A bubble question

[adbachtell]

On this brew when I pour I get very large bubbles in the bottle. (The kind you would expect to see in soap). The beer tastes fine and an experiment on shaking the glass did not produce the same bubbles. I wash the bottles in dish soap with a brush, rinse with hot water(From a bottle washer) the submurge (SP) the bottles in one step for 2-7 minutes. Then put them on a bottle tree until I can rack into them. Any ideas or reasons on the bubbles in the bottle?

[ray m]

Does it taste OK?? I wouldn't really worry too much about it, although I suspect dish soad residue. Either use much less soap, or do a more thorough rinse. I also would suggest switching to PBW to do your cleaning chores for you. I usually let this stuff sit in my bottles overnight and it works like a charm. No more scrubbing/hand washing!!

[adbachtell]

PBW for bottles.....Never thought of that. I would do a very long rinse on the bottles prior to putting them in the one-step. Something to consider. Thanks. BTY love the pinhead pic.

[shifty brewer]

I'm gonna sound like a moron, but here it goes. What the heck is PBW? If it means no more scubbing bottles I'm all over it.

[adbachtell]

PBW is Powered Brewery Wash.

[ray m]

Glad you like my avatar, adbach'!!

Shifty....PBW is made by the same people (5 star, I think) that makes StarSan and other brewing cleaners & sanitizers. Very effective stuff.

[shifty brewer]

Thanks, I use Star San but had never heard of PBW. Did a little research last night and it definatly looks to be the way to go for cleaning.

[toneyc]

Originally posted by shifty brewer
Thanks, I use Star San but had never heard of PBW. Did a little research last night and it definatly looks to be the way to go for cleaning.

If you go that route, note that the directions on the package may not be accurate. For example, the package I bought was an 8 oz package for $3.99 and stated that I should use 3/4 oz per gallon for cleaning. That would have me using about half a package for every brew session. Way too much. I was told when I asked on a previous thread that you can use an oz per 5 gallons with good results.

:)
Toney.

[shifty brewer]

I'm gonna pick some of it up at Northern Brewer next week. It'll be well worth the investment if it means no more scrubbing.

[DreamWeaver]

Back to the original post... If you are concerned about the bubbles, I would speculate that they are just air/CO2 bubbles unless you can taste soap. Even a tiny bit of soap will be detectable and tasted. It (soap) will also leave a nasty aftertaste. If ya have big bubbles and your beer tastes good, I'd brag that "My bubbles are bigger than yours!" Beer head can be a result of many things... Foam retention by ingrediants, wheat, carapils, ...temps, tipped mug, clean glass ect. ... If it tastes OK I woud'nt worry about it. My $.02

[O2 Mash]

Originally posted by toneyc
If you go that route, note that the directions on the package may not be accurate. For example, the package I bought was an 8 oz package for $3.99 and stated that I should use 3/4 oz per gallon for cleaning. That would have me using about half a package for every brew session. Way too much. I was told when I asked on a previous thread that you can use an oz per 5 gallons with good results.

:)
Toney.

Toney, I hear ya, it can get pretty expensive using that stuff. I just save mine for months in a 5 gallon bucket and use it for many brew sessions. After all, it's a cleaner, not a sanitizer. You can rinse off any residue, then sanitize. The PBW is great for the krausen head residue on the carboys too. I just fill the carboy halfway with the PBW, then turn it upside down in a small bucket. The water stays in the upside down carboy, and the next day, the residue is gone and you can save the PBW.

[davesarman]

Originally posted by toneyc
you can use an oz per 5 gallons with good results.

Thanks for the tip Toney. I had been using 2-3 oz. and was thinking about reducing it a bit, since it does get a little spendy. I buy the biggest container Midwest Supplies sells. Not sure of the number of ounces in that package, but it's about the size of a big pickle jar and costs about $50. So if I can increase my efficiency with that stuff, I'm all for it. I also will use a batch of it to clean many containers, I just rack from one to the other...