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Author Topic: Bottling prep  (Read 9943 times)

Offline leejoreilly

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  • Washington, MI
Re: Bottling prep
« Reply #30 on: May 14, 2013, 12:32:03 pm »
If I were looking to buy a bottle tree, I'd probably get this instead. I have a red bottle tree and it takes up space and only holds 45 bottles. An inconvenient number since a 5 gallon batch is ~52 12oz bottles.
http://thefastrack.ca/homebrew/
 
My bottle tree is expandable; just unscrew the top hub/handle and screw on another "wheel" of nine drying "branches". When I got it, it had five wheels that could hold 45 bottles; I added another to get to 54 to handle a 5 gallon batch.

Offline Jimmy K

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
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  • Delaware
Re: Bottling prep
« Reply #31 on: May 14, 2013, 12:33:46 pm »
If I were looking to buy a bottle tree, I'd probably get this instead. I have a red bottle tree and it takes up space and only holds 45 bottles. An inconvenient number since a 5 gallon batch is ~52 12oz bottles.
http://thefastrack.ca/homebrew/

My bottle tree is expandable; just unscrew the top hub/handle and screw on another "wheel" of nine drying "branches". When I got it, it had five wheels that could hold 45 bottles; I added another to get to 54 to handle a 5 gallon batch.
I've been wanting to do that, but can't find single "layers" for sale. Do you know where to get them?
Delmarva United Homebrewers - President by inverse coup - former president ousted himself.
AHA Member since 2006
BJCP Certified: B0958

Offline flbrewer

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Bottling prep
« Reply #32 on: May 14, 2013, 12:37:43 pm »
Got it, so people are using dishwashers to sanitize in place of a product like Star San.

Bingo. Like it was mentioned before, just make sure your dishwasher has a true "Sanitize" setting. Hot water isn't hot enough to kill any bugs.
Why is using the dishwasher a better idea that Starsan? Seems much faster to just submerge in a bucket for a couple of minutes.

Offline repo

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  • San Diego CA
Re: Bottling prep
« Reply #33 on: May 14, 2013, 12:39:23 pm »
If I were looking to buy a bottle tree, I'd probably get this instead. I have a red bottle tree and it takes up space and only holds 45 bottles. An inconvenient number since a 5 gallon batch is ~52 12oz bottles.
http://thefastrack.ca/homebrew/

My bottle tree is expandable; just unscrew the top hub/handle and screw on another "wheel" of nine drying "branches". When I got it, it had five wheels that could hold 45 bottles; I added another to get to 54 to handle a 5 gallon batch.
I've been wanting to do that, but can't find single "layers" for sale. Do you know where to get them?

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=bottle+tree     
Austin homebrew supply.
 

Offline leejoreilly

  • Assistant Brewer
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  • Posts: 248
  • Washington, MI
Re: Bottling prep
« Reply #34 on: May 14, 2013, 12:47:48 pm »
If I were looking to buy a bottle tree, I'd probably get this instead. I have a red bottle tree and it takes up space and only holds 45 bottles. An inconvenient number since a 5 gallon batch is ~52 12oz bottles.
http://thefastrack.ca/homebrew/

My bottle tree is expandable; just unscrew the top hub/handle and screw on another "wheel" of nine drying "branches". When I got it, it had five wheels that could hold 45 bottles; I added another to get to 54 to handle a 5 gallon batch.

I've been wanting to do that, but can't find single "layers" for sale. Do you know where to get them?

I got mine from my LHBS (where I bought the original tree) here in SE Michigan a couple of years ago. Seems to me it was only a few of bucks for the additional piece.

Here's an example - not exactly like mine, but same idea:
http://morebeer.com/products/bottle-tree-addon-ring-9-posts.html

Offline erockrph

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Re: Bottling prep
« Reply #35 on: May 14, 2013, 12:49:47 pm »
Got it, so people are using dishwashers to sanitize in place of a product like Star San.

Bingo. Like it was mentioned before, just make sure your dishwasher has a true "Sanitize" setting. Hot water isn't hot enough to kill any bugs.
Why is using the dishwasher a better idea that Starsan? Seems much faster to just submerge in a bucket for a couple of minutes.

I don't know if it's better for everyone. Like most things in homebrewing, it's just one way to do things that happens to work well for me.
Eric B.

Finally got around to starting a homebrewing blog: The Hop Whisperer

Offline drjones

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  • So much to beer, so little time to brew it all...
Re: Bottling prep
« Reply #36 on: May 14, 2013, 01:28:01 pm »
Quote
Why is using the dishwasher a better idea that Starsan? Seems much faster to just submerge in a bucket for a couple of minutes.
I've heard some horror stories from a local HBS about dishwasher sanitizing.  In this case, a guy was having sanitation issues from an unknown source - until they did a culture on the insides of his dishwasher and got all sorts of scary stuff growing on the plate.  I'm sure this depends a lot on the dishwasher - is it new, stainless, does it have a real sanitizing cycle?
I'm a bottle-only guy, and have probably capped at least 1200 in the past year.  Personally, I soak re-used bottles in oxyclean or PBW for a couple of days, bottle brush as needed, rinse, dry, store, then soak again in a tub of starsan on bottling day.  I'll sometimes use the dishwasher to rinse after a cleaning soak, but I always go with the starsan soak before bottling.  I have a classic (non-spraying) bottling tree, and can't imagine bottling without it.  The caps are dumped in a bowlful of starsan beside me on the floor, then the fun begins. 
- Brian
------------------------------------------
Fermenting: west-coast IPA
Bottled:60 schilling, 70 schilling, maple porter, wheat porter

Offline tomsawyer

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Re: Bottling prep
« Reply #37 on: May 14, 2013, 02:25:59 pm »
I don't sanitize caps and haven't had any problems.  The O2 absorbing caps have some metabisulfite in them.

Lennie
Hannibal, MO