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Thread: bottle cleaning

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2013
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    Default bottle cleaning

    My young bloke wants to start brewing beer, he was given a heap of old bottles, some had been at the bottom of a "Res" for years, full of mud etc.

    I soaked them for a week started rinsing then attacking with a bottle brush (just water) and cordless drill, then mild Detergent - which is good because it gives a white back ground to spot any stains.

    But some bottle have a deep stain like a water mark, does anyone have a secret method of removing the said stains.

    I thought diluted bleach, which i used to use to sterilse (20ml to a litre of clean water) my bottles when I brewed, I sold all of my gear 11 years ago, wish I had kept the 500 bottles though, all crown seals.

    Stevo

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  3. #2
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    Default

    Bleach works,let them soak
    Finish off with a sterile wash,same as you used on your wine bottles
    Last edited by nrb; 15th July 2017 at 10:22 AM. Reason: More

  4. #3
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    cheers nrb, we bottled a wheat beer (tin) with SAAZ hops last week so i'm looking forward to trying that, very refreshing - i hope

  5. #4
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    Default

    What you need is caustic soda, this is what is used in industry. Buy the caustic soda at Coles mix into water pour solution into bottles and leave for a week this will break down the bonds of organic matter. Then use a stiff brush to clean the bottles, rinse with water.

    Then sterilise with Phosphoric acid buy at brew shops.

    You do not want to use household detergents to clean brewing equipment - they contain anti foaming compounds that kill the head of your beer.

    Also bleach can give you off flavours in your beer and should not be used either.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
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    Montville
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    Default

    Unscented Napisan or other cleaner which contains sodium percarbonate is a go to cleaner for brewing equipment.

    Works better with hot water. Let it soak a day or so and rinse.

    Google it on a brewing forum like AHB, for full info.

  7. #6
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    Adelaide
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    Stevo,
    there is a thing where glass pick up "iridescence", like an opal colouring. Its a change in the nature of the glass itself (oxidation or etching, I cant remember) and cant be removed except by removing the surface glass. If that is what you have found, no normal cleaning will get rid of it. I dont know if it will have any effect on the beer itself, but it will look bad. Bottle collectors could tell you more.

    Regards
    SWK

  8. #7
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    South west vic
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    Hello, thanks everyone for the above info, we don't seem to be able to get into the old bottles, as the new brews are disappearing after 3 to 4 weeks, but we did use bleach on some bottles then brewed a Morgans wheat beer, it made my guts curdle, nice colour, good head (beer talk, not filthy talk, well sometimes), will leave that one for a while, its a month old, good summer beer.

    Love the Muntons range, especially the bitters at cellar temp about 13c.

    Cheers
    Stevo

  9. #8
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    Nth Est Victoria, Australia
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    I wish they made a keg with a large diameter screw top, I'm over cleaning bottles. I've still got last years brew in their fermenters, think I'll give it to the snails eating my lettuces.
    Cheers & beers.

  10. #9
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    Huon, a mate has Kegs but he went back to bottles for a while but now does both, I couldn't taste that much difference but he has been doing it for years.

    Another mate found some of his dads old beers in the shed, 10+ years old, tired a couple, NOT very smooth - sour would be a better word.

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