For years, I had been rinsing out my bottles immediately after use and air drying. I would check the bottom of the bottle and make sure it was clear. On bottle day, I would use my Star San to sanitize and then fill each one up and cap. Until one day, I noticed a ring around one of my bottle necks. How could this be? I went ahead and checked my bottles the next time I was to rack beer into them and found mold and gunk. I was surprised since I rinse each bottle out thoroughly until it's clean at the bottom. I checked my other empties, that I hadn't used in a while, and found more gunk. Clearly, I wasn't cleaning them enough.
From this point forward, I started to place a bottle in the dishwasher after using it. I would immediately rinse it out and place it in the washer for the next cycle. After this, they would go into a box until I was to fill them up. On bottle, day, they'd go in my Star San, etc. Since then, I have not had any moldy bottle issues.
I made a hefeweizen this summer that had absolutely no head retention. Fully carbonated, but head would dissipate within a minute. I didn't think anything of it, until I read that placing your drinking glasses in the dishwasher can destroy head retention. This didn't solve the issue for me as I started washing my glasses by hand. But now I'm thinking am I destroying my head retention because I've been placing my bottles in the dishwasher? I started doing this in May and here's what's happened (brew month in parenthetical):
American IPA (June): great retention
Belgian Wit (June): great retention
Hefeweizen (June): absolutely no retention---three finger head on pour, gone immediately
Oktoberfest (July): not much to no retention (I know it's supposed to be a lager, but I use ale yeast)
American IPA (August): some retention
The Oktoberfest has just been tapped so it might be considered young but I've made this in the past and have had no issues with retention. It's possible it needs some time and that it might not be fully carbonated (been in the bottle two weeks). I have a Belgian Dubbel on deck, which could be telling in this regard that was brewed back in August but I'm not cracking that till the middle of October (by that time it will have been in bottle for a month).
I'm not using any rinse agent in my dishwasher, just detergent. Should I stray from washing my bottles in the dishwasher? And if so, what can I do to keep them clean? Should I literally wash by hand with soap? Or is PBW the way to go?
From this point forward, I started to place a bottle in the dishwasher after using it. I would immediately rinse it out and place it in the washer for the next cycle. After this, they would go into a box until I was to fill them up. On bottle, day, they'd go in my Star San, etc. Since then, I have not had any moldy bottle issues.
I made a hefeweizen this summer that had absolutely no head retention. Fully carbonated, but head would dissipate within a minute. I didn't think anything of it, until I read that placing your drinking glasses in the dishwasher can destroy head retention. This didn't solve the issue for me as I started washing my glasses by hand. But now I'm thinking am I destroying my head retention because I've been placing my bottles in the dishwasher? I started doing this in May and here's what's happened (brew month in parenthetical):
American IPA (June): great retention
Belgian Wit (June): great retention
Hefeweizen (June): absolutely no retention---three finger head on pour, gone immediately
Oktoberfest (July): not much to no retention (I know it's supposed to be a lager, but I use ale yeast)
American IPA (August): some retention
The Oktoberfest has just been tapped so it might be considered young but I've made this in the past and have had no issues with retention. It's possible it needs some time and that it might not be fully carbonated (been in the bottle two weeks). I have a Belgian Dubbel on deck, which could be telling in this regard that was brewed back in August but I'm not cracking that till the middle of October (by that time it will have been in bottle for a month).
I'm not using any rinse agent in my dishwasher, just detergent. Should I stray from washing my bottles in the dishwasher? And if so, what can I do to keep them clean? Should I literally wash by hand with soap? Or is PBW the way to go?