Cleaning Bottles With Dishwasher?

[MrGuzzle]

hey,
Im only new to brewing and this is my first post, I think i might be having a problem with the sanatising of my stubbies. I just thought i would see what you guys think of the way i am doing it and where i can improve. The night before i bottle i fill the dishwasher full of bottles and put them on the long cycle, wait for them to dry, put 5 litres of water in the sink with 2 table spoons of brigalow sodium metabisulphite in the water shake the bottle around in it for a few seconds then leave about 100ml of the sanitisor in the buttom of the stubbie for about 20 mins then pour out of the stubbie and rince it in cold water, put the subbies in a container with towl over the top to dry over night and so they are kept clean untill i bottle the next day, I have bottled my first few brews and they have been drinkable but not very plesent, im just not sure weather it might be an infection when i sanitise or weather it might be something else?? cheers MrGuzzler

 

[bum]

What do you mean by "not very pleasant"? And what/how are you generally brewing (recipes/temps/etc)? (These two questions are somewhat entwined)

Your method doesn't seem ideal to me. I'd be worried about using detergents and that they wouldn't clean inside properly (I'm sure the outside would sparkle like a Las Vegas bitch, however). Maybe the heat might pasturise or something but I'd still be pretty suss on the whole idea. Lots and lots of talk about the place about other people's (more labour intensive) methods.

 

[MrGuzzle]

i have been brewing coopers mexican, i live in qld so it has ben f**kin hot latley, i had it brewing for about 5 days at 27 deg and it held a gravity for 2 days at 10.40 so i bottled it then i thinking the temp might have something to do with it too... i just thought i would clean the bottles that way because it was surgested to me from a couple of people, do u think i should do away with the dishwashed idea and boil up some water and clean them in it with no dishwashing liquid? i have been reading into it and im going to try a way to drop the temp when i am brewing on my next batch!

 

[fcmcg]

Man...did you bottle at 1.040 ?????????????????????
You brew was just getting going......
Do you have a hydrometer ???
You want to wait till its about 1.10..( depending on OG )or 3 days of consistent measurement....1.040 is way , way too high....
Sorry Bloke
Maybe have a read of some of the posts on here...do a Search on "when is my beer finished"or the like
Ferg
PS..when did these people last brew ? You want your info up to date...and from current brewers...sorry

 

[MrGuzzle]

shit sorry i ment i bottled at 1.004

 

[bum]

i have been reading into it and im going to try a way to drop the temp when i am brewing on my next batch!

Yeah, good idea. I'm seeing enough there to cause "unpleasantness" on its own.

I won't tell you how you should wash your bottles but if you are unhappy with your method there are plenty of good threads about sanitation around here. But I will say that if you decide to continue using detergents you'll want to make sure they are rinsed carefully - they can carry over some pretty yuck flavours to your beer.

 

[bum]

You want to wait till its about 1.10..( depending on OG )or 3 days of consistent measurement....1.040 is way , way too high....

Typo is obvious but context makes it pretty lol.

 

[fcmcg]

Typo is obvious but context makes it pretty lol.

ok..no more DR smurto's for me...lol 1.010

 

[MrGuzzle]

yeh cheers, i thought i wasnt i very good idea buit i thought i would give it a go to see how it went, should i still stand my bottles with about 50ml of sanitisor in the bottom for about 20 mins before i rince them?? apperently it sends off vapors which is good for killing germs?? saniatising the night before i bottle a good idea?

 

[Doogiechap]

Welcome to the forum Mr Guzzle
This thread has a gazillion opinions on how to make bottling less painful/ more effective.
Happy Reading !
Cheers
Doug

 

[joebejeckel]

I think the dishwasher is a good idea, although do make sure the filter is very clean ,that you use the hottest setting,that you don't use any detergent and turn off the rinse aid function, it will also get the labels off,i often open it up during the final stage and get all the labels off and empty the filter of labels as well, i often run them through a second time for a good rinse to get the label glue out of them , giving them a wee rinse after drinking a stubby will make washing easier as well.


joe :beer: :beer:

 

[QldKev]

Geeze I wish I had a beer for every time someone said I will use a dishwasher to clean my bottles, then they use search and learn.. They only clean the outside of the bottle; but within limits can help sanatise.

Throw the sodium metabisulphite in the bin, unless you want to use it as a cleaner; or have fun with an asthmatic. Get some sodium hydrochloride (house hold bleach, unscented) and start work. Then move onto starsan or something and forget about all the dramas with sanatisation and taste..

Then search on here about temperature control, 27 = crap beer!; there are many ways to keep the fermentor cooler.

QldKev

 

[MrGuzzle]

Get some sodium hydrochloride (house hold bleach, unscented) and start work. Then move onto starsan or something and forget about all the dramas with sanatisation and taste..

QldKev

What brand of bleech do u find is the best and what ratio do you use?

 

[joebejeckel]

I like the idea that they sit in a steam bath for around 90 minutes + in my dishwasher, even the bottles that don't get a direct squirt of water get soaked in steam , i put 3 cartons of stubs in a load , works for me,

 

[QldKev]

What brand of bleech do u find is the best and what ratio do you use?

I use the Aldi brand it's actually stronger than white king, but about 5 ml bleach + 5 ml vinegar per 20L is a base line. Often I will use a stronger dose, but hit it with hot water and then flush with plenty of fresh water to get rid of any off taste. Also these days my preference is Starsan, a 1L bottle ($35) will last a few years, depending on how you use it.

btw, welcome to the forum

QldKev

 

[Gout]

i agree with QldKev, turf the sod met. I would also move straight to starsan - as mentioned it costs a bit more but god it lasts ages and if it saves a batch of beer its paid for. It works well, is easy and somewhat cheap.

no rinse and proven

try starsan, no sugar, and colder temps - then your beer will get better

 

[MrGuzzle]

try starsan, no sugar, and colder temps - then your beer will get better

yeh sounds good i will head down and get some starsan, wat is the vinigar for?? white or brown vinigar? you said no sugar? what did u mean by that??

 

[avaneyk]

you said no sugar? what did u mean by that??

Welcome to the forum.

He means that beer should be made from malt, not sugar. You can use a small proportion of sugar in your recipes (like the big breweries do with aussie beers) but the majority of your fermentables should come from malt. The instructions on kits say to use 1kg of sugar with the kit - you can improve the kits straight away by reducing the amount of sugar and adding dry malt extract to replace it. Do som searches on here in the kits area for lots of information about improving kits.

Andrew.

 

[rday]

yeh sounds good i will head down and get some starsan, wat is the vinigar for?? white or brown vinigar? you said no sugar? what did u mean by that??

The vinegar (white) is used along with bleach as a sanitising agent. Vinegar (acetic acid) and bleach (sodium hypochlorite) make hypochlorus acid in solution, which is a very effective sanitser, and at low concentrations (5 ml bleach 5 ml vinegar in 20 l water) can be used as a no rinse solution. Some people warn that it leaves a chlorine taste. I am pretty sensitive to chlorine smell and I have never noticed anything. But if you use starsan, you don't need to worry about any of this!