Hi there,
I am knew to home brew and have a few 'newbie' questions that I hope you don't mind me asking.
1. My fermenter is on a table with a window behind it. I close the blinds, which are wooden venetian, but a little light still comes in. Do you think this may adversely affect my brew if shards of light are on my fermenter?
2. If you can store beer in coke bottles, can you store in other plastic containers?
e.g. I was thinking of using tuppaware drink containers with screw tops.
3. Is there a reason why you cannot sanitize your bottles in a dishwasher? Other than the fact bottles only have small necks? I was thinking of using the tuppaware containers which are rectangular and the opening is about 70mm dia. Therefore there would be no problem with them getting washed properly. Follow the wash with a rinse cycle (No detergent) then fill with the brew. I assume there is a reason why this would not work?
4. For those of you that bottle in crown lager bottles, there will soon be released a 700ml Crownie bottle - looks good for home brew.
Cheers,
Grabbie
Newbie questions
Hi Grabbie
1) As long as the fermenter is not in full sunlight it should not cause a problem. I'd still try and find somewhere where no direct sunlight is on it though.
2) You can bottle in whatever you like as long as its airtight and you sanitise it properly. There have been numerous threads on the pro's and cons of bottling in plastic against bottling in glass, do a search and I'm sure you will come to a conclusion as to what suits you best. Personally I bottle in glass 640mL longnecks 'cause they're cheap, about $12 a dozen at Big W (which is fair bit cheaper than Tupperware!), and the bigger your bottles the less time it takes to clean and fill the buggers!
3) I don't see problem sanitising in a dishwasher as long as you don't use any detergent. Again, there have been a few threads on that topic too if you search for them.
4) Refer previous response re. cost of empty longnecks from Big W. Would not get many longnecks of Crown for the same money, and would still have to drink or otherwise dispose of the Crown inside. Just personal opinion.
Cheers
Merlin
1) As long as the fermenter is not in full sunlight it should not cause a problem. I'd still try and find somewhere where no direct sunlight is on it though.
2) You can bottle in whatever you like as long as its airtight and you sanitise it properly. There have been numerous threads on the pro's and cons of bottling in plastic against bottling in glass, do a search and I'm sure you will come to a conclusion as to what suits you best. Personally I bottle in glass 640mL longnecks 'cause they're cheap, about $12 a dozen at Big W (which is fair bit cheaper than Tupperware!), and the bigger your bottles the less time it takes to clean and fill the buggers!
3) I don't see problem sanitising in a dishwasher as long as you don't use any detergent. Again, there have been a few threads on that topic too if you search for them.
4) Refer previous response re. cost of empty longnecks from Big W. Would not get many longnecks of Crown for the same money, and would still have to drink or otherwise dispose of the Crown inside. Just personal opinion.
Cheers
Merlin
Hi Merlin,
Thanks for your reply, are you a Wiz with homebrew?
I saw one of the Crownie long necks today and it looked very sturdy for capping i.e. long slow tapered neck - no shoulder and looked good, so thought it might appeal to some homebrewers.
As a recent dad for the first time, I am now on 'baby budget' so home brew looks appealing to me and I will definately look into the $12.00 dnz from BigW - thanks.
I work for a winery (hence the love of beer
) I was wondering if the new new 'Stelvin' or screw cap wine bottles, would be handy for homebrewing as well?
Like you the less I have to sanitise/fill the better.
I know Tuppaware is expensive, but my wife has a friend who is an annoying rep, always try to flog us something, so I thought a one off purchase of twenty of these containers, and anything goes wrong with them she has to replace them due to 'lifetime warranty' he he
If I was to run them through the dishwasher without detergent, do you think it would sanitise them enough? I know it gets pretty hot in those dishwashers.........
Anyway, enough babling for now, once again thanks for your reply Merlin.
Cheers,
Grabbie
Thanks for your reply, are you a Wiz with homebrew?
I saw one of the Crownie long necks today and it looked very sturdy for capping i.e. long slow tapered neck - no shoulder and looked good, so thought it might appeal to some homebrewers.
As a recent dad for the first time, I am now on 'baby budget' so home brew looks appealing to me and I will definately look into the $12.00 dnz from BigW - thanks.
