Bottle cleaning tip

[Tibby]

Hi Guys (first entry here)

My keg beer is great, however the remaining beer that is bottled tastes disgusting. Is this due to bacteria (bottles not washed enough), or due to cleaning solution (bottles not rinsed enough after washing with the pink sulphur dioxide)?

Thanks

[gregb]

Tibby,

Welcome, we have tshirts on the way.

The bottled beer being 'disgusting' can you give us a more detailed description of the taste?

Is that disgusting like a tofu burger or disgusting like a San Miugel?

Does it taste beerish, just not nice or does it taste like wet cardboard etc. Different problems reveal themselves as different wrong tastes. If the beer in the keg is good, then to the end of primary fermentation is all good.

Cheers,

Greg.

[Guest]

Greb,

Agree with last line, it must be something that I am doing in the secondary phase.

The tast eand odour is still beerish, but it is like a chemical taste which first made think that it was the cleaning agent. I started to use less, now I just don't know.

Rather than escribingthe taste, maybe I s hould ask, will the pink cleaning chemical ruin the beer's taste if not rinsed properly, or would it take a fair bit?

Cheers

[Dogger Dan]

Rinse your bottles, I am thinking you are forming chlorophenols

Dogger

[tommo]

Hey Dogger,

These chlorophenols of which you speak.

#1. Would i be able to smell them in the secondary prior to bottling

( a pretty broad Q i suppose ). ( probably a hoser for asking ).

#2. If i overdid with it with the hops would it smell like rotten fruit? actually rotten is too strong a word, more like strong wine.

Make sense

cheers

tommo

[Dogger Dan]

Tommo,

No,

I think you have residual chlorine in the bottle which is reacting with the phenols from the secondary fermentation used to carbonate your beer so it is all occuring in the bottle and that is why the keg is just fine.

I may be wrong but it is a mechanism start with.

Dogger

[tommo]

that's cleared that up

[Dogger Dan]

Tommo,

I am the Hoser, so like Take Off eh?

Rinse out your bottles and caps really well with fresh water and try again

Dogger

[Redsicks]

I've got a big plastic bin in the shed thats filled with water & Saniclean(powdered bleach).
About 14 longneck bottles fit in the bin at a time. I leave them in there till the bin is full(sometimes weeks), then rinse & store dry with a softdrink cap ontop.
The bottles come out sparkling clean.
Make four cuts down the sides of a softdrink cap & they easily go on & off.
They keep dust & other crap from falling in.

I only change the water in the bin when too many goobers are apparent.

A quick spray with Saniclean solution & a rinse before bottling.

*Also good to Sanitise all other brewing equipment as the whole fermentor will fit in.


Cheers - Redsicks

[Dogger Dan]

Yeah,

I used to do the same thing Redsicks when I was seriously bottling, just used a bit of foil to cover them up.

Dogger

[Jay]

I too rinse my bottles straight after drinking and then don't need to wash them before bottling (they get sanitised though). I haven't seen any film in my bottles but then again they are only 4-6 brews old in most cases. Could hop oils build up slowly over time to account for this film?

One more important point. Make sure you dry your bottles thoroughly after rinsing out the yeast (ie get that last little dribble of water out). I didn't do this previously and have pinpointed this, through a few brews of trial and error, as possibly causing a funny taste in my beer. Also stopped using bleach to sanitise and started using no rinse hydrogen peroxide (which I still rinse) so this could have also been the problem.

Cheers,
Jay.

[Hully]

I am also giving them a good rinse after pouring then onto the bottle tree to dry.

Everyone seems to be using bleach to clean/ sanitize where I am using sodium metabisulphate, soak 15min, drain, sometimes rinse and fill.The HBS guy reckons drain and fill.

Curious why bleach is the prefered cleaner if residual flavours, odours can be a problem. Other brewers have mentioned that the sodium can taint the brew but I haven't noticed any yet, or maybe I cant taste it because I haven't tried any different

[Redsicks]

The reason I use bleach rather that sodium metabisulphate, is that Iv'e tried it(sodium metabisulphate) several times, but even in a well ventilated area I get a really sore throat from the fumes / spray mist when I use it.
I don't have asthma or anything but I'd becarefull if you do.

Cheers - Redsicks

[Tony]

I use bleach for my fermenters and associated gear (racking tube etc), but use sodium met for bottles, because it can be no-rinse and the domestic authority often raises her eyebrows at the amount of water used when brewing. I haven't noticed the usual problems with sodium met (sore throat etc) because I'm only using 1tsp in 1Litre.

The good thing about bleach is that it does come out of the household budget (as do all the kits I get at the supermarket)

Tony

[Jay]

I hear yah Tony

Every shopping trip a kit seems to make its way into the bottom of the trolley.

Jay.