How long will they be sterile?

[raitch]

I sterilised some bottles last night to finish my Scammonden Dark but i got called into work and didn't get home till late. They've been sat on the kitchen table since (working again today) on a bottle tree. I really can't be bothered messing around with them again (i do it 6 at a time in the sink) but i don't want to risk the batch with non-sterile bottles.

Do you think they are still ok to use?

Rob

[Ditch]

Raitch; What ever ye 'sterilised' them with could have some bearing .....

[raitch]

VWP solution.

I might stick them in the dishwasher with some more to make sure.

[Ditch]

VWP? Never used that one, mate. Is it a rinser, or a non rinse?

My personal reckoning, see, is pretty much this:

Stuff like bleach? (Complete and total) rinser! Sticks like 'it to a blanket. Needs a bit of shifting, regardless. Otherwise, it just sits there, destroying most microbes to come its way. I like bleach!

Now, these Non Rinse / Drip Dry and use solutions? If VWP's one of those? I'd say to Definitely re sanitise. I mean, in your time scale? They've dripped. They've dried. The gear's, presumably, become Inactive?

Not stopping bacteria any more then.

Ye need to clinch what ye have there though. Someone'll be along to tell ye.

And, this is only my own viewpoint on such matters too. Each to their own. But; I wouldn't waste my hard earned beer for the sake of a cut corner. Or a gamble.

[Geezah]

+1 to Ditch
Thin bleach offers a protective layer untill you start rinsing them out, anything else I would only give 2 hrs max before i'd re-sanitise.

[Pinto]

VWP is a rinser - hypochlorate sterilser like bleach, but tbh - for the sake of another 10 minute dip and rinse, is it worth risking a brew infection ?

[duffymoon]

My view is fairly relaxed & I've never once had an "off" bottle even keeping some for a year. I just wash my bottles by hand in some washing up liquid using a bottle washer brush then stick them all in an intense (70C) dishwash - no dishwasher tablet & no chemicals.

It works for me. With bottles I look at it as if one of them is contaminated that's just one pint ruined. Sanitising FVs, spoons, fish-tank heater, etc. is another matter & domestos original is my friend.

[St. Ailbhe's Brewery]

I use Star San, non rinse, never had a problem with it.

Leave them soaking in it for a few minutes and then simply tip the water out: no rinsing, nothing.

Mix at about 30ml to 25l. It's great stuff.

Star San is a flavorless, odorless, no-rinse, food grade sanitizer. When used according to directions Star San will completely eliminate all microorganisms that it comes into contact with. Star San acts quickly (3-5 minutes), and foams to sanitize cracks, cervices, and other "impossible" places in your equipment. Star San will leave a microscopic film on sanitized items that will continue to protect your bottles and equipment even after they have dried. This will not effect the quality, flavor, clarity, or color of your beer or wine. Star San is a blend of phosphoric acid and 'hard' sulfonic acid (dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid). This synergistic blend provides a unique killing system that is unaffected by excessive organic soils.

[raitch]

I've only ever used vwp or the youngs equivalent. Never tried bleach, i've always been worried about it for some reason. Must work out cheaper though.

Star san sounds good with the no rinse.

I've put them in the dishwasher with the vwp on a hot cycle this time. I'll let you know if it's a fail.

Thanks for all the advise.

[bigdave]

I've only ever used vwp or the youngs equivalent. Never tried bleach, i've always been worried about it for some reason. Must work out cheaper though.

Tesco/Asda/Sainsburys value thin bleach is about 45 pence for a big bottle and that'll do 3-4 brew days easy... Its just a pig when you slosh some down the front of a bright red French Connection t-shirt! (I now have dedicated brewday clothes).

[Ditch]

Its just a pig when you slosh some down the front of a bright red French Connection t-shirt! (I now have dedicated brewday clothes).

Dave; I lost countless pairs of perfectly good denims to the dreaded 'Grope'!

Ye know ..... well, ye probably don't actually! ..... But, us guys unconsciously give ourselves a little grope more times than we'd care to think about. Perhaps the action of bending over, say, to take something out of a sterilising bucket, misaligns our zip and; Grope! Even as we just move across to the sink.

Too late, of course! Plunged our hand into a bucket of bleach solution. Straightened up. Grope. Right there! F**king bleach all over ye cod piece! Rots it out in no time

I've specifically trained myself now. No matter what, I won't readjust myself till my hands have been rinsed off.

Cost me a fortune, figuring that out

[Stomach]

Its just a pig when you slosh some down the front of a bright red French Connection t-shirt! (I now have dedicated brewday clothes).

Dave; I lost countless pairs of perfectly good denims to the dreaded 'Grope'!

Ye know ..... well, ye probably don't actually! ..... But, us guys unconsciously give ourselves a little grope more times than we'd care to think about. Perhaps the action of bending over, say, to take something out of a sterilising bucket, misaligns our zip and; Grope! Even as we just move across to the sink.

Too late, of course! Plunged our hand into a bucket of bleach solution. Straightened up. Grope. Right there! F**king bleach all over ye cod piece! Rots it out in no time

I've specifically trained myself now. No matter what, I won't readjust myself till my hands have been rinsed off.

Cost me a fortune, figuring that out