I work for a winery (hence the love of beer
) I was wondering if the new new 'Stelvin' or screw cap wine bottles, would be handy for homebrewing as well?Like you the less I have to sanitise/fill the better.
I know Tuppaware is expensive, but my wife has a friend who is an annoying rep, always try to flog us something, so I thought a one off purchase of twenty of these containers, and anything goes wrong with them she has to replace them due to 'lifetime warranty' he he
If I was to run them through the dishwasher without detergent, do you think it would sanitise them enough? I know it gets pretty hot in those dishwashers.........
Anyway, enough babling for now, once again thanks for your reply Merlin.
Cheers,
Grabbie
I'm no Wiz, Grabbie, just happy to share an opinion 
I don't know whether a screw-cap wine bottle would provide efficient sealing, any clues from anyone else?
re. the dishwasher, you are partially correct in that the dishwasher will get hot enought to sanitise your bottles, but will it pass enough water through each bottle to effectively clean them as well?
re. Tupperware, your theory is sound, but I just couldn't offer a mate a beer then pull it out of the fridge in a day-glo plastic container
I don't know whether a screw-cap wine bottle would provide efficient sealing, any clues from anyone else?
re. the dishwasher, you are partially correct in that the dishwasher will get hot enought to sanitise your bottles, but will it pass enough water through each bottle to effectively clean them as well?
re. Tupperware, your theory is sound, but I just couldn't offer a mate a beer then pull it out of the fridge in a day-glo plastic container
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Dogger Dan
- Posts: 3168
- Joined: Thursday Aug 26, 2004 10:43 am
- Location: Lucan, Ontario, Canada
What are you using the tupperware for?, not bottling 
The CO2 will blow off the cap
The Tupperware Plastic, although being food grade, is very difficult to sanitize as it has a very rough surface and the sanitizer can't get into the cracks and crevices
I use it only to hold bulk materials (grains, dry yeasts, bottle caps, hoses)
Dogger
The CO2 will blow off the cap
The Tupperware Plastic, although being food grade, is very difficult to sanitize as it has a very rough surface and the sanitizer can't get into the cracks and crevices
I use it only to hold bulk materials (grains, dry yeasts, bottle caps, hoses)
Dogger
"Listening to someone who brews their own beer is like listening to a religous fanatic talk about the day he saw the light" Ross Murray, Montreal Gazette
BigW and others also sell cooper's plastic longnecks, they're fine if you don't intend to store beer for a year.
Depending on what you use to prime your bottles, keep in mind that a lot of measurers are made for 375 and 750 ml bottles - so if you prime a 640ml with sugar for a 750ml bottle, drink it fast ...
Depending on what you use to prime your bottles, keep in mind that a lot of measurers are made for 375 and 750 ml bottles - so if you prime a 640ml with sugar for a 750ml bottle, drink it fast ...
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Dogger Dan
- Posts: 3168
- Joined: Thursday Aug 26, 2004 10:43 am
- Location: Lucan, Ontario, Canada
I wouldn't
I have had canning go sour and the glass cracks because it isn't designed to handle the pressure.
As an aside, just to prove the point, we get maple syrup in a swing top bottle which is really cool. Thought to myself, " Self" (and I knew it was me cause I recognized the voice)"wouldn't it be neat to put a beer in here" Blew both of them up because the glass wasn't designed to handle pressure. Fricking glass shards everywhere. Ahhhhh hind sight is always 20/20
Do the right thing, use the right tools, all will be good, some short cuts lead to disaster.
Dogger
I have had canning go sour and the glass cracks because it isn't designed to handle the pressure.
As an aside, just to prove the point, we get maple syrup in a swing top bottle which is really cool. Thought to myself, " Self" (and I knew it was me cause I recognized the voice)"wouldn't it be neat to put a beer in here" Blew both of them up because the glass wasn't designed to handle pressure. Fricking glass shards everywhere. Ahhhhh hind sight is always 20/20
Do the right thing, use the right tools, all will be good, some short cuts lead to disaster.
Dogger
"Listening to someone who brews their own beer is like listening to a religous fanatic talk about the day he saw the light" Ross Murray, Montreal Gazette
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