled the sink with water and NO-Rinse and made sure it was in contact with all parts of the bottles for approx 10 min or so and preceded to bottle.

So, my questions:

Will those tiny bits of residue come back to haunt me?

Is it ok that I didn't let the bottles dry fully before bottling? Didn't think it was necessary. According to the pack it just leaves what water would leave behind except without the bad stuff!

thanks in advance!

P.S, I tried to jump on the site before I started bottling but it appeared to be down. I couldn't access it all..

 

[Aus_Rider_22]

Did you have a crack at them with a bottle brush?

While the sanitiser could have killed any bacteria I guess there is a chance the remnants could upset your beer in the bottle as it ages.

I am pretty inexperienced in home brewing, still under 10 brews, so the other guys on the site can probably better offer better advice.

One thing I can tell you is that things get alot easier as you do more brews! You pick up shortcuts and learn from your mistakes. One of the best things I can recommend is to give your bottles a quick rinse once you drink the home brew out of them.

The little bit of yeast sediment will start growing if left for a week or so! I was told about this from a local brewer but was a bit lazy at the start and paid for it when I went to clean and re-use my home brew bottles. I had to scrub and clean everyone very thoroughly has they had things growing in them!

From then on I've collected up my stubbies/longnecks after a session or whatever and simply 1/4 filled each one and vigorously swish them around with my thumb on the end. Gets rid of the little yeasty sediment layers so that I simply store them upside and then soak them in no-rinse sanitiser for 20 minutes and bottle away!

Happy Brewing!

 

[Cocko]

Sounds like you have completely stuffed a whole batch - what were you thinking!!

Best pack up those bottles and send them over to me for further studies.... and so on!

Brother, please relax... all will be fine!! It is called NO rinse for a reason... as much as you don't want half a bottle full I am sure a few residual drops will NOT be a drama....

In about 3 months, you will look back on this thought/post and laugh to yourself...

So please consider this reassurance given!

:icon_cheers:

 

[dannybzr]

Did you have a crack at them with a bottle brush?

While the sanitiser could have killed any bacteria I guess there is a chance the remnants could upset your beer in the bottle as it ages.

I am pretty inexperienced in home brewing, still under 10 brews, so the other guys on the site can probably better offer better advice.

One thing I can tell you is that things get alot easier as you do more brews! You pick up shortcuts and learn from your mistakes. One of the best things I can recommend is to give your bottles a quick rinse once you drink the home brew out of them.

The little bit of yeast sediment will start growing if left for a week or so! I was told about this from a local brewer but was a bit lazy at the start and paid for it when I went to clean and re-use my home brew bottles. I had to scrub and clean everyone very thoroughly has they had things growing in them!

From then on I've collected up my stubbies/longnecks after a session or whatever and simply 1/4 filled each one and vigorously swish them around with my thumb on the end. Gets rid of the little yeasty sediment layers so that I simply store them upside and then soak them in no-rinse sanitiser for 20 minutes and bottle away!

Happy Brewing!

Yeah I did use a bottle brush, the bottles were washed 3 times with the brush and at the end I put them in sanitiser..

 

[dannybzr]

Sounds like you have completely stuffed a whole batch - what were you thinking!!

Best pack up those bottles and send them over to me for further studies.... and so on!

Brother, please relax... all will be fine!! It is called NO rinse for a reason... as much as you don't want half a bottle full I am sure a few residual drops will NOT be a drama....

In about 3 months, you will look back on this thought/post and laugh to yourself...

So please consider this reassurance given!

:icon_cheers:

haha, this is exactly what I wanted to hear. But you know the way it is when you are new to something. The smallest things seem to be the biggest issues!!!

I will look back and wonder what I was thinking I'm sure, but hey better to be on the safe side then the naive side! :icon_cheers:

 

[Cocko]

We all know exactly what it is like mate!

Happy brewing!

 

[dannybzr]

just another quick question,

am I best to keep the bottles in a dark place in or around the same temp that they were fermented at? Should I keep them in the same temp for a couple of weeks and then throw them in the fridge or when can I do that?

 

[Cocko]

Yep, spot on!

Store your bottles in a 'dark', NO direct sunlight, place at around 20 deg, if you can for about 2-4 weeks to ensure carbonation.. then you can cellar or chill and drink.

What happens is the left over yeast in your beer will eat the priming sugars, or I assume carbo drops - which work really well IMO, so need to be at fermenting temp/s. For an ale = around 20 deg. This will force C02 into the beer...

You can crack one at 2-3 weeks and it will be beer but will be a lot more blended and tasty @ around 6 weeks... but hey, non of us have waited that long - HAHA!

Search, read and post up mate, you can't go wrong!

I hope this helps.

:icon_cheers:


Edit: BTW: Welcome!

 

[Kevman]

Unscented bleach is really good for getting those hard to get at residue off the bottles.

Every so often I get given some bottles by mates. Unfortunately they aren't as diligent about cleanliness and cleaning the bottles as most homebrewers. I've found bleach really gets rid off that gunk in the bottom.

 

[dannybzr]

Thanks for all the sound advice lads.. Looking forward to expanding on the knowledge.....

 

[manticle]

Sodium percarbonate with hot water (otherwise unscented napisan) and a good soak will lift most crusties.

Make sure you rinse the bottles well. After pouring a beer, immediately rinse out the bottles and allow to dry. Makes pre-bottling simply a matter of sanitising.

 

[roverfj1200]

Will those tiny bits of residue come back to haunt me?

Narrrrrr Mate it will be all good my bottles have that all the time. And My beer is good.... :icon_drunk: