Sterilising Gin Bottles
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Sterilising Gin Bottles
Hopefully a quick one - I use one of those bottle drainer trees with a vinator spray rinser to rinse the bottles before I bottle my gin. I'm interested to know what, if anything, people use to sterilise their bottles prior to use?
Re: Sterilising Gin Bottles
Use gin... 45% abv is going to kill anything. Simply fill clean bottles, done.
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Re: Sterilising Gin Bottles
Water.......germs don't do well in ethanol.
Sterilizing bottles is for the beer brewing folk.
Sterilizing bottles is for the beer brewing folk.
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Re: Sterilising Gin Bottles
Thanks. Any idea of how low the ABV would need to be before we have to think about sterilising?
Re: Sterilising Gin Bottles
Depends on what you are trying to sterilize, most yeast cant handle anything over 20%, wlp099 will handle 25% if nurtured, acetobacter is dead around 15%. There isn't a lot in a distillate to harbor infection either, sugars etc are left behind so not much for bacteria to feed on. Even sugary liqueurs at 20% are usually shelf stable.
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Re: Sterilising Gin Bottles
If I am washing bottles just to stick on the shelf for the time being,
I rinse in water and drain them, then rinse again with a bit of alcohol and drain and cap.
Doesn't matter much what sort of alcohol, but spirit not wine...
Makes sure they don't go mouldy or anything or smell bad.
Geoff
I rinse in water and drain them, then rinse again with a bit of alcohol and drain and cap.
Doesn't matter much what sort of alcohol, but spirit not wine...
Makes sure they don't go mouldy or anything or smell bad.
Geoff
The Baker
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Re: Sterilising Gin Bottles
Thanks very much everyone, just the answers I was looking for!
Re: Sterilising Gin Bottles
Just think about how long all the cheap, nasty liqueurs sit on the shelf at a bar...
Full of sugar, half the time they're exposed to the air with the pourers in them...
Only real problem is when the fruit flies get to them... Depending on how cheap the bar is they'll just strain them out... Nasty, but I've not heard of anyone getting ill from them (apart from the nasty hangover from cheap and nasty drinks )
Gin, on the other hand, is pretty much devoid of sugar and is much higher in ABV. It'll sterilise the bottle itself for the most part, unless the bottle is really nasty.
But then, why would you be putting your good quality, handmade stuff into nasty bottles?
Full of sugar, half the time they're exposed to the air with the pourers in them...
Only real problem is when the fruit flies get to them... Depending on how cheap the bar is they'll just strain them out... Nasty, but I've not heard of anyone getting ill from them (apart from the nasty hangover from cheap and nasty drinks )
Gin, on the other hand, is pretty much devoid of sugar and is much higher in ABV. It'll sterilise the bottle itself for the most part, unless the bottle is really nasty.
But then, why would you be putting your good quality, handmade stuff into nasty bottles?
Re: Sterilising Gin Bottles
25% is the lowest you can go legally before it enters a higher risk category in my country. I use an air compressor with a long nozzle pistol to dust clean bottles and filter the gin with an enolmatic. Overkill maybe but the gin is brilliantstillgeoff wrote: ↑Mon Oct 11, 2021 6:33 am Thanks. Any idea of how low the ABV would need to be before we have to think about sterilising?
- Yummyrum
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Re: Sterilising Gin Bottles
I use the same bottles over and over again without even rinsing .
Every year or so , I give them a rinse out with water … and wash the finger marks off the outside .
Every year or so , I give them a rinse out with water … and wash the finger marks off the outside .
My recommended goto .
https://homedistiller.org/wiki/index.ph ... ion_Theory
https://homedistiller.org/wiki/index.ph ... ion_Theory
Re: Sterilising Gin Bottles
Well I understand your concern but what we are doing is not wine or beer so no need to clean the bottles throughly, what I do it once I finish drinking them I have a Jet bottle washer that is attached to the tab, I use it but why I have that because I also brew beer, so normally you do not even need it, just rinse with water and you are good to go.
If you are wondering what I am talking about here is a picture of it.
If you are wondering what I am talking about here is a picture of it.
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Re: Sterilising Gin Bottles
Oooo I like that . I’d wash more often
My recommended goto .
https://homedistiller.org/wiki/index.ph ... ion_Theory
https://homedistiller.org/wiki/index.ph ... ion_Theory
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Re: Sterilising Gin Bottles
stillgeoff wrote: ↑Mon Oct 11, 2021 6:18 am
I'm interested to know what, if anything, people use to sterilise their bottles prior to use?
Like the others who replied above, a rinse with hot water is sufficient when I bottle spirits. However, I also make mead and I do sanitize (note: sanitize, not sterilize) those bottles.
I simply run them through the dishwasher, bottles only and no detergent, with the "Heat Dry" setting ON.
This is my third year of bottling meads and that system has worked perfectly.
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I drank fifty pounds of feed-store corn
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Re: Sterilising Gin Bottles
I read somewhere here "wash with cold water and rinse with more gin
-- Rrmuf
Re: Sterilising Gin Bottles
+1The Baker wrote: ↑Mon Oct 11, 2021 7:19 am If I am washing bottles just to stick on the shelf for the time being,
I rinse in water and drain them, then rinse again with a bit of alcohol and drain and cap.
Doesn't matter much what sort of alcohol, but spirit not wine...
Makes sure they don't go mouldy or anything or smell bad.
Geoff
Thats what I do as well.
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Per a conversation I had with Mr. Jay Gibbs regarding white oak barrel staves: “…you gotta get it burning good.”
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Re: Sterilising Gin Bottles
Just buy some Star-San, I use it on alot of my fermentation and mashing vessels/equipment. It works great.
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